Weight, a performance indicator
To go fast under sail, you need to be light. Not having the obligation to carry ballast (like a monohull which must have weight at the end of the keel to keep its balance), the multihull leans on its leeward hull to avoid capsizing. These boats can therefore remain light.
However, the multiplication of equipment with the demand for comfort often leads to overweight which is detrimental to performance. So compare the weight estimate of the boats to give you a good idea of performance.
Drifts, synonymous with speed?
This is not true! Of course, the possibility of raising the daggerboards when they are useless downwind will limit the wetted surface and make you gain a little glide. On the contrary, when sailing upwind with the daggerboards down, you will probably gain some heading by sailing upwind better (so you will gain in travel time). But apart from that, the daggerboards do not offer any additional speed on a cruising multihull.
At best, when you know how to manage them, they allow you to avoid dismasting or putting yourself on the roof in rough seas and heavy weather. But it is one more element to manage at sea.
Volume and space
The catamaran is often described as a splendid platform for access to the sea. Some brands like Lagoon have pushed the concept to offer more and more living space and comfort at the expense of weight. Motorized bathing platform, extra wide skirt, sunbathing on all levels... Everything is thought out for life on board, except perhaps... navigation. Indeed, with helm stations far from life on board, with high booms to avoid disturbing passengers, these yachts become difficult to handle under sail, often inciting sailors to use them under motor.
Excess or Lagoon? Why two brands in the same yard?
The Bénéteau Group has developed the Lagoon brand and for the past two years has launched a second brand, Excess. These yachts meet the expectations of a younger clientele who like to sail multihulls, but for whom the Lagoon yachts were too much stamped "quiet sailing". Without proposing extreme yachts, Excess plays on certain codes to offer its sailors yachts with a more sporty image. In addition to the colors, it is also the position of the bars at the back of the floats, low enough on the water to feel the taste of the spray. It is also the absence of Fly which allows to lower the sail plan. It is also a canvas Bimini that folds up to keep an eye on its sails. So many visible and identifiable solutions so that yachtsmen have the feeling of sailing on yachts with different characters. Even if in the end, the capacity and comfort of both brands remain quite similar.
