Beneteau 750 Flyer Buyer's Guide, Where Air Step Began

The boat Beneteau used to launch Air Step

Most people searching for a Beneteau 750 Flyer want to know one of two things: what it is worth, and whether the stepped hull is as good as its reputation. The second question is the more interesting one. Beneteau developed its patented Air Step technology in 2003, credited to Patrick Tableau, Maud Tronquez and Remy Laval-Jeantet, and the same three names appear as naval architects of the Flyer 750 WA and Flyer 750 Open. Beneteau dates both to 2004; MBY reported that the boat was unveiled in open form that year, with the walkaround cuddy version following for 2005. This 7.2 m outboard boat was, in effect, the production prototype for a hull concept Beneteau now uses on boats up to 50 feet.

When Motor Boat and Yachting tested it, the magazine said Beneteau's interpretation was the only production boat it knew of with that arrangement, and that it was among the very best small-boat hulls its tester had driven. That is high praise for a dayboat that started at about 21,500 pounds without an engine.

Chevron steps fed with air from the deck

A step only works if air can reach it. On most stepped hulls the air enters at the chine and has to travel inward, which pushes designers toward steps that run straight across the bottom or angle the wrong way for directional stability. Beneteau reversed the problem. On the Flyer 750 the steps sweep aft from the keel toward the chine in a chevron, and air is force fed into their forward ends through ducts that run down from vents in the superstructure.

MBY described three theoretical benefits: a more consistent air supply along the step, the extra stability of a swept step, and an unbroken chine. On the water that translated into a level ride, an almost imperceptible transition onto the plane and a boat that does not punish poor trim. The tester had the boat airborne in a 1 m swell at its 40.2 knot top speed and reported unusually gentle landings, flat rather than stern first, with a smoother upwind ride than the stepped Nimbus Nova 250 and 300.

WA, Open, Sun Deck and Cabrio explained

Four boats share the 750 name, and listings rarely spell out which is which. The 750 Open (2004) and the 750 WA walkaround (2005 season) came first, with Antoine Volanis interiors. Beneteau's 2007 range brochure gives both a 7.20 m length, a 6.99 m hull and a 2.53 m beam, with light displacements of 2,060 kg for the WA and 1,880 kg for the Open, 285 liters of fuel, 80 liters of water and a 300 hp maximum. The WA is certified C for nine people and the Open C for eight.

The 750 Sun Deck followed in 2007, drawn by Beneteau Power, at 7.2 m and 2,080 kg (4,584 lb) with 75 gallons of fuel, 26 gallons of water and the same 300 hp ceiling. The last variant, the 750 Cabrio of 2010, is the odd one out: styled by Pierangelo Andreani with a wraparound windscreen, it stretches to 7.41 m (24 ft 4 in), weighs 2,005 kg and has a lower 1.61 m air draft, aimed at swimming and beach days rather than nights aboard.

• 750 WA: raised side decks, the largest cuddy with a separate head, double berth and small galley
• 750 Open: walkaround decks and a forward seating area, with a small cuddy for stowage
• 750 Sun Deck: sunbathing foredeck over a cabin, Air Step hull, 300 hp maximum
• 750 Cabrio: Andreani styling, wraparound screen, large sun platform, lowest profile of the four

Sleeping aboard the WA

Only the WA and Sun Deck are really intended for overnighting. MBY found the WA cuddy had no standing headroom but offered a separate head, a double berth and a tiny galley, enough that you would not feel hard done by if the local bed and breakfasts were full. The WA also has a clever folding foredeck cover that opens to create a two-person seat at the bow, which partly makes up for losing the Open's larger forward seating.

Treat any of these as a day boat with a bunk rather than a weekender. A couple can spend a night or two at anchor, but a family of four will be sleeping in shifts.

Test numbers and engine choice

MBY ran the boat with a single 250 hp Suzuki and reached 40.2 knots; the magazine also had a version on twin 140 hp Suzukis but strongly recommended the single. Its reasoning still holds: one big outboard handles more sharply, is cheaper to service and drags only one leg through the water, so it is more efficient. The tester expected about 44 knots from a 300 hp engine, the maximum rating, though that was an estimate rather than a measured figure.

MBY found the 750 dynamically stable even in full-lock, high-speed turns with the engine trimmed too high, and noted that it did not need trimming to climb onto the plane. It also advised specifying the leaning post rather than bucket seats at the helm. No independent fuel curve was published, so we leave cruise burn and range blank rather than guess.

Owning a 20-year-old outboard dayboat

The appeal of the 750 today is simplicity. There is no sterndrive, no inboard engine room and no generator, so ownership is mostly outboard servicing, bottom paint and storage. A trailer-friendly 2.5 m beam and roughly 2 tonnes of light displacement mean the boat can live on a trailer or a lift, and the 285 liter tank gives sensible range for a dayboat.

The flip side is that every boat on the market is at least a decade old, and the engine may be older or newer than the hull. A repowered boat with a modern four-stroke is often worth more than a newer hull with a tired original two-stroke or early four-stroke. Expect annual costs of roughly $4,500 to $10,000 in the US excluding depreciation, depending on storage and how hard you run it.

Finding one from the US

Nearly all the Flyer 750s we found listed are in Europe: France, Spain and Italy dominate. Asking prices we saw ranged from 28,500 euros for a 2005 Open with 400 hours to 44,900 euros for a twin-engine 2005 WA. Importing one means shipping, duty and survey costs on top, so the boat makes most sense for American owners who keep a boat in the Mediterranean or who find one already in North America.

The nearest successor in size and spirit is the Flyer 7.7 that came with the 2013 reorganization, and later the current Flyer 7, all outboard boats on Air Step hulls. They share the concept but not the hull or deck molds, so specs and values should never be mixed.