Design and Construction
VPLP's Vannes office began the structure with a Finite Element Analysis of the entire boat, the sort of exercise normally reserved for race boats, then cut weight in lightly stressed zones by using a lower-density end-grain balsa core in the hull skins. That balsa is divided into small squares separated by resin so localized damage will not let water ingress spread, while the layup turns monolithic in way of the engines and keels and the deck is a PET foam sandwich. Carbon reinforcement was added to highly stressed areas such as the fully infused PET foam sandwich bulkheads, and lighter carbon-fiber cloth appears in some structural zones for strength; some bulkheads are themselves infused with foam coring. The cabin top is injected-molded with no liner, and weight saving extends to less wood in furniture, drawers and stowage plus hemp-fiber nonstructural parts such as locker lids injected with partly bio-sourced resin. The performance mainsail and genoa use recycled laminates. Chines above the waterline boost hull accommodation volume, and there is no forward cockpit well because the weight budget would not allow it.
The hull form is the heart of the design. The asymmetric hulls—more curvature and volume on the outside, less on the inside—reduce the size of waves produced between the hulls and cut both drag and slamming, while VPLP also optimized keel hydrodynamics. The design team considered lifting daggerboards but dropped them for complexity and lost living space, instead fitting more-efficient, deeper and thinner fixed foils that draw 4 feet 10 inches, a few inches deeper than similar-size cats. Naval architect Vincent Lauriot Prévost's modeling showed a 10 cm draught increase would yield 15% better efficiency, so draught went to 1.48 m, chord length halved, and the rudders sit 20 cm deeper than most cruising cats for a less compromised shape.
Rig and Handling
The standard rig carries a 64-foot-11-inch mast with 1,323 square feet of sail and a square-top main with no backstay to block the head; the optional Pulse rig stretches to a 70-foot-8-inch spar and 1,453 square feet upwind. Most sail controls lead to a bank of clutches and a pair of winches at the starboard helm, and color-coded headsail sheets make tacking a one-person job. Twin aft helm stations connect directly to the rudders via Dyneema cables, and the seats hinge up for transom access. Writing in Yachting World, the reviewer found the helm positive and responsive, the boat tacking easily and answering readily to accurate trim even in 6–7 knots; Cruising World's tester noted she felt relatively lively and tacked quickly in light air, with sheet winches within reach of the helms making line handling easy. The twin-aft arrangement also makes short-handed berthing easier than a central helm or flybridge, and engine controls at either wheel (standard mechanical at starboard only, electronic option both sides) simplify docking.
Under sail the numbers tell the story. In 5 knots of breeze with main and working jib she made 4.1 knots upwind; in 12–14 knots true the speed hovered 7.4–8.0 knots upwind. A Code 0 on a sprit brings LOA to 52 feet 5 inches and delivered 5.7 knots on a reach in a 6-knot gust, while the Pulse boat reached 7.3 knots under Code 0 in 8–12 knots and 7–7.5 under asymmetric spinnaker at 145°, climbing to 8.5 after heading up. Bearing away to just over 50° true saw brisk acceleration occasionally topping 8.5, and the Code 0 eventually pushed her to 10.3 knots; delivery crew reported a 16.5-knot top, though she is not built for sustained upper-teen speeds. Point too high in less than 10 knots and she falls off quickly, and a short steep chop at 17–18 knots slapped wave tops under the bridgedeck while killing close-hauled speed.
Accommodations
The saloon wraps nearly 360 degrees of window visibility with no full-height cabinets to obstruct the view, and gets abundant light with the aft door and window open. A navstation and big table seat eight for dining, and the galley's lack of tall lockers yields acres of worktop plus generous refrigeration and stowage below the floor, with an abundance of fridge and freezer space by the port galley. The aft cockpit stays clear of sail handling except the traveler beam aft of the long bench seat; an extending port table aids circulation, and there is an outdoor fridge and starboard bench. Access to water or tender is from the aft platforms of each hull, side decks are wide with good handrails, and the front bridgedeck trades a forward well for sunbeds and an optional sky lounge reached by steps each side of the mast.
Layouts run from a charter four-cabin, four-head, four-shower plan to owners' versions. In hulls with a pair of staterooms and a pair of amidships heads, the toilets draw from a single shared holding tank to reduce plumbing, and the staterooms rely on one larger Webasto air-conditioning unit to save weight and wiring; the Transformer Version folds far-forward bunks down for sleep or up for stowage. Owners' layouts swap a 4 m bathroom for a flexible forepeak with walk-in dressing space that converts to two singles, a midships washroom with twin sinks, and a desk area ample for working from home. Furniture knobs are neat rope loops, and big forward sail lockers can take optional skipper cabins.
Equipment and Ownership Notes
Standard 45 hp engines (57 hp optional) with saildrives pushed the Miami boat at 7.8 knots cruising and 8.4 in get-home mode; the shorter standard rig just squeezes under most Intracoastal Waterway bridges. An electric Harken FlatWinder handles the traveler outboard of the transom bench, an electric starboard winch eases main hoists, and davits plus canvas Biminis over the wheels are available. The boom sweeps low across the hardtop for easy lazy-bag closure, and a front bridgedeck locker houses the optional generator. Fuel is 2x44 gal, standard water 66 gal with a 66 gal option.
The Verdict
The Excess 14 is a considered, weight-disciplined cruising cat that trades a little bridgedeck clearance and a deeper-than-average draft for genuine light-air liveliness and a step-change in hull efficiency over its Lagoon-derived predecessors. The accommodations are roomy and clever, though the helm's blind sector through the saloon and the light-air pointing limit are real caveats.
Pros
- Asymmetric hulls and optimized thin fixed foils cut drag and lift efficiency versus typical fat cats
- Light 12.8 t displacement with FEA-driven structure and contained balsa coring
- Easy short-handed handling via color-coded sheets, reachable winches, twin direct-rudder helms
- Airy near-360° saloon and flexible owners/charter layouts with smart weight-saving details
Cons
- Wave slap under bridgedeck and quick speed loss if pointed high in steep short chop
- Helm blind sector through saloon windows; low boom limits flybridge lounging underway
- Light-air upwind performance falls off below roughly 10 knots true if over-pointed
