Text: François Trégouët
Founded in 2021, the Excess brand is still a long way from coming of age, but it has clearly grown up. It is no longer taking over the hulls of the other Bénéteau sailing catamaran brand as before, but is now standing on its own two feet in this respect. It is also breaking new ground in terms of design: despite the extremely successful successor models, the collaboration with VPLP/Nauta has ended and the Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group has been commissioned with the exterior design and Jean-Marc Piatan with the interior design. It would appear that the 13-meter-long twin hull heralds the third generation of Excess catamarans. Much has been rejuvenated and optimized. For example, with a displacement of just 10,600 kg, the youngster is 25 percent lighter than its cousin of the same size and is bright and airy on the inside, with plenty of natural light coming in through the slightly tinted portholes. On the outside, the catamaran is immediately recognizable as an Excess thanks to the two offset helm stations, but the innovation is in the details – in the stern platforms and the tilting helm seats, for example, which offer a real plus in terms of comfort and safety. Another innovative feature is the rainwater collection system on the roof, which should particularly appeal to long-distance sailors. The Excess 13 is available as a two- or three-cabin version and in a Pulse version with several square meters more sail area. They promise lots of sailing fun even in light winds. excess-catamarans.com