Excess 11 Hybrid Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

At 11.42 meters overall with a 6.59-meter beam and 9,000 kg displacement, the Excess 11 is a high-volume but restrained-displacement cruising cat. The hulls wear a marked flare above the waterline that enlarges interior volume without adding wetted drag, and the resulting chines keep spray down when footing. Much of the foredeck is trampoline rather than solid structure, a deliberate choice to keep weight and slamming loads well aft. The keels are moulded as part of each hull, filled with foam, capped with laminate, and vacuum-infused with resin; they carry extra GRP-reinforced "shoes" for vertical load so the boat can sit comfortably on them, and there are no keel bolts to worry about. In a large side impact the keel is designed to fail without compromising the hull's watertight integrity. Rudders sit ahead of the propellers, an arrangement that let the builder push the engines right aft to free up aft-cabin space, while shallow, long-chord keels keep the 1.15-meter draft manageable.

Rig and Handling

Rather than a single raised helm, the Excess 11 carries twin helms on the main deck level, aft and outboard of the superstructure, with a high bulwark outboard improving the sense of security. Steering uses Dyneema cables over a surprisingly short run to minimize play and maximize feel, and the helm is light and responsive enough to sense the fore-and-aft balance of the sailplan. Winches are at deck level; a two-to-one halyard leads to a powered winch ahead of the starboard helm, while only the headsail halyards and Code Zero furling line run to port. Most owners choose the self-tacking jib, though in-and-out haulers manage sheeting angles for the overlapping genoa. The standard 77 m² sailplan (or 82 m² Pulse line) carries a large, powerful mainsail with a low boom for easy stowage from the coachroof, and a foldable bowsprit hinges away to shorten the boat in harbor. A 54 m² Code Zero and a huge asymmetric are the light-air weapons.

Performance Under Sail

Writing in their review, the testers found the boat sailed at over 7 knots upwind in a Force 4 and accelerated to 7.5 knots on a close reach, with a compass tacking angle of 115º–120º and a completely even keel upwind anchor. Under the Code Zero, gusts to its top recommended wind range produced a maximum of 10.1 knots with the wake fizzing off the transoms. She will not plane, but surfs in double digits are well within reach, and the sailplan crossover table at the helms is a genuinely useful aid for matching sail to wind.

Accommodations

The three-cabin layout most owners choose places double cabins fore and aft in the port hull around a good-sized heads with a separate shower, while the starboard hull is given almost entirely to an owner's suite with a huge aft double berth and a forward bathroom that feels nothing like a cramped heads. A sliding door across the stairs seals the suite off from the rest of the boat. The saloon holds an L-shaped settee against the forward bulkhead, a nav station to starboard, and an L-shaped galley with fixed oven, two-burner hob, and front-opening fridge — modest but plenty for a couple or friends. Each cabin gets a large hull window with opening port and a deckhead hatch; the owner's cabin adds a locker and desk at the foot of its steps. Six seats span the stern cockpit, with folding seats behind the helm and stowage under the saloon seats. The bow nacelle lockers commonly hold a second 300-liter water tank, and can be converted to berths to reach the boat's stated 12-person capacity.

Known Issues

Because the saildrives sit aft, the alternator, impeller, and water strainer are tucked forward and awkward to reach head-on. More pointedly, the Dyneema steering cables the helm praises run immediately above the engine; HMPE rope has a maximum operating temperature of 70ºC while some engines run hotter, and in an engine fire you could lose one cable yet retain steerage from the opposite wheel via the tie bar or emergency tiller anchor. Engine bays are reached through deck panels that hinge aft, so servicing does not require perching on the bathing platform, but the forward tucked service points remain a real constraint.

The Verdict

The Excess 11 is a distinctive entry in the small-catamaran field: a 37-foot cruiser with racing-derived DNA, responsive twin helms, and a layout that gives a couple genuine owner's-cabin privacy without wasting the beam. The hybrid option announced for the boat adds quiet maneuvering and pure-electric cruising with generator-backed range, without altering the helm, space, or styling that define it.

Pros