Flagstaff Marine is the exclusive Australian dealer for Groupe Beneteau’s supremely popular performance catamaran, the EXCESS.
The concept of creating harmony between performance and lifestyle was vital in creating this versatile cruiser. The inspiration came from racing, but this cruiser was built for a lux on-water lifestyle. The EXCESS is for those who love to have their senses thrilled in an atmosphere of comfortable luxury.
The design came from Bruno Belmont, Lead Designer, who comes highly acclaimed both for his work on multihulls and for his Hollywood connections – having designed the trimarans featured in Waterworld with Kevin Costner.
“On the EXCESS range, we have placed this ratio clearly above that of standard cruising catamarans. And then we went further because it is possible to have an excellent sail area/displacement (SA/DSPL) ratio and lose some of this advantage to an incorrect sail plan, unbalanced hulls or non-optimised weight centring. On EXCESS catamarans, we have worked on all of these parameters and thus the performance benefits.” – Bruno Belmont, Lead Designer, EXCESS.
The increased sail area/displacement ratio provides the EXCESS with more velocity, enhancing its performance even further.
On its release, Bruno explained: “We have placed this ratio clearly above that of standard cruising catamarans… We have significantly increased the slenderness ratio of the sail plan (called aspect ratio), which improves its aerodynamic finesse and thus the performance of the sail setting. Another advantage of aspect ratio rigging, with masts positioned far aft, is a decrease in the length of the boom and the self-tacking jib function, which enhances the efficiency of manoeuvres.”
With three performance catamaran models available, the Excess 11, 12, and 15 provide buyers with the knowledge of what it’s like to sail a multihull – particularly one designed from the ground up and with immense care and thought.
The Excess 12 has already won two awards since its release: the 2020 SAIL Best Boats and the 2020 Multi Hull of the Year. But what else makes these award-winning catamarans so appealing?
“Our idea was to basically take a monohull of today that has two wheels, split it in half, separate it and set a platform in between. The idea was that if you put the steering wheel where we have, you have the best spot to see the sails, to see the sea and also to interact with the people in the cockpit.”
In a feature that asserts their sportiness, the EXCESS catamarans have twin aft helms. This was a design choice inspired by modern yacht designs similar to Beneteau’s Oceanis FIRST LINE performance cruisers.
“The distance between the helms and rudders is reduced to the minimum, which lowers the length of steering cables and gives much more direct steering responsiveness. Unlike high helm stations, it also allows for a much lower boom to just above the roof line,” says Bruno. “This position increases the mainsail’s efficiency. Also, the low boom makes access to the mainsail much easier when you want to put the sail away in the Lazy Bag.”
These were the keywords used when designing the EXCESS. The contemporary interior feels spacious, open and sunlit.
“The interior design was developed by Nauta Design,” says Bruno. “Nauta’s keywords for designing were make it modern, simple and light. They are probably the best in the world at achieving this brief. We wanted this light to be part of the modernity of the interior. Simplicity is the essence of good design.”
More than 200 EXCESS catamarans are already under sail since their successful launch in 2019. Increasing demand has driven the recent need for additional factory space, which has been added to meet demand, with plans for a further 170+ boats to be built in 2023.
Flagstaff Marine are the Exclusive Australian dealers for EXCESS Catamarans. We can offer delivery of an Excess Catamaran anywhere in Australia, or arrange a European delivery and handover through the Excess Catamaran dedicated facility in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France.
Ideal for charter fleets: In 2023, Flagstaff Marine will hand over two Excess Catamarans into charter, one in South Australia and the other in the Whitsundays.
For further details, call 1300 998 662 or visit Flagstaff Marine.
