For all the goodwill Excess accumulated with its early range, a persistent criticism followed those first models: they leaned too heavily on the Lagoon DNA that Beneteau Group already had in abundance. The 13 is the answer to that criticism, and it arrives in the form of a new design relationship. Marc Lombard Yacht Design Group, in collaboration with Jean-Marc Piaton for the interior, brings a lineage that includes Nautitech's award-winning 44 and 48 models — and the results show what can happen when a production builder is willing to start with a blank sheet rather than an inheritance.
Hull Design and Architecture
The Lombard approach to the Excess 13 begins below the waterline and works its way up. Fine entries and narrow waterline beams below the full-length hard chines give the hulls a slippery entry through waves — a genuine departure from the broad, wave-punching sections that held back the brand's earlier models. Above those chines, the hulls swell outward generously, preserving the interior volume that production cat buyers expect while keeping the immersed shape honest.
Henri-Paul Shipman of MLYDG carried out extensive design work on the hull topsides to refine the lines, and the results are helped along visually by sculpted sides and graphics that help disguise the high freeboard. The reverse sheer — a Lombard signature — does two things at once: it looks purposeful, and it maintains clear views from the wheel to the bows, a practical dividend in an aft-helm configuration where forward sightlines are a perennial complaint.
The structural thinking inside the boat is as deliberate as the shape outside. A single beam-wide main bulkhead divides the cockpit and saloon while simultaneously forming the bulkheads for the aft cabins, eliminating the redundancy of separate cabin bulkheads and saving meaningful weight. Ringframe sections in the aft cabins are 35mm-thick PET foam sandwich structures, and the deck uses a proprietary process Excess calls 'infujection' — a hybrid of infusion and injection technologies — to keep the sandwich deck as light as possible. Balsa-cored infused sandwich construction is used throughout the hulls.
Rig, Sailplan, and Handling
The rig on the Excess 13 is set notably far forward. The very forward-stepped rig offers a large mainsail area, and the pronounced rake ensures great liveliness and responsiveness at the helm. The boom is kept low, overhanging the coachroof, and the mainsheet runs straight to a long traveller on the aft beam — the traveller optimises the angle of attack, manages twist, and aids control of the powerful square-top mainsail.
Under sail, the boat's upwind performance surprised even experienced testers. Consistently maintaining high average speeds in the late 7–8 knots at 40° to the apparent wind, through waves that would have stalled other designs, the 13 demonstrates what disciplined weight management can deliver. Sailing faster and higher upwind than a new 50ft cruising monohull in Force 5 conditions off the Catalan coast is the kind of benchmark that makes even committed monohull sailors pay attention. The Pulse line version, which adds 9m² upwind sail area, extracts the most from the design; the taller mast is effectively a prerequisite for owners who want the boat to reach its potential.
Off the wind, the Code 0 enabled consistent double-figure reaching with surfing speeds of 13–14 knots. With the right headsail, the hulls release onto a plane readily from around ten knots of boatspeed, and even two-sail reaching in fading light encouraged the hulls to release. This is engaging, hands-on sailing in a package that remains manageable short-handed.
Sail controls are laid out with short-handed use explicitly in mind. Floating thimbles lead the genoa sheets aft, providing a tight sheeting angle without requiring heavy fixed tracks. All running rigging leads to a bank of clutches and two winches by the starboard helm, where battery switches and winch breakers are also housed within reach. The controls for the traveller lead to a winch within reach of the starboard helm, from where the rest of the sail controls are also managed.
Deck Layout and Cockpit
The deck plan rewards close inspection. Wide side-decks are clean, free of tripping hazards, and incorporate a good toerail and bulwark, with long handrails inboard on the coachroof. Steps at the mast base provide easy access to the composite roof, which can be left bare, covered in solar panels, or fitted with the optional skylounge seating or a convertible fabric bimini section. Rain catchment wells are integrated into the coachroof.
Aft, the folding platform transoms serve double duty: they form swim platforms when lowered and seal off the transom scoop area properly when raised, addressing a genuine safety concern for families sailing with children. The helm bench seat lowers to help the helmsman feel contained in the boat. Stowage on deck is generous, particularly forward in the bridgedeck lockers and sail lockers in each forepeak, with bare gel coat in the forepeak spaces unless a crew cabin option is chosen — part of the same weight discipline applied throughout.
