Beneteau Flyer 10 Review, the Outboard Dayboat That Sleeps Four

The Beneteau Flyer 10 stretched what a Flyer could be

Until 2019 a Beneteau Flyer meant a trailerable outboard dayboat, a SPACEdeck center console or a SUNdeck walkaround somewhere between 18 and 29 feet. The Beneteau Flyer 10 broke that mold. It is a 32 ft 9 in, 3.35 m beam boat with twin outboards of up to 350 hp each, a four-seat helm, a three-person bow lounger and a proper cabin with two doubles and a separate shower. Beneteau calls it a liveaboard boat behind a dayboat concept, and Motor Boat and Yachting's Alex Smith opened his test by asking whether it was really a Flyer at all.

The jury of European Powerboat of the Year answered with a category win for 2020, after Beneteau announced the nomination in September 2019 while the boat toured that season's European shows. It is still the flagship of Beneteau's Flyer line in 2026, sold in the open version and as the Flyer 10 Sport Top with a glass hardtop, while the new Flyer 30 introduced in September 2026 marks the start of the next generation.

One walkway, more boat

The key design move is what Beneteau calls the smart walkaround. Instead of two narrow side decks, the Flyer 10 has a single asymmetric walkway to port that runs up three steps through the windscreen to the foredeck. That frees the starboard side of the deck for a wider console and gives the cabin below more volume than a symmetric walkaround could. Up front, a sun pad for three spans the deck from the walkway to the starboard rail, and MBY recommends upgrading to the sculpted individual loungers with armrests.

The cockpit is the boat's best space. Entering from the starboard side of the platform, a diagonal walkway takes you past a dining area for six that converts to a large sun pad; drop the backrest of the aft bench and that pad stretches to 2.5 m, over 8 ft. The deck galley behind the helm has a sink, a two-burner hob over an oven, a fridge and storage, though MBY found little real worktop. A rigid T-top or bimini covers the area.

• Helm with two bolster seats and a double seat to port, four people facing forward
• Garmin electronics and Seanapps remote monitoring
• Twin swim platforms around the outboards
• Pilot Edition from 2023 with grey hull, black pulpits, sport wheel and underwater lights

Two doubles and a real shower below

Below the bow lounge there is enough headroom to seat six around an offset dinette that converts to the forward double. A mid-cabin with a transverse double sits under the helm, lit by large tinted windows built into the co-pilot's console, with a changing area beside the door. There is no galley below, but a fridge and microwave hide in the port cupboards. The starboard head is the surprise: MBY measured about 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) of headroom including the separate shower stall, with a long hull window for light.

It is weekend accommodation rather than a cruising interior, but for a couple with two children, or two couples who do not mind a convertible berth, it allows real overnight trips that a typical 33 ft open boat cannot.

Air Step hull performance and fuel

Twin outboards up to 350 hp lift the Flyer 10 onto its Air Step 2 hull in seconds. MBY's test with twin 300 class Suzukis, five people and well over half a metric ton of fuel and water aboard, recorded 20 knots in nine seconds, 30 knots in 16 seconds and a top speed of 42 knots. Consumption at 20 knots was 92.4 liters per hour, about 24.4 US gallons per hour, and MBY quoted a range of about 160 nautical miles at 24 knots.

The tester called it a comfy, competent driver's boat with game heel and healthy throttle response, though not as sharp or fun as an Axopar 37. The 800 liter (212 gallon) fuel capacity in two tanks is generous for the size. For the hardtop Sport Top, Beneteau quotes up to 35 knots with up to 600 hp, reflecting the extra weight and windage of the glass roof.

Flyer 10 versus Flyer 10 Sport Top

The Sport Top keeps the hull, the 32 ft 8 in length, the 3.35 m beam and the twin 400 liter tanks, and adds a glass hardtop with an electrically opening roof, styled by Sarrazin Design. Its lightship displacement is listed at 12,182 lb and air draft rises to 14 ft 1 in. The cockpit galley swaps in an electric grill, and interior joinery moves to walnut. YachtBuyer lists Mercury Verado V8 300 or V10 350 power. It is the better choice for shoulder seasons and northern waters, while the open Flyer 10 is lighter, faster and easier to store under a lower roof.

Running costs and service

Twin large outboards are the main cost. At roughly 24 gallons per hour at 20 knots, a season of 100 engine hours burns a few thousand gallons. Outboard service, trailer or lift storage, insurance and bottom paint put typical US annual costs at about $18,000 to $38,000 excluding depreciation. Outboards also make the boat cheap to repower compared with stern drives, and they keep the cockpit free of engine hatches.

Beneteau's dealer network in the US is primarily sail and trawler focused, so check where outboard and warranty service will actually be done before you buy. Suzuki and Mercury dealers can handle the engines anywhere.

What to check on a used Flyer 10

The first boats are now six years old, which is young for a fiberglass hull but old enough for outboard hours, upholstery and electronics to vary widely. Prioritize engine service records, T-top fitting condition and the state of the bow and cockpit cushions, which are expensive to replace. Inside, look for water at the base of the windscreen walkway steps and around the hull windows.

Used values are supported by the high new price; a hull-only price above $300,000 before engines means a clean 2020 to 2022 boat with good outboards represents a large saving.