Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly (2012) – High end boat

Flyer Gran Turismo line is a French product made by Beneteau and one big thing that we have learned from these guys is that they have a great knack of getting things right. Flyer Gran Turismo 49 is a bit unusual; you can purchase it with or without flying bridge. There is also two and three state room models available. One more noteworthy aspect about this boat is that it gives you comfortable ride. In fact, this is the most comfortable one for this class of boats that I have ever tested to date.

Performance

When I was testing the Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly, it quickly got apparent that all the things that this boat handled was pretty different and this is good. By this, I don’t mean pounding in to wave but instead cutting through it, there is no slamming down in reentry post air catching, and there also aren’t any turns of no-over wide at the full speed as it is often seen in the pod drives. For me, it is clear that the design of this hull matched with pods of IPS.

First different that you are likely to see here is acceleration curve. My 13,420 kilograms or 30,000 lb Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly could reach 20 miles per hour in just 6.9 seconds. This is really remarkable for a boat that has such length and heaviness. Fast time for plane isn’t too useful in such a boat but by including this, the manufacturer reiterates that their product is different from others ones out there.

With 435 hp twin Volvo Penta D6 engines and the IPS600 pods, I got top speed of about 26.7 knots while we were running with speeds of 3450 rotations per minute. At this speed, I could burn 163.9 lph or 43.3 gph for 191 nautical miles range.

The best cruise was at 24.9 knots and 3300 rpm. Here I saw fuel consumption of 144.98 lph or 38.30 gph for 201 nautical mile range.

Handling the Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly

The way in which 49 is handled is a bit different from others. The response here is much quicker than what I expected in the first place. The twin pod drives made me crank around in radius of tight turn but this was done in gentle roll in to turn. Hence, neither I nor any of the people who were on board had to hold on for not getting tossed from our seats. Also, none of the cupboard contents came out of the deck.

Also, the main benefit here was in the way that the waves were handled. While testing in the Mediterranean, we had a pretty quiet day but there was still some yacht traffic because of Cannes International boats show. Due to this, I had a lot for experimenting with.

Powering in to .6 m (2’) of wake made me brace for an impact which never game. I could slice through effortlessly and cleanly and then continue on the way merrily. The results were similar when I was approaching from back side of the waves; there wasn’t any tendency for stuffing the bow or pushing stern off the course. I tried everything that I could for getting the spray on wind shield but didn’t have any luck. I was liking the boat more and more every second while riding. There isn’t any pounding and when I came down post launching off a few small waves, there was cushioned re-entry.

Comes with Walkthrough Flybridge

Now that I have said that this boat is pretty good at handling, I will now blog about other features that are available on board.

Flybride is optional and it will put you back by €18,460/$24,800. It is laid out very well to entertain along with L-shaped roomy settee aft. There is solid wood table which transforms aft settee in to sunpad. While in folded position, table shows off grab handle which serves as double entry for supporting table in extended position.

Over companion way, there’s hatch which lets you lock the access out to flybridge when you aren’t onboard and you get safety for the younger occupants while you are underway. There is a safety rail surrounding companionway.

Helm here is center mounted and forward along with double bucket seats which slide and swivel. There is Raymarine NAV display on the left. It faces captain and its location in front of observer to allow someone else to take part in navigation. Engine controls of Volvo Penta are almost vertically mounted. Hence, if you are activating any of multiple options on control module, then the buttons which face the deck will be pretty difficult to see. It is a bit awkward to pull up the controls rather than push them forward.

Entire star board side of fly bridge is seating which extends fully forward from aft settee. Forward section terminates in chaise lounge and there is refrigerated drawer located below a seat that is close to helm.

Bow and side deck features

Accessing side decks is quite easy due to grab handle at hardtop’s aft end. On the deck, second grab handle runs on the hardtop and when the rail ends, side rails get at 76.2 cm (30″) high which is exceeding the standards of ABYC. Raised toe rail does a pretty good job of keeping the feet in the deck’s center. At the bow’s working end, deck slopes down by a bit and the rail stays level. The effect of escalating height of rail to 89 cm or 35” isn’t much when you reach ground tackle.

The designers must be praised here for insisting on the rails of high safety. The builders have managed to keep it low and this gives the boat a really cool look. However, they aren’t really safe. On forward, there are 2 hatches which lead you to optional windlass (this will cost you €1447/$1945 more) and you will get to reach windlass through hatch for managing any of the tangles that are likely to occur. Foredeck is all teak which is a pretty nice touch.

