{"id":45163,"date":"2019-12-09T16:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T21:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=45163"},"modified":"2023-05-06T17:55:54","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T21:55:54","slug":"excess-12-best-midsize-cruising-catamaran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/excess-12-best-midsize-cruising-catamaran\/","title":{"rendered":"Excess 12: Best Midsize Cruising Catamaran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class='embed-container'><iframe frameborder='0' width='480' height='270' src='\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/embed\/video\/x7qpfes?autoplay=1&#038;mute=1' allowfullscreen allow='autoplay'><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-3-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Excess 12\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-3.jpg 1500w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Excess 12, a no-compromise \u00adperformance cruiser, won over the judging panel.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jon Whittle <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>Excess. Or does it? That was the primary question to be answered when determining the top boat among this trio of nominees in the Midsize Cruising Catamaran division. The Excess 12 was the first highly anticipated model to debut in the United States from a new brand recently created by the French boatbuilding giant Groupe Beneteau. It was up against stiff competition from a pair of long-established, well-entrenched French cat builders: Fountaine Pajot, with its new Elba 45, and Lagoon Catamarans\u2014also part of the Groupe Beneteau colossus\u2014with a fresh 46-footer. Who would emerge victorious in this rousing cat fight?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-1-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Elba 45\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-1.jpg 1500w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Fountaine Pajot Elba 45<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jon Whittle <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>Judge Ed Sherman was impressed with the Elba 45 right from the get-go. \u201cDuring our motoring test, it was immediately evident that this was one of the quietest boats in the fleet,\u201d he said. \u201cAt 70 decibels in cruising mode, that was extremely low. And even when we kicked it up to high speed, at 2,800 rpm, it was still recording just 72 dB in the main cabin area while doing 9.2 knots, which is excellent. And the entire boat\u2014the \u00addeckhouse, the interior layout\u2014the way it was \u00ads\u00ad\u00adtructurally engineered, was solid. It indicated to me that this was a strong boat that\u2019s going to last for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>As it turned out, the judges weren\u2019t finished grading or \u00addiscussing the Elba 45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>The panelists then turned their attention to the two Groupe Beneteau contenders, which perhaps significantly, were sea-trialed in some of the most extreme conditions in the long history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/boat-of-the-year-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boat of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-2-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Lagoon 46\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mid-cat-2.jpg 1500w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Lagoon 46<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jon Whittle <\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p>The Lagoon 46 is laid out with the steering station and sail controls situated well aloft in a raised, flybridge-type configuration, which for judge Ralph Naranjo, took a little getting used to. \u201cIf you\u2019re down below and the boat\u2019s on \u00adautopilot, and something \u00adhappens where you need to blow the traveler because a thunderstorm\u2019s coming, you\u2019re going to have to hurry,\u201d he said. But Naranjo\u2019s opinion of the boat also changed for the better during the stiff sail tests, which the 46 handled with aplomb. \u201cI came away liking the boat more after sailing and motoring it than I did during the dockside inspections,\u201d Naranjo said. \u201cUnder power, she was lovely to maneuver. Even in the big breeze, you could hold station using \u00adforward and reverse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, both the Lagoon and the Fountaine Pajot will be used both by private owners and in charter fleets, and needs to satisfy the requirements of each. Whereas the judges considered the 38-foot-6-inch <b>Excess 12<\/b> a purer sailboat, one that could be operated by a couple and serve as a fine, fast cruiser, which is why they ultimately named it the <b>Best Midsize Cruising Catamaran<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI like having the sail controls and the main living space on the vessel all on the same level,\u201d Naranjo said. \u201cYou have that nice continuity between the main saloon and the cockpit, so the off watch is only a few steps away from the helm and all the action. And I liked the overall workmanship. It really performed in the heavy air. I think she\u2019s a great boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\n\n\u201cWe gave the Excess 12 a \u00adstructural \u00adworkout, and it did very well. It felt very solid.\u201d\n\n<\/p>\n<cite><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of the strongest features is the removable Bimini over the cockpit,\u201d judge Dan Spurr said. \u201cWhen it\u2019s retracted, you have really good visibility of the sails. When you don\u2019t need that visibility, when it\u2019s raining or you\u2019re motoring, you can pull it back and have some shade and sun protection. The kind of convertible option is nice. On a lot of cats with a fixed hardtop, you can\u2019t see anything and have to go to one side or the other to check sail trim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really liked her as well,\u201d judge Ed Sherman said. \u201cAt one point sailing, we saw 43 knots of apparent wind. And it just remained relatively quiet and in control. So we certainly gave it quite a structural workout, and it just did very well. It felt quite solid. I like the helms aft. I think they\u2019re really onto something here. I was very impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>So, to once again pose the question from the top of this write-up, does nothing succeed like this Excess? Aw, c\u2019mon. You know the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n\n<p>See All Winners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/boat-of-the-year-2020\">2020 Boats of the Year<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Other Winners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/catalina-545-named-2020-overall-boat-of-the-year\/\">Overall Boat of the Year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/beneteau-oceanis-30-1-best-performance-cruiser\/\">Best Performance Cruiser<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/hallberg-rassy-44-best-midsize-cruiser-under-45-feet\/\">Best Midsize Cruiser Under 45 feet<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/x-yachts-x46-best-full-size-cruiser\/\">Best Full-size Cruiser<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/catalina-545-best-full-size-cruiser-over-55-feet\/\">Best Full-size Cruiser Over 55 Feet<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/excess-12-best-midsize-cruising-catamaran\/\">Best Midsize Cruising Catamaran<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/neel-47-trimaran-best-full-size-multihull\/\">Best Full-size Multihull<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/fountaine-pajot-elba-45-best-charter-boat\/\">Best Charter Boat<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/sailboats\/eagle-class-53-most-innovative\/\">Most Innovative<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cruising World Judges named the Excess 12 the Best Midsize Cruising Catamaran for 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Herb McCormick","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20191209","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"167","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The Excess 12 rises to the top of the three-boat Best Midsize Cruising Catamaran category.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"2DSGDJROD5ELZMTQUT6HNHQ4W4","arc_website_url":"story\/sailboats\/excess-12-best-midsize-cruising-catamaran\/","custom_permalink":"story\/sailboats\/excess-12-best-midsize-cruising-catamaran\/","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[167],"tags":[919,1685,195],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45163"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}