Excess Catamarans brings Excess 14 sea trials to Clear Lake Shores

Excess Catamarans put the Excess 14 in front of Houston-area sailors on June 6 in Clear Lake Shores, Texas, with a 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. stop built around visits and sea trials. For buyers weighing performance against comfort, the value was in the water, not the brochure: the boat was there to be sailed, felt and compared with local support from Murray Yacht Sales.

That dealer link mattered. Murray Yacht Sales describes itself as the Gulf Coast dealer for new Beneteau Sailboats and Excess Catamarans, with coverage stretching across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Excess invited visitors to make appointments through Murray, a setup that gave the day a practical edge for anyone trying to sort out commissioning questions, after-sales support and whether the Excess 14 matches the way they actually sail on the Gulf Coast.

The Excess 14 is the model at the center of that pitch. Excess says it was developed with VPLP design and shaped by an understanding of ocean racing, with a forward-set rig, square-top mainsail and large overlapping genoa as standard. The boat also uses a low boom, reduced freeboard, a leaning deckhouse and asymmetric hulls to cut interference drag, all part of the brand’s effort to deliver a catamaran that keeps the helm front and center instead of turning into a floating apartment.

On paper, the numbers are firmly in the performance-cruiser lane. The configurator lists the Excess 14 at 13.97 to 15.99 meters overall length, 7.87 meters overall width and 123 square meters of upwind sail area. Pricing starts at 533,100 euros before VAT, freight and customs duties, placing it squarely in the serious-buyers bracket for sailors who want to compare layouts, sailing feel and helm response before they commit.

The Houston stop also fit into a broader summer push. Excess pointed buyers toward a June 11 to 14 appearance at the San Diego International Boat Show and a July 3 to 4 Excess Tour stop in La Rochelle, keeping the brand visible on both sides of the Atlantic. That pace underscores how hard production-catamaran makers are working in 2026 to win owners in person, especially when the decision often comes down to how a boat feels under sail rather than how it reads on spec sheets.

Excess has made that argument consistently, saying the brand was created to challenge catamaran standards by combining cruising comfort with sportier sailing across a range that runs from 11 to 14 meters. The Excess 14 was nominated for the 2023 Multihull of the Year award in the Sail Cruising category, and a World ARC Excess 14 named Mulan has won several legs in the catamaran class, both reminders that the Clear Lake Shores stop was about more than a showroom look. It was a live test of a boat built to be steered, not just admired.