Design and Construction
Excess Catamarans launched the line to offer a sportier alternative to what was then available in production catamarans, and the 12 embodies that brief through weight discipline and reshaped hulls. The boat is built in three sections and shares the Lagoon 40's bridge deck and inner-hull design below the waterline, but VPLP reworked the outer hull sections with two new chines that create more interior volume anchor. Construction uses vacuum-infusion with balsa coring in both deck and hull above the waterline, and a literal ton of weight was taken out of the boat relative to the Lagoon 40, most of it in interior furnishings. Designers also stripped out furniture in the saloon and cabins, replaced hanging lockers with fabric garment bags, and swapped drawers for cupboards. The result is a 22,712-pound light-ship catamaran with a displacement-to-length ratio of 185 and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 18 standard, 19 in the Pulse.
Rig and Handling
Both Standard and Pulse versions carry a self-tacking jib and square-top main, with the mast seated well aft so the main is smaller and easier for shorthanded crews to manage. The Pulse iteration adds a 3-foot-taller mast and 54 square feet of sail, plus gray tri-radial laminate Incidence sails and an 86-square-foot-larger Code 0 on an optional sprit. An optional sprit also serves as the attachment point for a Code 0 on the standard boat. All sail-control lines lead to the twin wheels, which sit outboard and far aft on each hull with no flybridge. Testers found the steering quite nimble, and tacking took just a turn of the wheel once the sails were trimmed. In light 7-to-10-knot air the boat made 4.5 to 5 knots at 50 degrees apparent, climbing to 5.4 at 75 degrees; in 25-to-30-knot gusts it scooted along better than 8 knots closehauled and reaching, with both helms staying dry despite spray anchor.
Cockpit and Helms
The twin helm stations are integrated into the outboard hull sides at hip level so the driver can watch the bows while docking, and the design lets you see all the way to the tips of both bows. A double seat at each helm folds up to clear the aft steps and swim platforms, and a bimini wraps in from outboard to shade the helms, with a center section that slides open for an unobstructed view of the main. Clear rather than tinted glass throughout aids night visibility. The starboard helm carries a Raymarine MFD and engine controls; the port has wind instruments and a tablet repeater, while adding engine controls to both sides is an option. One tester noted the aft cabin corner creates a blind spot from the wheel.
Accommodations
The 12 is offered in four cabins/four heads, four cabins/two heads, or three cabins/two heads. In the owner's version the port hull holds the master suite with a cut-away berth aft, large head and shower forward, and a vanity desk and sofa amidships; the starboard hull's two doubles share a single head. Interior woodwork is streamlined, with conventional hardware like drawer pulls removed. 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. The test boat's accordion sunroof opened manually but made it harder to tuck lines into the mainsail bag since you cannot step on the canvas middle, and the microwave's elevated pedestal placement drew a complaint for looking odd.
Power and Known Quirks
Standard power is twin 29 hp Yanmar diesels with saildrives, upgraded to 39 hp on one test boat; at 2,000 rpm testers logged 6.5 knots, and wide-open throttle added a knot. Another test with Flexofold props hit 6.8 knots at 3,700 rpm and 6.1 at 2,300. Engine access is via the transoms, but the engines sit far forward so belts and impellers are a stretch, and the aft starboard engine room has space for an optional watermaker. The boat is sold in Standard and Pulse trim with gray or orange accents.
The Verdict
The Excess 12 succeeds as a lighter, more responsive cruising catamaran that trades some creature comforts for sailing sparkle. Its VPLP hull chines and stripped interior give volume and agility without the flybridge bulk of its cousins, and the aft-mast rig makes short-handed sailing genuinely simple. Quirks like engine access and the sunroof-maintenance conflict are real but minor against the boat's pace and visibility.
Pros
- Reshaped chined hulls add interior volume while shedding a ton versus the Lagoon 40
- Aft-mast self-tacking rig is easy for shorthanded crews
- Helm visibility to both bow tips; dry helms in spray
- Strong light-air and breezy performance for a 38-foot cruiser
Cons
- Engine access to belts and impellers is a stretch from the transoms
- Accordion sunroof complicates mainsail bag line stowage
- Microwave placement on a pedestal looks awkward
- Aft cabin corner creates a helm blind spot
