Multihulls World named it Multihull of the Year in the IMS Premiere category. Yachting World’s sea trials found a boat that sails with the immediacy of a monohull while carrying the volume of a large cruising cat. At 12.99 metres overall, with a 7.25-metre beam and a light displacement of 10.8 tonnes, the Excess 13 is two tonnes lighter than the Excess 14 and is built strictly to its designed weight.
Design and Construction
Lombard’s hull treatment lies at the heart of the Excess 13’s character. The asymmetric hulls have fine beams below the waterline to slice through waves, then widen above sculpted, full-length chines to preserve generous living space.
Excess engineered the 13 to be lighter than its previous models and held it to that target. The hulls are built from infused, balsa-cored sandwich, with solid laminate below the waterline. The deck uses the builder’s new “infujection” process, a blend of infusion and injection intended to keep the sandwich structure as light as possible.
A single beam-wide bulkhead separates the cockpit from the saloon and also forms the boundaries of the aft cabins. Ring-frame sections in those cabins are made from 35mm-thick PET foam sandwich structures.
Weight-saving measures continue throughout the boat. Cabin doors double as locker doors, while the large forepeak sail lockers are left bare unless a crew cabin is specified.
Rig, Steering and Performance
The rig is stepped well forward, with the mast then brought aft so that the low boom overhangs the coachroof. A front access ladder brings the lazy bag to eye level.
The large mainsail leads directly to a long traveller on the aft beam, with its controls taken to a winch at the starboard helm. Floating thimbles carry the genoa sheets aft, creating a tight sheeting angle without heavy fixed tracks.
Test sailors found the steering direct and balanced. Its communicative weather helm allowed the helmsman to cross to the opposite wheel without engaging the autopilot, while the pronounced rake gave the boat lively responses.
In trials, the Excess 13 consistently averaged from the high 7s to 8 knots at 40 degrees to the apparent wind, sailing through waves that stalled other designs. Upwind, it also out-sailed a new 50-foot cruising monohull.
The Pulse line version adds 9 square metres of upwind sail area through a taller mast. Testers said this rig is needed to draw the best from the boat.
Accommodation
Jean-Marc Piaton’s interior uses non-slip cork in locker bases and carbon-fibre rods to reduce the weight of the furniture. Three- and four-cabin layouts are available.
The starboard owner’s suite includes a forward-facing desk for working, a proper walk-in closet and a bright en suite with twin basins and a separate shower stall. The large forward port cabin has the same berth size as the Excess 14 and connects to a second head through a shared shower compartment, which can instead be used as a laundry.
The U-shaped galley sits forward of the cockpit table and can be worked from inside or outside. Deep pull-out bins are accessed from the passageway. A forward-facing navstation provides a protected watchkeeping position with clear visibility, while two large forward coachroof windows open for ventilation.
Writing in Yachting World, the reviewers judged the Excess 13 to offer more accommodation volume than any other yacht in its category.
Cockpit, Coachroof and Transoms
The composite coachroof can be left bare, covered in solar panels, or fitted with skylounge seating or a convertible bimini. It also incorporates rainwater-harvesting wells.
New folding transom platforms create swim platforms when lowered and seal the scoop when raised. The helm bench lowers to contain the helmsman, while improved biminis provide more sun protection than those on earlier models.
Known Issues
Noise at the helm is the main drawback. Testers found the helms loud with apparent-wind and wake noise because the voluminous hulls create drag and the wheels sit close to the wake until the boat begins planing.
The beamy hulls and high freeboard also prompted a frank assessment: the Excess 13 won’t win a beauty prize.
The Verdict
The Excess 13 is a genuinely different, second-generation Excess: lighter, sharper and far more communicative than the volume-oriented first wave, yet still roomy enough for serious cruising. It rewards an active helmsman but will be less appealing to anyone looking for a quiet helm shaded by a flybridge.
Pros
- Lighter than previous Excess models and held strictly to its designed weight
- Direct, balanced steering with monohull-like feedback
- Strong upwind performance, including out-sailing a 50-foot cruising monohull in testing
- More accommodation volume than any yacht in its category, according to Yachting World
- Flexible three- or four-cabin layouts, with a practical galley and navstation
Cons
- Wake and apparent-wind noise at the helm until the boat begins planing
- Beamy, high-freeboard profile isn’t conventionally pretty
- Taller Pulse line mast is required to realise the boat’s full potential
