Beneteau Barracuda 9 (2019-)

Brief Summary

The Beneteau Barracuda 9 is an enclosed pilothouse boat designed for versatility with outdoor seating areas fore and aft, a compact salon and sleeping space for four belowdecks. She’s available with accessory packages focused on fishing or cruising and her deep-V bottom is designed to handle less-than-ideal sea conditions.

Key Features

• AirStep2 bottom
• Available fold-out seating for eight in cockpit
• Bow seating area
• Stand-up head
• V-berth and aft cabin

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	29' 2'' / 8.89 m
Beam	9' 7'' 2.92 m
Dry Weight	8,254 lbs. 3,744 kg
Tested Weight	10,121 lbs. 4,591 kg
Draft Up	2' 0.61 m
Draft Down	2' 11'' 0.89 m
Deadrise/Transom	N/A
Max Headroom	6' 5'' 1.96 m
Bridge Clearance	N/A
Fuel Capacity	106 gal. 401 L
Water Capacity	42 gal. 159 L
Total Weight	10,121 lbs. 4,591 kg

Price

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Acceleration Times & Conditions

Time to Plane	3.7 sec.
0 to 30	7.1 sec. (0to20)
Ratio	N/A
Props	17P Rev 4 cntr rotate
Load	2 persons, 3/4 fuel, no water, 50 lbs. of gear
Climate	76 deg., 68 humid; wind: 10-15 mph; seas: 1

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 200-hp Mercury XL
Std. Power	Not Available
Opt. Power	Not Available

Captain's Report

Contents of Report

• Mission Statement
• Major Features
• Features Inspection
• The Bow
• The Pilothouse
• Performance
• Bottom Design
• Options to Consider
• Retail Price
• Observations

Mission Statement

Beneteau has designed the Barracuda 9 to serve the many masters that come in an active family. She comes with an open aft cockpit that can be upgraded with up to four optional fold-out seats and seating in the bow. To escape the heat or a passing shower, the enclosed pilothouse has booth style seating in the compact salon plus a small galley. Belowdecks, there’s sleeping space for up to four and a private head with a pull-up shower. Available cruising and fishing packages let an owner customize the boat to his family’s needs and twin Mercury outboards provide the power for coastal or offshore cruising.

Major Features

• Multiple Seating Options Available in Cockpit. All of the seats tuck into the gunwales when not in use.
• Full Height Glass Salon Door. It creates a seamless flow from the cockpit to the salon, which lends itself to entertaining.
• Dual Side Pilothouse Doors. Facilitate entering and exiting the helm area to make it easier to tie up for single-handing captains.
• Sunroof in Hardtop. Opens manually to let in fresh air and rid the area of any fumes from cooking at the galley.
• Large Hullside Windows. Let in natural light below decks to give the area a more spacious, open feel.

Features Inspection

The Cockpit. Our test boat came with Beneteau’s optional cockpit seating that includes a sliding bench seat with a cushion and two foldable lounges that tuck into the gunwales. The aft forward-facing seat comes standard. The sliding bench can be moved into position just ahead of the aft unit to create a double-wide lounge. Slide it forward, fold out the two side seats and drop in the optional cockpit table for a comfortable booth where the family can enjoy lunch. There’s storage in the bases of the aft bench and in the sliding seat.

A passageway to starboard leads aft to the water-level swim step, but the area only closes off with a cable. Conversely, the port, the passageway to the swim step on that side, which is equipped with a four-step ladder and grab handle, closes with a stainless-steel gate.

The starboard swim step is 2’ (.61 m) deep and 2’2” (.66 m) wide at its broadest point and it’s a 16” step (.41 m) up to the entry to the cockpit. The port-side passage is on the same level as the swim step and both stern walkways are 17” (.43 m) wide. There’s also 17” (.43 m) of space between the pilothouse and the bulwarks on each side.

The Bow

As passengers head forward on the Barracuda 9, the passageways on each side remain 17” (.43 m) wide outboard of the pilothouse. In the port passage is the under-deck storage locker for the propane tank that fuels the galley stove. There is a boarding door in the starboard hull side adjacent to the helm. Our test boat had the optional bow seating that consists of a bench on the front of the house with two aft-facing small cushions on each side of the foredeck area.

That space is occupied by the anchor locker and a capstan. The boat comes standard with a windlass for the anchor and there’s excellent access to the rode locker. For boarding from the bow, there’s a split in the rail that can be closed with a cable.

