Beneteau Antares 11
Beneteau’s largest outboard coupe is tailor-made for family weekending.
As I walked down the dock and spotted the new Antares 11 from Beneteau, the largest model in the lineup, I admired the proportional relationship between hull length and deckhouse, as well as the long, lean lines of the cabin-top extension covering the aft deck. This is the best-looking Antares yet, I thought to myself.
Beneteau created a fine-running hull with a modestly raked stem and deep forefoot, high topsides forward, and a significant chine that runs from the stem to the transom. Additionally, there’s a full-length structural line above the waterline that adds internal volume and helps the Antares 11 run dry.
The beauty of this boat has much to do with the collaboration between Beneteau and Sarrazin Design, under the practiced eye of its owner, Patrice Sarrazin, and his staff of Franck Langlais and Sébastien Travers. The lines are graceful and pleasing to look at, as well as functional. The cabin top, for example, is complemented by the rake of the forward, single-piece windshield, the curved cabin sides supporting it, and the protection it offers to those on the aft deck. The inset hull-side windows look more integral than some of the designs found elsewhere in the small cruiser market, and they let in abundant light below deck.
Beneteau kept the weekend cruising family’s safety and comfort firmly in mind from the get-go, starting with twin swim platforms extending past the outboards that enhance boarding, and a drop-down, terrace-like starboard side section of bulwark that increases the size of the aft deck. To increase space, comfort and livability in the main cabin, the port-side wall is pushed out, but not so far that it totally eliminates the port side deck. The starboard side deck is wider, allowing for unobstructed transit from the cockpit to the foredeck for those handling dock lines or preparing to catch some rays on the forward sunpad.
The L-shaped bench seat and table on the aft deck drops down to form an aft sunpad and flows almost uninterrupted to the convertible bench and table inside the main cabin. Large side windows with an opening section to port offer great views, light and ventilation, as do four tinted overhead skylights (two are opening hatches) within easy reach of the starboard-side helm station. Beneteau includes a sliding door and an opening gate, making it easy for the helmsman to pull alongside a dock and step out to handle short-handed docking. An efficient galley with all the necessary appliances and enough storage for a weekend’s worth of snacks and meals is located abaft the helm.
A full-beam cabin amidships features a 6-foot, 7-inch-long double berth and a bench that can serve as a single berth. An island double in the forward cabin shares centerline hall access to the single head with a separate shower compartment. Taken together, it’s a spacious layout with 6 feet, 4 inches of headroom throughout.
Performance with the twin Mercury 300 V8 Verados is stellar. The boat tops out at 40 knots, given the right conditions. A high cruise sweet spot at 4500 rpm delivers 28 knots and 1.2 mpg fuel consumption, for a range of approximately 248 miles. And getting in and out of tight slips is made simple with joystick maneuvering—perfect for relieving the stress of docking after a fun family weekend on the water.
Beneteau Antares 11 Specifications:
LOA: 36’7”
Beam: 11’5”
Draft: 4’3”
Displ.: 13,451 lbs. (light)
Fuel: 212 gal.
Water: 53 gal.
Power: 2/300-hp Mercury Verado
Cruise Speed: 28 knots
Top Speed: 40 knots
