Beneteau Antares 780, What Owners Get and What to Pay

The Antares 780 and why it sells

In Beneteau's outboard Antares line of the early 2010s, the Antares 780 was the family boat: bigger than the 5.80 and 6.80, smaller and cheaper than the 8.80, and the first size with a separate heads compartment. Beneteau described it as a versatile multi-program boat for quick day breaks or short cruises, designed around ergonomics and easy living aboard.

It did not appear from nowhere. The 2009 Antares 7.50 HB used the same 7.23 m overall length and 6.97 m hull, the same 200 liter fuel and 100 liter water tanks and the same layout of forward double, U-shaped saloon and heads under the helm. The 7.80 refined that boat, raised the power ceiling from 150 to 200 hp and added Beneteau's red-stripe livery. Listings we found begin with 2011 builds, and Beneteau's last equipment list dates from July 2015 with packs for 2016.

Antares 7.80 specifications

Beneteau's July 2015 equipment list gives 7.23 m (23 ft 9 in) overall, a 6.97 m (22 ft 10 in) hull, 2.84 m (9 ft 3 in) overall width and a 2.78 m hull beam. Weight is 1,837 kg (4,049 lbs) without engine and 2,133 kg (4,701 lbs) in EC light displacement. Draft is 0.60 to 0.80 m (2 ft to 2 ft 7 in) and air draft 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in).

Tanks hold 200 liters (53 gallons) of fuel and 100 liters (26 gallons) of fresh water in a flexible tank with a pressure pump, and CE certification is C8 / D8 for eight people. Note the width: at 9 ft 3 in the 7.80 is over the standard US 8 ft 6 in trailer limit, so towing it on public roads requires a wide-load permit in most states.

• LOA 23 ft 9 in, hull 22 ft 10 in, width 9 ft 3 in
• EC weight 4,701 lbs, without engine 4,049 lbs
• Fuel 53 gallons, water 26 gallons (pressurized)
• Single outboard up to 200 hp
• CE C8 / D8, eight persons

A layout that sleeps four and has a door on the head

The wheelhouse is bright, with 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) headroom, a one-piece windscreen with two wipers, opening tinted side windows and a three-leaf aft door. The helm is to starboard with hydraulic steering, a bolster seat and space for a plotter; the galley sits alongside with a sink on a hose tap for inside or outside use, pressurized cold water, a mount for a single-burner cooker and a front-opening 42 liter icebox that can be refrigerated as an option.

Opposite, a U-shaped saloon seats four and converts into a double of 2 m by 1.27 m. Forward, the cabin has a double berth of 2.20 m by 1.20 m and a hanging locker. Under the helm is a separate heads compartment with a door, an opening port and 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) headroom; a chemical toilet, or a marine toilet with a 64 liter (17 gallon) holding tank, was optional. This is the feature that sends many buyers to the 7.80 instead of the 6.80.

On deck, catwalks and the cockpit saloon

Side decks are asymmetric, 15 cm to port and 20 cm to starboard, with grab rails on the wheelhouse and a pulpit that runs back to the cockpit steps. Beneteau's list adds a white PVC rubbing strake, diamond-pattern non-skid and an anchor locker with five cleats, a towing ring and a stainless bow roller; a 700 W electric windlass was an option.

The self-bailing cockpit has a two-seat aft bench, a big lockable central chest with gas strut, two rod holders and solid wood caps, and slatted wooden bathing platforms either side of the outboard. The Confort and Nordic packs add a square cockpit saloon that converts to a sunbed, a 220 V system with charger and the 42 liter fridge, and the Nordic pack also adds the opening cabin hatch, sliding wheelhouse hatch and the marine toilet. A second set of controls in the cockpit and shore-power air conditioning were also offered.

150 or 200 horsepower?

The 2015 list shows Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda pre-rigging from 40 to 200 hp, a mechanical Mercury F150 and an electronic Mercury Verado from 150 to 200 hp; Beneteau's page mentions a holiday pack built around a Suzuki. Most boats on the market carry 150 hp from Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda, with a few Suzuki DF200s.

We could not find a published speed or fuel test for the 7.80, so we will not quote numbers. In practical terms the 150 is adequate for a couple and light loads; the 200 is the better choice for families of four or more, for coastal chop, and for holding a plane at lower rpm. Beneteau's maximum is 200 hp; do not exceed it.

What one first-time owner found

Motor Boat and Yachting published a useful first-hand account in 2021 from Phil Clayton, a first-time buyer in Essex who chose an Antares 780 over Jeanneau Merry Fishers. He wanted cockpit seating for eight, an inside space for bad weather, a proper toilet rather than a portable one, and outboard power to avoid sterndrive maintenance. The 780 he bought had a 150 hp Suzuki with a little over 200 hours, an electric windlass, bimini and full covers.

The survey found a few small gelcoat cracks outside the heads compartment and on the saloon roof, nothing serious, and moisture readings were fine. He noted that the boat had cost 45,233 pounds new and was listed at 37,500 pounds after seven owners, and he bought it for 35,000. His later bills, about 212 pounds to lift and store and 353 pounds to service and winterize the outboard, are a fair guide to basic running costs in the UK.

Finding an Antares 780 for sale from the US

Nearly all the Antares 780 boats we found for sale were in France and Spain, priced from about 39,500 to 55,000 euros. Be careful with listing titles: one 2010 Antares 780 we saw was actually an inboard Antares 7 with a Yanmar diesel, and a 2020 boat titled 780 was in fact a later Antares 7 OB. Check the hull dimensions, the engine type and the HIN.

Annual costs for a boat this size, kept on a trailer or in dry storage, run roughly 6,000 to 12,000 dollars by our estimate, including insurance, engine service, fuel and storage. Keeping it in a slip adds fees and antifouling.