Step On Up

A French-made cruiser that

rides on a pocket of air

By Doug Thompson

When a boatbuilder uses new technology to make a proven hull better, it’s exciting stuff, and that’s exactly what Beneteau has done with its Air Step hull. The Air Step is incorporated into the hull of the new Flyer Gran Turismo (GT) 34, a sport cruiser with a V-berth, head and enclosed cabin that I had a chance to sea-trial out of Port Everglades in South Florida.

Stepped-hulls have been around for more than 130 years, as boat manufacturers have created boat bottoms with less wetted surface, resulting in less drag and increased efficiency. There have been single steps, double steps and boats with so many steps they are known as “shingles.”

The Air Step concept is a bit different: it involves channeling air from a step amidships and funneling it back to the transom, creating a pocket of air that results in a—you guessed it—less wetted surface.

Specifications
LOA: 32’10″
Beam: 11′
Draft: 3′ 3″
Displ: 11,858 lbs.
Fuel/Water: 129/42 U.S. gals.
Power: 2x Volvo Penta 5.7 300-hp
gasoline engines, as tested /
Optional 2x Volvo Penta D3
200-hp diesel engines
Cruising/top speed: 25/38 knots
MSRP: $260,000 with gas engines /
$315,000 with diesel engines

INFORMATION
Beneteau Group/Denison
Yacht Sales Florida
401 SW 1st Avenue, #102
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
888-339-2248

“During tests, we found the Air Step hull comes on plane almost twice as fast as the Beneteau hull without the step,” said Alex Wilkes, a Broker for Denison Yacht Sales, the South Florida dealer for Beneteau, who accompanied me on the sea trial. “Once on plane, the Air Step reduces friction so much you can use the smaller motors to achieve the same speed.”

I was eager to find out and quizzed Wilkes about the model for our sea trial, a GT 34 powered by twin Volvo Penta 5.7-liter 300-horsepower gasoline engines. Docked outside of the Denison offices in Fort Lauderdale on the New River, the stylish cruiser looked great but all you could see of the Air Step was a small notch on each side.

During our venture out of Port Everglades into wind-whipped five-foot waves, we ran a few miles in the sloppy troughs and found the GT 34 could easily handle running on plane at 18-20 knots and popped on plane quickly due to the Air Step. However, top speed was out of the question. With the windshield wipers running full blast over the large one-piece windshield to clear sea spray, we made a big turn through the rough stuff and decided to take to the protected Intracoastal waters. Inside we reached a top speed of 35 knots (a reported top speed of 38 knots is achieved when the propellers are fully dialed in for performance).

“This boat has a 128-gallon fuel tank and can easily run to Bimini (about 50 miles offshore of South Florida),” Wilkes said. “With the gas engines this is more of a coastal boat or freshwater lake boat. We also offer it with diesel engines, and with diesels you’re going to run at a lower rpm and get even better fuel economy.”

Our test boat also included a bow thruster, which made maneuvering in the tight spaces a breeze. When equipped with Volvo Penta 200-horsepower stern-drive diesel engines and joystick control, there’s no need for a bow thruster.

Beneteau builds and sells more than 10,000 boats annually, making it one of the world’s largest recreational boat companies, if not the largest. With four French production facilities and a fifth in South Carolina, the builder efficiently shares engineering costs. Beneteau builds all its powerboats in France, and some of Beneteau’s sailboats are built in South Carolina.

French design is evident throughout the boat, starting with a unique overhanging roof covering that offers both sun and shade. The cockpit is not enclosed—meaning no cockpit air conditioning—but the air flow is superb and I never felt overheated when moving.

Cockpit seating includes a two-person driving helm to starboard, and the steering position is comfortable. Fully rigged with Simrad electronics, the GT 34 offers a multitude of gadgets to keep you fully informed—and entertained. Simrad’s SonicHub technology allows you to plug in iPhones, iPods and iPads, so that you can play music and videos via the boats multimedia network. For safety, the boat is equipped with Simrad 3G radar and also receives the Automatic Information System (AIS) vessel detail feed which reports the name, course and speed of all the vessels around you, a cool feature that was fun to play with on our sea trial. The driver also has the fuel-cutoff switch and fire-safety equipment within easy reach in case of a problem.

Passengers enjoy a U-shaped lounge to port in the cockpit, along with another bench behind the driver to starboard that converts into a lounge. All the outdoor fabric is made of propriety PVC upholstery, which, according to Beneteau, is resistant to fading from the sun and very easy to clean. The cockpit also features a small galley with a sink and refrigerator, and you can add an electric grill as an option for searing up a hot meal. Aft is a starboard-side transom boarding door that leads you out to a teak swim deck with a boarding handle, perfect for when you go to and from the water.

Belowdeck is a lounge area in the bow with a center table and seating for six. There is also a galley with a refrigerator, gas stove and stainless-steel sink, and it can be additionally outfitted with a microwave. The lounge converts into a double bed by lowering the table and shifting the lounge pads to make up the berth. There’s also a private head and shower with a port hole that really brightens things up. Aft is a cabin with a comfortable queen berth and storage lockers, and the cabin closes off with a door for privacy.

Beneteau began its first serious foray into the American powerboat market in 2011, offering high-quality construction that’s been refined over the years in the European market. American boat buyers will definitely want to experience the Air Step during a test ride, because better fuel economy and a quicker time to plane will never go out of style.