Beneteau Sport Yachts & Express Cruisers

Antares 860 Guide, the 1983 Beneteau Antares 8.60 Cabin Cruiser

Beneteau's 28-foot diesel cabin cruiser of the early 1980s, offered with one engine or two, teak below and an optional flybridge.

1983 to present Discontinued Updated

Beneteau Oceanis 311 at anchor in the UK
For reference, Beneteau Oceanis 311 at anchor in the UK, not the Beneteau Antares 8.60. Photo: Timbow001, CC0, source
Length
28.2 ft8.6 m
Beam
9.8 ft3 m
Cruise
2.6 ft0.8 m
Cabins
1 owner's cabin forward plus a convertible saloon
Used price
$14K to $30K
On this page
  1. Overview
  2. Antares 860, the boat behind the search
  3. A hull with a lifeboat pedigree
  4. One diesel or two, and which to choose today
  5. Teak, velour and a 1.40 m double
  6. The flybridge version and the deck
  7. What forty years does to an Antares 8.60
  8. Price, import costs and running budget
  9. 8.60 versus 8.00, 8.05 and 8.8
  10. Specifications
  11. Price and value
  12. Strengths and weaknesses
  13. Used buyer checklist
  14. Rivals
  15. Our verdict
  16. FAQ

The Antares 860, officially the Beneteau Antares 8.60, is an Andre Beneteau designed 8.60 m semi-planing cabin cruiser first listed in January 1983. It has a 3.00 m beam, 600 liters of diesel and single or twin inboards from 80 to 225 hp.

Best for
  • Anglers who want an enclosed diesel boat
  • Restoration-minded owners
  • Shallow-water coastal cruising
  • Buyers who value twin engine redundancy on a budget

Antares 860, the boat behind the search

People who type antares 860 into a search bar are almost always looking at a French listing for a white, square-windowed cabin cruiser with a long keel and an inboard diesel. That boat is the Beneteau Antares 8.60, written with a comma as Antares 8,60 on Beneteau's own heritage pages. It was a flagship of the Antares line in the early 1980s, aimed at owners who wanted a fast offshore fishing boat and a comfortable coastal cruiser in one hull.

The paperwork places it precisely. Beneteau's provisional equipment list for the 8.60 is dated 1 January 1983, and the yard's archive later grouped it with the second generation Antares, which it dates from 1987 to 1990. European listings we found show boats built in 1983 and 1984. The smaller Antares 8.00 was then developed from it, and Beneteau's 8.00 brochure openly calls the 8.60 its elder sister.

Beneteau Antares 8.60 by the numbers

LOA 28' 2" / 8.60 mBeam 9' 10" / 2.99 mBow
Plan view drawn to scale from the published length and beam.
Horsepower per ton
58 hpStrong power to weight for a planing hull.
Displacement hull speed
6.6 knThe efficient cruising speed for a displacement hull of this waterline.
Length to beam ratio
2.88 : 1A beamy hull with lots of volume for its length.

Length compared with the 118 sport yachts & express cruisers we cover

18 ft92 ft

A hull with a lifeboat pedigree

Beneteau's brochure sells the 8.60 on its family background. It says the smaller Antares 7.50 had been chosen by the SNSM, the French volunteer sea rescue service, for reliability and sea keeping, and that the 8.60 used the same recipe: a semi-planing hull drawn by Andre Beneteau with efficient lines, a flared tulip bow, and a GRP hull with balsa core in the deck for stiffness and for sound and heat insulation. The later 8.00 brochure goes further and names the 8.60 itself as the SNSM's choice, so the exact boat is muddled in Beneteau's own literature, but the point stands: this was a hull designed to keep going in poor weather.

The brochure claims more than 20 knots at reasonable fuel consumption, a dry ride through short chop and good control downwind, with the boat surfing gently rather than yawing. A galvanized steel strip protects the full length of the keel, and the draft is only 0.80 m, so owners could poke into shallow coves and beaches with less fear of damage.

One diesel or two, and which to choose today

The 1983 list shows how flexible the boat was. Single engine choices were a Perkins of 80 hp, a Volvo Penta TMD 60 or a Volvo Penta TAMD 40. Twin installations used a pair of Volvo Penta TMD 30 or TAMD 30 diesels. Brochure copy summarizes the range as 80 to 225 hp, and one European boat for sale today lists a Volvo TAMD 60 of 235 hp, so expect variation after four decades of repowers.

