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Excess 13 – Proof Catamarans Don’t Have to Be Floating Condos
22 December 2025 · 10 min · 29K views
What this video covers
The Excess 13, a 42.7-foot performance cruising catamaran built by Beneteau under its Excess brand, measures just under 24 feet wide, draws 4.9 feet, and displaces around 24,000 pounds.2:30 Its sail area-to-displacement ratio of 24 puts it well above typical production cruising cats of its size.2:41 Designer Mark Lombard moved the mast forward, raked it back, lowered the boom, and placed the helm stations outboard and low at the aft corners — a deliberate contrast to the flybridge layout of competitors.2:09 The square-top mainsail runs 760–860 square feet depending on configuration; an overlapping jib adds 450–540 square feet, with an optional Pulse line rig adding more.3:10 The three-cabin layout gives an owner a full-beam suite with a real shower; the four-cabin version targets charter income.5:18 Australian list price is around AUD $1.3 million, translating to roughly USD $850,000–$900,000 before options, placing it directly against the Lagoon 42, Lagoon 46, Leopard 45, and Fountaine Pajot 47.6:02 Two specific ownership risks are identified: weight creep erodes the performance advantage fast, and the exposed outboard helms — excellent in the tropics — become a liability in cold or wet climates.7:52
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