Over cabin, there is double wide sun pad and it is kept in fixed position. Two rails are provided for drink and sides holders. Stand on cabin roof and you will see one solid deck without any oil canning or flexing even if you jump on it up and down.

Swim Platform and Cockpit

Cockpit is 2.69 m (8’10″) x 2.24 m (7’4″) and it has teak decking along with solid wood table which features electrically actuated life for raising to a dining position. You can also lower it to the level on sunpad. Settee can seat six and there is also enough room for 2 deck chairs for 2 or 3 more. Optional entertainment system with grill, icemaker, and sink too is offered as an option. There is a hatch in the deck which takes you to engine compartment. Below the seats, there is storage which holds 2 life rafts.

You can either hydraulically lower or fix the swim platform €17,586/$23,625 extra for forming a beach or for accommodating PWC. Tender garage is quite standard and big enough for accommodating 2.4 m (8′) RIB along with outboard attached.

The Salon

Salon on the Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly comes C-shape seating on raised platform. Table here is quite versatile, it rises to the buffet height or lowers to the dining height at just a button’s push. Also, it slides in and out for allowing easier time to get behind table for seating. One can even stand behind this table and slide it in to position of dining after sitting. All this is pretty conveniently and you can expand and fold up according to your requirements.

There is also credenza below standboard having below pretty strong cabinets. There is an option and retractable 181.3 centimeters (32”).

The lower helm

Lower helm of the Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly comes with everything that you’d ask. For the people who don’t want flybridge model, they will be pretty happy to operate station from upper. Ergonomics here are pretty good and everything is kept in natural position. It looked like the Beneteau got me positioned in mock up and then used hands for placing control and wheels.

The manufacturer has opted for non-glare panels extensively with suede and leather panel which house electronic package. Look here is quite good. I loved the opening side windows while testing, the let the air flow across cabin freely.

Galley

It is located in accommodations deck and is laid out pretty well. There are some innovations done here too. Below the sink, you will find trash wishes and this shows that Beneteau is serious about recycling. On the left, there is storage area which has wire shelving. When one is pulled out, the other falls in to the place quite well and hence the storage capacity is doubled.

Behind the wood panel doors, you will find full size freezer/refrigerator and close this, there is a cabinet set having pull out storage which recesses in to housing of the cabinet. You get to store a lot of things here. My test boat had optional dishwasher fit in just below silverware drawer.

Salon

There is sofa across from galley and this is where optional 3rd stateroom is located. There is a lot of seating on aft cockpit and helm deck and few will argue against merits of losing lower seating for twin berth state room. In my testing; I got a pretty comfortable table and sofa. The storage space behind the cabinet doors is quite spacious and below the either side of opening portlight, there is some more space. Under Companionway stairs there is little more space to store some goods and you can use this space for accommodating combo dryer/washer. Air conditioning pumps too are located here and this makes more sense instead of putting them below berth where all the people would be left awake.

Forward Stateroom

Forward stateroom comes with island queen berth and there is storage space all over. Natural light comes from the long hull side windows having opening port lights just abaft. Overhead hatch welcomes more natural light. Starboard side gives you access to head. The storage capacity in this stateroom is more than what I have seen on other models.

Master Stateroom

Aft state room is master one. It has full beam along with some good head room to port side at 1.8m or 5’11”. Lounger is for poring with wonderful view from hull side windows and this is on elevated platform 2.4 cm (10”) above deck. Above this step, head room increases to about 1.9m or 6’3”.

When you come around to starboard and front side, head room drops to 1.3m or 4’3” and this is where the manufacturer should have put padding overhead. Looking at the geometry of deck above, I won’t be having any dance contest and ducking doesn’t make me too uncomfortable either.

Master comes with ensuite head along with high ceilings at 2.39m  or 7’10”. There is separate shower stall along with seat and the manufacturer has put in sings to top of counter instead of recessing them in to counters. It gives you more storage space below and it is also pretty stylish.

Beneteau Flyer Gran Turismo 49 Fly was first seen at Ft. Lauderdale 2011 boat show. Looking at this, I should say that the builders in America are a long way behind and if they don’t take any drastic measures to improve, then they might fade away. MSRP base here is $686,800 (FOB US East Coast) and the price tag itself has a lot to say.