Accommodations
The Excess 13 is offered in three- or four-cabin configurations. In the three-cabin layout, the starboard hull is dedicated entirely to the owner. The master cabin features a forward-facing desk, a proper walk-in closet, and a generous en suite with twin sinks and a separate shower compartment. The beam of the hulls is sufficient aft to offer cutaways each side of the berth — a mark of genuine living space rather than the compressed sleeping quarters found in shorter performance cats.
Port side, the forward cabin is particularly large for a yacht with performance nods, and includes the same size berth as on the Excess 14. Both port cabins share a large central shower compartment, with the option to convert the forward heads into a laundry area.
The saloon aesthetic reflects the weight brief. Jean-Marc Piaton's brief was to keep it light, make it look light, while improving perceived quality. The result is more Ibis than Hilton — non-slip cork lining locker bases, carbon fibre rods lightening furniture and shelves, lightweight bench seats. The galley is handled cleverly: a U-shaped section forward of the cockpit table lets a cook work from standing outside or in, with the countertop, sink, and crockery stowage accessible from the passageway between cockpit and saloon. A forward-facing navstation provides an ideal protected position for passage planning with unobstructed forward visibility and opening coachroof windows for natural ventilation.
Known Limitations
The Excess 13 is not without its friction points. Above the hearty apparent wind roared the noise of the wake at the helm when sailing upwind — the aft helm position places the helmsman in close proximity to the turbulence generated by the hulls, and this is loud until the boat is planing. It is not an isolated complaint about aft-helm cats, but it is more pronounced here than on some competitors.
Visually, the beamy hulls and high freeboard won't help it win a beauty prize. The sculpted graphics and reverse sheer do useful cosmetic work, but the boat remains a high-sided production catamaran at heart, and buyers who prize aesthetics above utility will find more elegant options at similar length.
The fiddle-less tables and lightweight bench seats are quite basic, and the interior decor, while intentionally light, will read as spartan to those accustomed to heavier joinerwork. This is a feature for warm-weather, active sailors; it is a limitation for those who want a more traditional feel aboard.
Refit and Upgrade Considerations
Excess built meaningful flexibility into the 13 at the specification stage. The coachroof can be configured in multiple ways — bare, solar, skylounge, or bimini — and the forepeak spaces are optionally fitted as crew cabins. The four-cabin layout simply subdivides the port hull differently. The Pulse line upwind sail package, with its extended rig and additional 9m² of canvas, is the most performance-relevant factory upgrade: you need the Pulse line taller mast to extract the best out of it, and owners who specify the standard rig will find themselves with a capable but noticeably less spirited boat.
Electrical infrastructure — battery switching and winch breakers located at the helm — is logically positioned for future upgrade, and an optional powered winch is available for the traveller control. The modular door system, where each cabin door also acts as a locker and closet door, limits the scope for aftermarket joinery modification but keeps the original weight budget intact.
The Verdict
The Excess 13 represents a genuine step forward for the brand. By commissioning Marc Lombard rather than reworking existing Lagoon geometry, and by treating weight as a design variable rather than an afterthought, Excess has produced a catamaran that offers spirited sailing combined with a luxury of space and comfort in a package that remains manageable for a couple or small family. The asymmetric hulls give it motion qualities that consistently surprised testers in conditions that expose mediocre designs. It will not please everyone — the helm noise is real, the aesthetic is utilitarian, and the lighter interior suits sun-drenched anchorages more than North Sea passages — but on its own terms, as a fast, lively, space-efficient family cruiser, it delivers.
Pros
- Fine-entry asymmetric hulls deliver genuinely communicative upwind helming unusual in this class
- Thorough weight discipline — PET foam ringframes, infujection deck, dual-function doors — paid in performance
- Three-cabin owner layout provides master suite with walk-in closet, desk, and twin-sink en suite
- Wide, uncluttered side-decks and well-routed controls suit short-handed sailing
- Folding transom platforms address helm security and boarding safety in a single solution
- Flexible coachroof accepts solar, skylounge, or bimini depending on mission
Cons
- Wake noise at the aft helms is intrusive at displacement speeds
- High freeboard and beamy hull sections compromise aesthetics
- Lightweight interior finishes and fiddle-less furniture feel spartan in cool-weather or passage-making use
- Pulse line rig is effectively necessary to realise the performance the hull deserves
- Aft helm layout limits forward visibility, though straight coachroof windows mitigate this
