Beneteau Antares 750, the 7.50 HB Outboard and the 1977 Original

Antares 750, a name with two meanings

Beneteau has used the Antares 7.50 name twice, more than thirty years apart. The first Antares 7.50, designed by Andre Beneteau, launched the whole Antares range in 1977, and Beneteau says it began a series of 47 models in just over forty years that made the Antares its best-selling motorboat line. The second is the Antares 750 HB, an outboard wheelhouse boat styled by Sarrazin Design whose brochure is dated November 2008.

Most people searching for antares 750 or beneteau 750 today mean the outboard boat, which is the subject of this page; the 1977 original has its own section further down. They have nothing in common except the number and the builder, so never mix their specifications.

A new line for the outboard Antares

Beneteau's launch brochure for the 7.50 HB, printed with provisional specifications and CE certification still pending, said the boat opened a new line in the range of small outboard Antares with a modern, sporty look. It promised a saloon with panoramic views, berths for four, a galley area, a head or storage compartment, an opening roof, a cockpit lounge and sunbathing area, and outboard propulsion, for coastal cruising, relaxing, fishing and water sports.

In hindsight that is exactly what happened. The 7.50 HB's 7.23 m length, 6.97 m hull, tank sizes and layout carried straight over to the Antares 7.80 that followed, so the 750 is effectively the first edition of that popular boat. Used listings we found are 2010 and 2011 builds, plus one titled 2012, and Beneteau's last inventory list for the 7.50 is dated February 2011.

Antares 750 HB specs

Beneteau's February 2011 inventory gives the definitive figures. The provisional 2008 brochure listed 1,950 kg and a 2.84 m hull beam, while the production list shows 2,000 kg and a 2.78 m beam, so expect small differences between documents.

• LOA 7.23 m (23 ft 9 in), hull length 6.97 m (22 ft 10 in)
• Beam 2.78 m (9 ft 1 in)
• EC light displacement 2,000 kg (4,408 lbs)
• Draft 0.60 to 0.80 m (2 ft to 2 ft 7 in), air draft 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
• Fuel 200 liters (53 gallons), water 100 liters (26 gallons)
• Maximum power 150 hp (112 kW), CE C8 / D8 for eight people

Inside, the mahogany-era layout

Inside, the 2011 list describes Alpi mahogany woodwork, Trajan Navy fabric cushions and dark-streaked laminate floors, which is the quickest visual way to tell a 750 HB from a 7.80, whose interiors moved to walnut and beige. The wheelhouse has 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) of headroom, a glass windscreen with two electric wipers, blue-tinted opening side windows and a two-leaf aft door in an electro-polished aluminum frame.

The helm is to starboard with a wooden wheel and a padded bolster seat. Next to it the galley has a polyester sink whose tap pulls out on a hose for use in the cockpit too, cold water under pressure, room for a gas cartridge hob and an icebox of 42 liters that opens from the front. The U-shaped saloon converts to a 2 m by 1.27 m double, and forward there is a double of 2.20 m by 1.20 m with a cupboard and roof hatch ventilation. A closed compartment under the helm, 1.50 m high, serves as storage or a toilet room, with chemical or marine toilet and holding tank as options.

Deck, power and handling

Outside there are asymmetric catwalks, a pulpit running back to the cockpit steps, a self-bailing cockpit with a two-seat bench, a large lockable chest, two rod holders and a fixed swim ladder. An integral cockpit conversion into a sun deck, an upward-opening 700 W windlass and Dune canvas for the wheelhouse and aft closure were options, along with a Raymarine electronics pack.

Beneteau offered pre-rigging for a 150 hp Suzuki or Yamaha, and the listings we saw mostly carry Suzuki 150s, with one Honda 135. The equipment list describes a semi-floating hull with an accentuated V bow for stability and performance in choppy seas. No speed or fuel figures were ever published that we could find, and we will not estimate them; with only 150 hp to move about 4,400 lbs plus load, it is a comfortable cruiser rather than a fast one.

The 1977 Antares 7.50 that started it all

The original Antares 7.50 is a very different boat. Its brochure lists Andre Beneteau as architect, 8.00 m overall on a 7.50 m hull, a 6.72 m waterline, 2.85 m maximum beam, 0.80 m draft, 2.20 m air draft and about 2,500 kg. Engines ranged from 60 to 130 hp, fuel capacity was 160 liters, water 90 liters, and it slept four, with 1.90 m headroom in the wheelhouse and 1.83 m under the coachroof.

Beneteau described a semi-planing hull that could reach a high speed at reasonable fuel consumption, with a flared tulip bow to deflect spray and a long keel reinforced with a steel shoe that protected the propeller and let the boat take the ground. Inside, a varnished saloon table drops to turn the wide benches into a double, the galley is fully fitted, the marine toilet is completely enclosed, and a forward berth separated from the saloon is described as taking three people. Velour linings, thick carpet and heavy foam engine insulation were part of the pitch. The brochure also notes that France's sea rescue service, the SNSM, chose the Antares 7.50 for intervention units, which says a lot about its seakeeping.

A 1977 to 1984 era 7.50 today is a restoration boat. Survey the hull, keel shoe, engine and wiring thoroughly, and assume the interior and systems need renewal.

Owning a 750 HB

Almost all Antares 750 for sale listings are in Europe, so US buyers will be importing. At 2.78 m (9 ft 1 in) wide the boat exceeds the 8 ft 6 in US trailer width, so plan on permits for road moves or on keeping it afloat or in dry storage. We estimate annual costs of 5,500 to 11,000 dollars including insurance, outboard service, fuel and storage.

Because it is the same boat underneath as the 7.80, parts such as windows, hatches and cushions are often shared, which helps. The main age issues are gelcoat crazing, window seals and the electrical panel.