For a buyer in 2026 the choice is mostly about parts and redundancy. A twin installation gets you home when one engine quits and makes docking easier, but doubles the maintenance and fills the engine room. A single larger diesel is cheaper to keep, and the long keel protects its propeller. Whatever is installed, the age of the engines is the main risk. Parts for 1980s Volvo and Perkins blocks are still available in many cases but not always cheap, and a well documented repower is worth real money.

Teak, velour and a 1.40 m double

Below, the 8.60 was trimmed to impress guests. The bright saloon doubles as the wheelhouse, with a large Altuglas windscreen in an aluminum frame, sliding side glass and a table on a pedestal to starboard that converts to a double berth. Forward of the companionway the galley sits to starboard with a stainless worktop and sink, two burners, pressurized water and storage. The owner's cabin is right forward with a real 1.40 m wide double, drawers, lockers, hanging space and two adjustable reading lamps.

The head is fitted between the two, with a marine toilet, washbasin with a pull-out shower, and doors from both the saloon and the owner's cabin. Beneteau specified teak joinery, velour lining and deep pile carpet, and the brochure dwells on the luxury. Forty years later, that same carpet and velour are usually the first things a new owner tears out, and teak that has been wet can hide soft plywood behind it.

The flybridge version and the deck

An elevated flying bridge with a second helm was an option, and brochure photos show 8.60s with a fly and a sunbathing area on the cabin top. It improves visibility when fishing or picking through moorings, but it adds weight high up and more deck penetrations to keep dry. If you are looking at a flybridge boat, inspect its bonding to the wheelhouse roof and the condition of the control cables.

On deck, the 1983 equipment list includes a chain locker, four mooring cleats, a stainless pulpit running back to the cockpit, aluminum grab rails, hydraulic wheel steering, a fold-down rear bench and a storage locker under the cockpit. The galvanized keel strip is also listed as standard. The cockpit is a practical fishing platform but has no swim platform in the modern sense.

Price, import costs and running budget

Asking prices we found were about 13,900 euros for a 1983 boat with 255 hp and 23,850 euros for a 1984 boat on a Volvo TAMD 60. In dollars, a fair range for a sound boat is roughly $14,000 to $30,000 before shipping. Because almost all of them are in Europe, an American buyer should add transport, customs entry and electrical adaptation, which can easily exceed a quarter of the purchase price on a boat this cheap.

Once in the water, budget about $6,000 to $13,000 a year for a slip or mooring, insurance, a yearly haul and bottom paint, and routine diesel service, more for a twin. The 600 liter tankage is generous for a 28-footer and gives a useful cruising radius, but without published fuel figures you will need to establish your own burn rate on the first few trips.

8.60 versus 8.00, 8.05 and 8.8

Several Beneteau powerboats share the 8-something name. The Antares 8.00 is the smaller derivative, about 8.00 m long and 2.86 m wide, with a single diesel. The Antares 8.05 is an early 1990s third generation boat, roughly 8.10 m by 2.95 m. The Antares 8.8 of 2006 is an 8.60 m twin inboard boat from the fourth generation designed with Patrick Sarrazin, despite its similar overall length. The Antares 8.80 of 2011 is an outboard boat with a stepped hull.

The quickest test is the beam and the build year. A 3.00 m beam, a long keel with a steel shoe and a hull built in the early to mid 1980s means you are looking at an original Antares 8.60.

Beneteau Antares 8.60 specifications

Length overall28.2 ft8.6 m
Waterline length24.1 ft7.35 m
Beam9.8 ft3 m
Draft2.6 ft0.8 m
Displacement7,716 lbs3,5 kg
Fuel capacity159 gal6 L
Fresh water26 gal1 L
Cabins1 owner's cabin forward plus a convertible saloon
Berths4
Heads1, with access from both the saloon and the owner's cabin
Maximum persons8
Standard enginesSingle inboard diesel: Perkins 80 hp, Volvo Penta TMD 60 or Volvo Penta TAMD 40 (1983 list)
Optional enginesTwin Volvo Penta TMD 30 or TAMD 30 diesels
Maximum power225 hp
Hull typeSemi-planing hull with flared tulip bow and long protected keel
Hull constructionFiberglass hull, GRP deck with balsa core
CE design categoryPre-CE; French 3rd category approval for 5 to 8 people
BuilderChantiers Beneteau, France
Naval architectAndre Beneteau
Production1983 to present
StatusDiscontinued

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.

