Antares 13.80: Beneteau's Three-Cabin Flybridge, Tested and Priced

A 45 ft flybridge styled after French peche-promenade boats, with walkaround decks, a superb lower helm and three cabins for the price of a two-cabin rival.

2002 to 2009 Discontinued Updated October 2026

For reference, Beneteau Oceanis 311 at anchor in the UK, not the Beneteau Antares 13.80. Photo: Timbow001, CC0, source

Length: 45.8 ft13.95 m
Beam: 14.1 ft4.3 m
Cruise: 27 kn
Cabins: 3 (owner forward, two guest cabins aft of it)
Used price: $145K to $265K

On this page

Overview
Why the Antares 13.80 looks like no other 45 footer
Deck gear from a 70 footer's parts bin
One of the best lower helms of its era
Three cabins below a 45 ft flybridge
Sea trial figures and range
The rudder tube lesson from 2003
Buying an Antares 13.80 for sale today
Specifications
Price and value
Strengths and weaknesses
Used buyer checklist
Rivals
Our verdict
FAQ

The Beneteau Antares 13.80 is a 13.95 m (45 ft 9 in) twin-diesel flybridge cruiser built from about 2002 to 2009, with three cabins, two heads, 1,500 liters of fuel and a tested top speed of 31.6 knots.

Best for

Families needing three cabins on a budget
Owners who handle lines themselves
Coastal cruisers in choppy waters
Buyers who value a lower helm

Beneteau Antares 13.80 by the numbers

Plan view drawn to scale from the published length and beam.

Speed to length ratio at cruise: 4.28A planing cruise. Fast passages in exchange for much higher fuel burn per mile.
Horsepower per ton: 73 hpStrong power to weight for a planing hull.
Length to beam ratio: 3.25 : 1Moderate proportions.

Length compared with the 128 motor yachts we cover

Beneteau Antares 13.80

32 ft89 ft

Why the Antares 13.80 looks like no other 45 footer

When Motor Boat and Yachting tested the Antares 13.80 for its March 2003 issue, it framed the boat as Beneteau daring to be different. Instead of copying the sleek, curvy Euro-flybridges of the day, the 13.80 took its styling cues from France's business-like peche-promenade fishing boats. The result is a 13.95 m (45 ft 9 in) flybridge cruiser with tall windows, teak-capped bulwarks, wide teak side decks and a deck layout more like a trawler than a sport yacht, yet capable of more than 30 knots.

It was the flagship of the fourth Antares generation, which Beneteau dates from 2001 to 2011, and YachtBuyer lists the 13.80 itself from 2001 to 2009. The design office credited by MBY is Beneteau's own, dated 2002, with Sarrazin Design named on later specifications. Yachting magazine tested one on the Chesapeake in 2007, when Beneteau USA was selling it alongside its sailboats.

Deck gear from a 70 footer's parts bin

Nobody who walks the 13.80's decks forgets them. MBY measured 6 inch teak-capped mini-bulwarks, 15 inch teak-laid side decks and 16 inch mooring cleats, larger than those on a Princess 20M in the same marina, plus 35 mm guardrails, a raised central windlass platform with separate chain and fender lockers, and multi-lead stern fairleads. The bathing platform is level with the cockpit. Yachting's John Wooldridge found the side decks wide enough to stride forward purposefully, and praised the stout double rails running from the bow to the cockpit steps and on up the flybridge stairs.

On the flybridge, the helm is set to port with the seat near the centerline, a bench wraps around to a console with a small sink, and the rails, which reach 33 inches at the sunbed end, encircle three sides. A long hatch can close off the stairway when children are aboard. Gas struts, rubber seals and lockable stainless catches appear even on the bathing platform lockers, which tells you where the money went.

One of the best lower helms of its era

MBY said lower helm positions do not get much better. The large saloon windows, almost 3 ft deep aft, give a trawler-like view, and big side windows slide open far enough to put your head and shoulders out when docking. The dash is angled toward the helmsman with room for two navigation displays, and headroom over the helm and seating is about 6 ft 6 in. Yachting noted only one small blind angle where the flybridge stairs are supported.

The saloon is galley-up, with a lengthways galley to port featuring a three-burner stove, an 80 liter fridge and two sinks on the 2009 specification, and seating and a hi-lo table to starboard that extends for dinner. The high-gloss mahogany joinery was praised, but MBY's test boat had loose-laid wood floors that rattled in a seaway, a problem simple rubber strips would cure.

