
We’re sailing upwind in 12-14 knots of true wind, with boat speed hovering between 7.4 and 8.0 knots. The helm feels positive and responsive, the boat tacks easily and responds readily to accurate sail trim.
Aside from the lack of heel, it’s the type of experience and real-world cruising speeds you might expect of a 50-something-foot monohull performance cruiser. Yet, this is an enormously spacious 26ft wide platform from the world’s largest boatbuilder, not a niche builder of expensive high-performance designs. Until now, anyone looking for a catamaran
that’s fun and rewarding to sail had a limited choice. Granted, yards such as Outremer and Marsaudon Composites produce fantastic boats, but they can be complex, while high-tech construction and low build volumes inevitably mean hefty prices.
Groupe Beneteau identified a gap in the market into which it launched the Excess brand four years ago. How did the yard achieve good sailing qualities and performance in a high-volume production boat with a commensurate price tag? A policy to chase weight savings in every area, without creating an expensive high-tech boat, started with a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the entire structure by VPLP's Vannes office, which normally deals with race boats.
Carbon reinforcement was added to highly stressed areas, such as the fully infused PET foam sandwich bulkheads, while weight was dropped from lightly stressed zones including hull skins, through using a lower-density end grain balsa core. This is divided into small squares, separated by resin, so localised damage won't allow water ingress to spread. Layup is monolithic in way of the engines and keels, while the deck is PET foam sandwich.
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på

RAPID EVOLUTION
A CRUISING CATAMARAN OFFERINGBETTER HANDLING, MORE SPEEDAND SAFER PASSAGE-MAKING – WITHOUT THE COMPLICATIONS OFDAGGERBOARDS?

MARGIN OF ERROR
KNOCKED DOWN, BECALMED, GROUNDED, AND LOST, GRAHAM COX'S ATTEMPT TO SAIL FROM AUSTRALIA TO NEW ZEALAND IN A 24-FOOTER ENDS IN NEAR DISASTER

TRIBAL QUEST
IT WAS THE DREAM OF A LIFETIME FOR JAMES ASHWELL TO SAIL TO THE REMOTE ISLANDS OF VANUATU, THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA

CHASED BY MONSTERS
THE SOLO VENDÉE GLOBE SAILORS ARE NOW TRAVELLING SO FAST THEY CAN TRY TO OUTRUN MOTHER NATURE. HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO CIRCLE THE WORLD AT MACH SPEED

DALMATIAN DREAMS
TOBY HODGES AND FAMILY FIND PLENTY OF SURPRISES AS THEY CHARTER A NEW SUNSAIL MODEL FROM THE FAMED OLD CROATIAN CITY OF DUBROVNIK

ICE 66 RS
ICE HAS LITERALLY RAISED THE ROOF WITH ITS LATEST DESIGN, THANKS TO AN ENCOURAGING PAIRING OF FARR AND ITALIAN DESIGN

MATTHEW SHEAHAN
SOMETIMES YOU DON'T NEED TO ADOPT EVERY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCE TO STAY AT THE FRONT, AS THE IMOCA CLASS IS PROVING

SPECIAL REPORT
ELAINE BUNTING ON TRANSATLANTIC MULTIHULLS

NIKKI HENDERSON
WHY SAIL OFFSHORE? OFTEN IT'S TO MAGNIFY YOUR LIFE. THE BIGGER QUESTION IS, WILL YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?

INDIAN OCEAN JEWELS
WILDLY DIVERGENT SAILING AND CULTURAL EXPERIENCES CHALLENGE AND DELIGHT SASKIA STAINER-HUTCHINS AS SHE ISLAND-HOPS ACROSS THE VAST INDIAN OCEAN