How much does a Beneteau Antares 8.60 cost?

New, typical sail-awayNo longer built
Used, typical asking$14K to $30K
Yearly running costs$6K to $13K

The few Antares 8.60s on the market are in Europe, with recent asks we saw at about 13,900 euros for a 1983 boat and 23,850 euros for a 1984 boat on a Volvo TAMD 60. Twin engine boats cost more to keep but sell more easily to cautious buyers. Engine hours, the state of the teak interior and whether the flybridge option is fitted move prices more than the build year does.

Estimated used asking prices by model year, US market, 2026
$10K$20K$30K19831983, $14,000 to $26,00019841984, $15,000 to $28,00019871987, $16,000 to $29,00019891989, $17,000 to $30,000

Estimate your yearly cost

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.

Versions and options

Single engine
Perkins 80, Volvo Penta TMD 60 or TAMD 40 in the 1983 list, one shaft behind the keel.
Twin engine
Two Volvo Penta TMD 30 or TAMD 30 diesels for redundancy and easier docking.
Flybridge
Optional elevated flying bridge with a second helm above the wheelhouse.

Beneteau Antares 8.60 timeline

  1. 1983Provisional equipment list for the Antares 8.60 issued on 1 January
  2. 1984Earliest build years seen on European listings are 1983 and 1984
  3. 1987Beneteau's archive dates its second Antares generation, which includes the 8.60, from 1987
  4. 1990Third generation Antares arrives with a new hull concept

Strengths and weaknesses

What owners like

  • 600 liters of diesel in two stainless tanks on a 28-foot boat
  • Choice of single or twin diesels
  • Shallow 0.80 m draft and a steel-shod keel
  • Real 1.40 m double in a separate owner's cabin
  • Optional flybridge for fishing visibility
  • Low purchase prices

What to weigh up

  • Original 1980s engines and systems are now old
  • Teak, velour and carpet interiors age badly when damp
  • Displacement figures differ between Beneteau's own documents
  • Rare outside Europe
  • No independent speed or fuel tests on record

Used Beneteau Antares 8.60 buyer checklist

Take this list to a viewing. Your ticks are saved in this browser so you can come back to it.

Always commission an independent marine survey and an engine survey before you buy. How a marine survey works.

Rivals to consider

Beneteau Antares 8.00

The smaller derivative, lighter and single engine only, with the same basic hull ideas.

Compare side by side

Beneteau Antares 8.05

The early 1990s successor in the 8 m class, newer but with similar diesel inboard power.

Compare side by side

Beneteau Antares 9.80

A much newer flybridge Antares with twin diesels and two cabins, at roughly three to four times the price.

Compare side by side

Ranger Tugs R-27

A US-built, trailerable pilothouse alternative with modern systems and dealer support.

Compare side by side

Our verdict on the Beneteau Antares 8.60

The Antares 860 is a classic French cabin cruiser that still makes a case for itself on paper: a seaworthy semi-planing hull, a steel-shod keel, big tanks, a real owner's cabin and the option of two engines. It is also a 1980s boat with 1980s systems, and nearly all of them are in Europe. Treat it as a budget project for someone who likes diesels and woodwork rather than as a turnkey weekender, and pay only for a dry deck and well documented engines.

Beneteau Antares 8.60 questions answered

What is an Antares 860?

It is the Beneteau Antares 8.60, an 8.60 m diesel cabin cruiser designed by Andre Beneteau and first listed in January 1983.

What engines were offered on the Beneteau Antares 8.60?

The 1983 list offered a Perkins 80, a Volvo Penta TMD 60 or a TAMD 40 as singles, or twin Volvo TMD 30 or TAMD 30 diesels. The brochure gives a range of 80 to 225 hp.

How fast is the Antares 8.60?

Beneteau's brochure claims more than 20 knots. No independent test figures have been published that we could find.

How much fuel does the Antares 8.60 carry?

Two 300 liter stainless tanks, 600 liters or about 159 US gallons, plus 100 liters of fresh water.

Is there a Beneteau Antares 860 for sale in the US?

Rarely. Most for sale are in France and nearby countries, recently around 13,900 to 23,850 euros, so US buyers usually import.

Did the Antares 8.60 have a flybridge?

A flying bridge with a second helm was an option, so both wheelhouse-only and flybridge boats exist.

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