Three cabins below a 45 ft flybridge

Fitting three cabins into a 45 footer was the 13.80's headline. The owner's cabin is in the bow with an island double, two hanging lockers and two dressing tables, and an en suite head with a cylindrical acrylic shower. Two guest cabins sit aft of it, tucked under the forward end of the saloon. Yachting's 2007 test boat had twin beds in both that convert to long doubles with a filler, while Beneteau's 2009 inventory shows a double to port and two singles to starboard. A day head to port serves both guest cabins.

MBY's criticisms were that none of the cabins is particularly spacious, guest storage is limited, the forward berth cushion is split lengthways, and the cabins felt gloomy compared with the bright saloon, especially the forward cabin with only four halogen lights. More lighting and some brighter fabrics transform the space, and many owners have done exactly that.

Sea trial figures and range

MBY's test outside Poole Harbour in lumpy wind-over-tide conditions produced these numbers: a slow cruise of 21.4 knots at 2,000 rpm with a range of 317 miles, a fast cruise of 27 knots at 2,350 rpm with 250 miles, and 31.6 knots flat out at 2,660 rpm with 192 miles. The flared bow threw spray wide, the helmsman took only three minor douses, and up to 2,400 rpm and 28 knots the boat held its revs through tight turns. Yachting, using Beneteau's data, quoted about 270 nautical miles at a 24 knot cruise with a 10 percent reserve.

Engines are not listed in MBY's archive data. Beneteau's July 2009 inventory list specifies twin Cummins QSB 5.9 diesels of 480 hp each on shafts, with a maximum certification of 1,020 hp, and YachtBuyer lists the same Cummins as the standard option. Confirm what is in any boat you view, because the engines decide both performance and value.

The rudder tube lesson from 2003

MBY's test did not go smoothly at first. On day one the tester felt vibration through the steering that grew into visible shaking. Back at the dock, the glassfiber rudder tubes were found to have no support between hull and inner molding, and the starboard tube was starting to fail at its junction with the hull. Beneteau's first repair used resin mixed incorrectly for the cold UK weather and did not cure; the second filled the void with a solid resin and glass block tied into the structure, after which the steering was sharp and quick.

Beneteau told MBY that all existing 13.80s had been modified and that future boats would be built with the structural change. For a buyer today, the lesson is simple: have the surveyor inspect the rudder tubes and their reinforcement on every 13.80, regardless of year, and look for paperwork if the boat is an early hull.

Buying an Antares 13.80 for sale today

The 13.80 was always a value proposition. MBY's 2003 test price of 237,307 pounds compared with 365,990 pounds for Fairline's smallest three-cabin boat, the Phantom 46. Today an Antares 13.80 for sale typically converts to between about $145,000 and $265,000, depending on age, engine hours and how well the teak decks and joinery have been kept. That is very little money for three cabins, twin diesels and decks this safe.

Expect running costs in line with any twin-diesel 45 footer: engine servicing, shaft and rudder work, teak deck maintenance and canvas. The trim tab switches were criticized as stiff and slow when new, and many owners have upgraded them or added automatic trim, which is worth having on a hull with fine bow sections that rewards careful trimming.

Beneteau Antares 13.80 specifications

Length overall	45.8 ft13.95 m
Beam	14.1 ft4.3 m
Draft	3.8 ft1.15 m
Air draft	17.1 ft5.2 m
Displacement	26,202 lbs11,885 kg
Fuel capacity	396 gal1,5 L
Fresh water	169 gal64 L
Cabins	3 (owner forward, two guest cabins aft of it)
Berths	6 in cabins plus a convertible saloon
Heads	2 (owner en suite with separate shower, day head)
Standard engines	2 x Cummins QSB 5.9, 480 hp each, on shafts (2009 specification)
Maximum power	960 hp
Cruise speed	27 knots
Top speed	31.6 knots
Range	250 nm
Hull type	Semi-planing hull with fine bell-shaped V bow, heavy flare and a small keel
Hull construction	Balsa-cored GRP sandwich hull with monolithic structural counter-molding; balsa-cored deck
CE design category	B (12 people) / C (14 people)
Builder	Chantiers Beneteau, France
Naval architect	Beneteau design office (Beneteau Power)
Other design credits	Sarrazin Design
Production	2002 to 2009
Status	Discontinued

Figures come from builder documentation and independent tests where available. Displacement is usually quoted light, so a loaded cruising boat will weigh more. Compare these specs with another model.

