Excess 12 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Excess 12 is based on the popular Lagoon 40, and that lineage is structural as well as nominal: the boat is built in three sections and carries the same bridge deck and inner-hull design under the waterline as the Lagoon 40, with construction much like that of the Lagoon — vacuum-infusion and balsa coring in both the deck and hull above the waterline. Where the Excess diverges is in the outer hull sections, which VPLP reshaped to include two new chines that create more interior volume. Weight was a deliberate target. Literally a ton of weight was taken out of the boat relative to the Lagoon 40, most of it in interior furnishings, and designers further reduced mass by specifying less furniture in the saloon and cabins. The all-clear rather than tinted glass windows are a small but telling choice, allowing the skipper to see through equally well at night.

Rig and Handling

On deck the Excess 12 keeps the helm stations aft and outboard, with twin wheels located outboard and far aft on either hull and no flybridge. All sail-control lines lead to the wheels, and the helm controls are integrated into the outboard hull sides at hip level where you can reach them without taking your eyes off the bows when docking. Sightlines are a defining theme: the design team appears to have truly dialed it in, and you can actually see all the way down to the tips of both bows, though one tester noted the aft corner of the cabin created a blind spot when first taking the wheel. The mast in both configurations is positioned well aft to make the main smaller and easier to handle for shorthanded crews, and both versions carry a self-tacking jib and square-top main. The Pulse version adds a 3ft-taller mast and an additional 54 sq. ft of sail, with gray tri-radial laminate Incidence sails and a Code 0 that is 86 sq.ft larger than on the standard boat. An optional sprit serves as the attachment point for that Code 0, and a screecher is also offered. In light 7–10 knot testing the boat made 4.5 to 5 knots at 50 degrees apparent, climbing to 5.4 knots at 75 degrees; in 25–30 knots it scooted right along at better than 8 knots, and testers found the steering quite nimble, with both helms dry even when kicking up spray.

Accommodations

The Excess 12 is offered with four cabins/four heads, four cabins/two heads, or three cabins/two heads. In the owner's version the master suite sits in the port hull with a cut-away bed aft, a large head and shower stall forward, and a vanity desk and sofa amidships; the three-cabin layout places a queen berth aft and head and shower forward in that port hull, while two double cabins share a single head and shower in the starboard hull. The French builder streamlined the interior wood structures and did away with various bits of cabinetry hardware including drawer pulls, while hanging lockers were replaced with fabric garment bags and drawers with cupboards. A corner nav desk sits just ahead of the galley to port, and an optional Fischer Panda genset has its start controls in the owner's cabin to port. One tester flagged the microwave sitting on an elevated pedestal as an odd oversight.

Equipment and Helm Environment

Each helm has a double seat for driver and companion that folds up to provide clear access to the aft steps and swim platforms, and testers found the soft-back fold-down helm seats, which also close off the transom steps, quite comfy. The starboard helm carries a Raymarine MFD and engine controls; the port helm has wind instruments and a tablet attachment acting as a repeater, while adding engine controls to both sides is an option a tester would certainly consider. A bimini structure wraps in from outboard to shade the helms, and the convertible Bimini over the cockpit has a center section that slides open. The test boat also had an accordion sunroof that opened and closed manually, and the boat is offered in either gray or orange trim, in Standard and Pulse versions.

Known Issues and Ownership Notes

A few practical caveats surfaced in period testing. The accordion sunroof makes it more difficult to tuck the lines into the mainsail bag since you can't step onto the canvas middle. Engine access is via the transoms, but the engines are set fairly far forward, so access to belts and impellers will be a stretch; the aft portion of the starboard engine room does, however, have adequate space for an optional watermaker. Standard power is twin 29 hp Yanmar diesels with saildrives, upgraded to 39 hp on the test boat; motoring saw 6.5 knots at 2,000 rpm, 6.1 knots at 2,300 rpm, and 6.8 knots at wide-open throttle and 3,700 rpm with Flexofold propellers.

The Verdict

The Excess 12 is a thoughtfully detuned Lagoon 40 shell given a sportier VPLP hull and a weight-conscious interior, and it rewards the shorthanded crew with excellent bow visibility, a small manageable main, and self-tacking convenience. Its blind-spot corner and forward-set engines are real but minor tradeoffs against a cat that sails sprightly and lives simply.

Pros