Trade-A-Boat 496 2017

Beneteau Antares 8 OB

facts & figures

PRICED FROM

$118,500 (with 150hp Mercury

four-stroke)

OPTIONS FITTED

Engine upgrade, Comfort Pack, sun

awning, 240V electrical system with

40-amp charger, total scan transducer

PRICE AS TESTED

$154,900

GENERAL

MATERIAL GRP

TYPE Monohull cabin cruiser

LENGTH 8.23m (LOA)

BEAM 2.79m

WEIGHT 2269kg (with engine)

CAPACITIES

PEOPLE 9

FUEL 280L

WATER 100L

SUPPLIED BY

CHAPMAN MARINE GROUP

Suite 2, Sydney Boathouse,

2 Waterways Court, Rozelle, NSW 2039

PHONE +61 2 9818 2000

WEB chapmanmarinegroup.com.au

to an indoor dinette – by removing

the inner bed cushions and lifting

the base to form a table. High side

windows and an overhead hatch

channel natural light, and with 2m

headroom before the bunk and 1.4m

over the bed, the sleeping space feels

quite roomy for a boat of this size.

Forward of the helm is an enclosed

head with good standing room, a

sink, storage shelf, holding tank and

an opening port.

A sharply raked single-piece

windscreen and the large cabin

windows allow all-around vision

from the helm where a removable

timber platform adjusts the

headroom for drivers up to 1.9m tall.

Instruments and controls are set

into a black non-glare dash that’s

rather high but angled back for

comfortable vision. A Lowrance

HDS7 Gen3 touchscreen links with

the Verado for engine diagnostics,

and is backed up by the Smartcraft

display. Controls for the Quick

bow thruster, wipers and electric

anchor are within easy reach, and

all switches are tagged with easily

identifiable symbols.

The new Antares hull was

developed to perform with a

powerful outboard such as the

Mercury Verado 200, which has

a reputation as one of the gutsier

midrange engines. Keeping in

mind we had around 2500kg to

move, when I planted the throttle

the acceleration was impressive.

Handling is sporty and balanced,

with better performance in rougher

water than a lot of its European

contemporaries. The ride over

some nasty harbour chop was soft

and quiet, the boat feeling safe and

surefooted right through to its 34kt

and 5300rpm top speed. I might

expect to see a few more knots as

the engine beds in but that’s still

a decent turn of speed for a well-

equipped mini-cruiser.

The Antares 8 OB starts at

A$118,500 with a 150 Mercury

four-stroke, and to me that’s good

value for a well-sorted cruiser with

overnighting capability. Options

such as the Lowrance unit, Fusion

sound system, marine toilet and

Beneteau comfort pack took the price

out to $154,900 on our test boat.

52 trade aboat.com.au

Beneteau Antares 8 OB