Beneteau Flyer 32
By Andy Adams
Summer sun boat! The handsome new Beneteau Flyer 32 is all about entertaining and the bow area is one of the main attractions. It’s a wide shape forward with a huge anchor locker and opening centre section in the railing that invites you to beach the boat and go swimming. The bow is really one giant sun bed area with armrests that fold down and head rests too, for fall-asleep comfort. There are lots of drink holders in the bow so everyone stays hydrated and it’s a great place to be when running, not just when you are moored. It’s easily accessed up the portside. Just swing open the section of windshield and open the wind gate; the floor is all one level.
Canadian Yachting traveled to the new model introduction this summer in Annapolis, MD for the grand launch. Our test boat Flyer 32 was equipped with twin Mercury Verado 300 horse power V8 engines and it was quite impressive!
This is the view looking aft from the dinette showing you the aft cabin and the companionway stairs.
The Flyer 32 is easy-care too. The upholstery is designed to handle the weather and it’s a very attractive shiny grey material with orange accents – an optional upgrade. A good-looking railing adds to the secure feeling when you’re up front and there are LED interior lights for your safety and enjoyment at night.
The test boat had a very substantial stainless steel hardtop superstructure. By all means, grab that and hang on! The hardtop has been principally designed for the North American market. In Europe, the full open boat seems to suit local tastes, but we really liked the hardtop design and functionality.
In addition to shade and security, it provides a large flat surface for mounting electronics or solar panels to keep your batteries up. You might be able to carry SUP’s or other equipment up top as well.
The helm
Our test boat had a black dashboard top to ward off sun reflections and when driving, you look right over the top of the sexy low windshield. Wind in the face is a wonderful thing and the hardtop lets you look out from the shade making it really nice to drive. Other features we liked are the big bin for loose items on the starboard side and the upgraded Fusion stereo system. This is the kind of boat where the sound system will get a real work out!
At the helm, twin seats with flip up bolsters and a footrest provide comfortable operation whether standing or seated. There are two keys for the twin Mercury Verado V8 engines located by the tilt steering wheel. I liked the throttle placement and found the controls very comfortable to use plus, the control for the Axius joystick docking system was right there on the dash where I wanted it. The system includes “Skyhook” and it was very easy to use but now it does more than just docking.
The Mercury Joystick Piloting Outboard (JPO) system now has an autopilot feature. Set the boat to a comfortable slow cruising speed and relax. To alter course, you can simply tap or twist the JPO control for a one or 10 degree course correction, then let her run for hours at sightseeing speeds while everyone parties along.
Performance
Getting out and onto the throttles, we thought the Flyer 32 delivered good acceleration hitting 20 mph in under 9 seconds and it felt heavy and solid in the water – very reassuring. A brisk cruising speed seemed to be between 4,000 and 4,500 doing around 30 to 35 mph. The top speed was a surprising 46.8 mph. That’s flying along for a 35 footer! Steering was light and direct and the engines automatically trimmed themselves for ease of operation. The most important thing though was that the ride and handling delivers a lot of comfort, even for guests not familiar with boating.
Another great performance aspect is that the Mercury Verado V8s are so quiet that you hardly notice them. Normal conversation is possible most of the time – again, great for entertaining. But if you want, there is a switch for the exhaust so you can add a little engine noise – your choice.
The Flyer 32 is a big boat but it’s more than up to the task of towing a tube or doing some wake boarding. To best facilitate that, there a generous locker under the floor to store your towable toys, boards or even folding bicycles.
The wraparound aft seat is very large and the teak table can accommodate a whole group for meals.
Main Deck
The main deck is another great entertainment area with a wrap around portside seat that offers abundant storage underneath and an attractive teak hi /low table that includes three drink holders. Drop that table to make a huge sun pad, then you can fold the seat back down for even more space. That would be great for swimming or just enjoying the party. We noticed that the hardtop has been designed to accommodate an extendable sun shade option which could add to the comfort although our test boat wasn’t equipped with this. We also noted several stainless steel hand holds to add to the security and again, that’s important for taking a gang out where some of them may not be familiar with boating.
The private head compartment has an MSD, vessel sink, opening port hole and to the right you can see the separate shower stall with its flip up seat. What an amazing feature for a boat of this size!
For a major storage space, the whole aft seat lifts up on gas assist struts for access to the lazarette where you find the steering systems, batteries, fuel tanks and more. We noted the fire extinguisher port for the fuel tanks. This space is found on the North American outboard version. In Europe it’s more likely that people will purchase gas sterndrive power and this space would be the engine room.
Also on the main deck is a refreshment area that is certain to get lots of use. Our test boat featured a Kenyon electric grill with a glass cover that becomes a back splash and there is a sink with pressure water as well as an Isotherm refrigerator, storage locker for a trash bin and more.
Three can easily enjoy the bow sun lounge area. We liked the optional gray and orange upholstery.
Stern
Even with the big outboards, there still a substantial swim platform area, a port side fender locker that’s always useful and a starboard side boarding ladder.
The Flyer 32 Dash has standing height in the entrance to the aft cabin area which gives you handy a place for dressing.
Cabin
With so much above decks accommodation, you really wouldn’t anticipate such a comfortable and spacious cabin, but down 4 steps through the sliding hatch, you will find a big dinette area that can seat 4 to 6 people for indoor dining. This has opening port holes forward, port and starboard as well as fixed side glass to bring in light and air making this a very comfortable space. The dinette converts to a double berth that can be curtained off for privacy. There are three overhead lockers on the starboard side and there’s also storage under the seats.
On the portside are lockers for your provisions, a Danby microwave and a Dometic refrigerator – the second refrigerator we discovered onboard the Flyer 32. There are also three floor panels that lift for systems access.
Head
Everyone will appreciate the roomy private head that features a full mirror on the door. This will be handy for dressing and the head features a Jabsco MSD, opening porthole for ventilation, a handsome vessel sink, towel rack and ring as well as storage in the vanity for items like the toilet roll, towels and so on. There are also three overhead lockers for towels and a medicine chest too.
We have lifted a section of the aft bench seat to reveal the huge storage area in the back made possible by the outboard engines.
We were simply amazed to discover there’s also a full private shower stall with a hand held shower, glass door and a fold down seat. Absolutely, the Flyer 32 is a great party boat but it turns out to have impressive cruising accommodations as well.
Another unexpected feature is a double berth aft cabin! It features two big glass panels to bring in daylight, there are shades of course, plus two storage lockers in the portside panel and there is even a standing height area for dressing. At the head of the bed there is sitting height headroom and portholes on both port and starboard sides for cross ventilation. The test boat also had air conditioning in the aft cabin that was very effective, and for the decadent lifestyle, there are A/C vents at the helm!
These are certainly impressive living accommodations in what I thought was going to be a day boat for entertaining. The Flyer 32 sets a new standard for me in this size and price range!
ENGINES: Twin Mercury Verado V8 outboards, 300 hp V8 design with dual overhead cams and 32 valves, 4.6 litre / 279 cubic inch displacement, three blade stainless steel prop.
RPM SPEED MPH
1,000 4.8
1,500 7.0
2,000 8.5
2,500 9.2
3,000 9.3
3,500 14.3
4,000 26.0
4,500 34.7
5,000 40.1
5,500 43.4
6,000 45.5
MAX 46.8
SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length (L.O.A): 9,98 m / 32’9’’
Length with platform :10,61 m / 34’10’’
Beam: 3,35 m / 11’
Light displacement (EC): 5 688 kg / 12,536 lbs
Fuel capacity: 2 x 400 L / 2 x 106 US Gal
Water capacity: 160 L / 42 US Gal