The Pilothouse

The Salon. Doublewide glass doors in powder-coated aluminum frames slide open for easy entry into the salon. The opening is 31” wide, but down low, one of the salon seats cuts that to 16” (.41 m) wide, so people will want to be aware of that when entering. Immediately inside, there are facing lounges with storage in the base. The battery switches are in a small glovebox-style compartment in the base of the starboard seat.

A stainless-steel pole that extends from the deck to the overhead is for more than entertainment. A table that secures into the overhead can be slid down to create a booth-style dinette. Also, in the overhead is a large manually opened sunroof. Forward to port, a hatch lifts to reveal the sink and propane stove. Across, the refrigerator drawer is in the base of the helm seat.

The Helm. Across from the galley, the helm has a 31” (.79 m)-wide two-person seat with a foldup bolster. Our test boat had the optional Electronics Upgrade Pack with the 12” (30.5 cm) Lowrance HDS 12” Carbon multifunction display and the joystick for the optional bow thruster is just alongside above the steering wheel. To starboard are the Mercury SmartCraft screen and two analog fuel gauges.

Accessory switches are to port of the fixed position wheel and the Mercury digital controls are to starboard. The compass is properly positioned in line with the steering wheel. Outboard to each side are full height sliding doors that make it easy for the single-handing captain to handle amidships lines. Beneteau builds the boat with a large wraparound windshield that provides a good overall view, but with some distortion in the corners.

The Cabin. Entry to the Barracuda 9’s cabin is via twin hatches centered between the helm and galley. Abaft the cabin stairs is an amidships cabin with a berth that measures 55” (1.4 m) fore to aft and 74” (1.9 m) across. Forward is a V-shaped seating area that can be filled in to create a second berth. There are large windows in the hull sides and opening ports that let in fresh air. The private head has a folding bench that covers the toilet, a sink with a pull-up shower, and an opening port.

Fishing Options. Our test boat wasn’t equipped for fishing, but the Barracuda 9 can be upgraded for angling. The storage compartment in the aft starboard passageway to the cockpit can be ordered as a live well and the storage compartment in the aft bench seat becomes a fish box. A cast-net roller is on the starboard aft deck and rocket-launcher-style rod holders are installed on the trailing edge of the pilothouse hardtop.

Performance

The Numbers. Beneteau estimates the Barracuda 9’s empty weight at 8,254 lbs. (3,744 kg). With the twin 200-hp Mercury outboards, 79.5 gallons (301 L) of fuel, two people and test equipment on board, our test model had an estimated weight of 10,121 lbs. (4,591 kg).

The motors spun 17” (43.2 cm) pitch Mercury Rev 4, four-blade stainless steel propellers, and at 5300 RPM, we hit a top speed of 40.5 mph.

Best cruise came at 4000 RPM, where we recorded 28.5 mph and 19.1 GPH, which translated into 1.5 mpg and a range of 142 statute miles with 10 percent of the boat’s 106-gallon (401 L) fuel capacity in reserve. In acceleration tests, the boat planed in 3.1 seconds and ran to 20 mph in 7.1 seconds. At 600 RPM, she ran 3.3 mph and at 1000 RPM, we recorded 5.6 mph.

Bottom Design

Beneteau calls the Barracuda 9’s bottom design the Airstep2. It has a sharp entry with three strakes per side and chines designed to provide lift and improve efficiency. The strakes and chines end at a step in the bottom that’s at about the three-quarter mark.

There’s a second step just ahead of the transom and both steps run forward from the chine to the keel at an angle. The transom is also notched to allow for a higher engine mounting position and to provide cleaner water to the propellers.

Options to Consider

• Complete mooring kit
• Cockpit table
• Sliding cockpit bench seat with cushion
• Two foldable side cockpit bench seats with cushions
• Bow thruster
• Pump for deck washing
• VHF radio
• Water heater
• 4 KVA 220-volt generator
• Two 300-gallon (1,136 L) fuel tanks
• Electric trim tabs

Retail Price

• $93,200 without power

Observations

The Barracuda 9 has a decidedly European feel with its enclosed pilothouse and small salon and galley. For anglers who go out to fish no matter the weather or cruisers who overnight in rainier or cooler areas such as the Pacific Northwest, the protection provided by the interior quarters could be of interest.

Within the past year, Beneteau announced an exclusive supply partnership with Mercury, so the Suzuki outboards seen on the Beneteau website are no longer available. With the range of Mercury outboards available and the fact that the engine manufacturer has the largest worldwide dealer network, the partnership should prove to be beneficial to Beneteau and boat owners when it comes to speed of service.

Obviously, the concept of this boat is to give the owner the maximum utility at the minimum price. She has lots of points in her favor and is certainly functional.