Performance data

RPM	Speed (kn)	Range (nm)
2000	21.4	317
2350	27	250
2660	31.6	192

MBY test published March 2003, Poole, lumpy wind-over-tide conditions; ranges as published by MBY (miles). Fuel flow was not published.

How much does a Beneteau Antares 13.80 cost?

New, typical sail-awayNo longer built

Used, typical asking$145K to $265K

Yearly running costs$28K to $55K

MBY priced the 13.80 at 237,307 pounds including VAT in 2003, against 365,990 pounds for a three-cabin Fairline Phantom 46, and that value gap persists on the used market. Most boats are in Europe, so US buyers should budget for transport, duty and 220 volt systems. Engine hours, the condition of the teak decks and evidence that the rudder tube reinforcement was done are the biggest price drivers.

Estimated used asking prices by model year, US market, 2026

Estimate your yearly cost

Purchase price Engine hours per year Slip rate per foot per month Fuel price per gallon

A planning estimate using common rules of thumb: insurance near 1.5 percent of value, maintenance near 3 percent, haul out and bottom paint by length. Your marina, region and use will move these numbers. Open the full cost calculator.

Beneteau Antares 13.80 timeline

2002Beneteau design office completes the Antares 13.80 as flagship of the fourth-generation Antares range
2003MBY tests the 13.80 and Beneteau reinforces the rudder tubes on all boats
2007Yachting magazine tests a Beneteau USA boat on the Chesapeake
2009Final inventory list specifies twin Cummins QSB 5.9 480 hp diesels
2010The Antares 42 arrives as the new inboard flybridge flagship

Strengths and weaknesses

What owners like

Three cabins for the price of most rivals' two
Wide teak side decks and outstanding deck hardware
Excellent lower helm with huge windows
Over 30 knots with a dry ride
Easy engine room access
1,500 liters of fuel mounted near the center of gravity

What to weigh up

Guest cabins are small and dark
Prototype rudder tube failure means careful survey
Teak decks are costly to maintain or replace
Mostly European boats with 220 volt systems
Interior finish below Fairline or Princess

Rivals to consider

Fairline Phantom 46

MBY's 2003 benchmark: plusher three-cabin British flybridge for over 50 percent more money new.

Prestige 46

Sister-group flybridge with a more leisure-oriented style and similar three-cabin ambitions.

Beneteau Antares 42

The 2010 successor, two cabins and Volvo or Yanmar power, more modern but less roomy below.

Compare side by side

Sealine F43

British flybridge alternative with sportier styling and less deck practicality.

Compare side by side

Our verdict on the Beneteau Antares 13.80

The Antares 13.80 is the thinking person's 45 ft flybridge. It gives up some interior gloss and cabin size, but in return you get decks you can work safely at sea, a lower helm with a view most trawlers would envy, an engine room you can actually service and three cabins at a price well below the obvious British alternatives. MBY clocked 31.6 knots and a 27 knot fast cruise, and its seakeeping is genuinely good. Survey the rudder tubes, price the teak, and a well-kept 13.80 is one of the best value three-cabin flybridges on the European used market.

Beneteau Antares 13.80 questions answered

How fast is the Antares 13.80?

MBY recorded 31.6 knots flat out at 2,660 rpm, a 27 knot fast cruise at 2,350 rpm and a 21.4 knot slow cruise at 2,000 rpm.

What engines are fitted to the Beneteau Antares 13.80?

Beneteau's 2009 specification lists twin Cummins QSB 5.9 diesels of 480 hp each on shafts. Check the engines on any individual boat, as specifications changed over the production run.

What is the range of the Antares 13.80?

MBY published 317 miles at 21.4 knots and 250 miles at 27 knots from 1,500 liters of fuel. Yachting quoted about 270 nautical miles at 24 knots with a 10 percent reserve.

How many cabins does the Antares 13.80 have?

Three: an owner's cabin forward with en suite and two twin guest cabins sharing a day head.

What should I check when buying a used Antares 13.80?

Start with the rudder tubes, which failed on MBY's 2003 test boat before Beneteau reinforced all boats, then the engines, teak decks and window seals.

Is the Antares 13 the same as the 13.80?

Listings and searches for an Antares 13 almost always mean the 13.80, the 13.95 m flybridge built from about 2002 to 2009.

Photos from the Beneteau range

We have not found a freely licensed photo of the Beneteau Antares 13.80 yet, so these show other Beneteau boats, each captioned with the boat pictured.

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