WHAT SIZE DINGHY FOR YOUR CATAMARAN?

While there has been much innovation in catamaran design and ergonomics, there has been very little innovation in the design of tenders. If you just want to travel several hundred meters from your anchored boat to the beach, there are many options. However, if you want an "expedition tender" that can take you many miles to snorkel or diving spots, and then get back in the mid-day wind chop, there are few options. On my previous catamaran, I had an OC300. It was fine for short trips or flat water, but the flat bottom slams in any substantial wind chop. On my new cat I went in the opposite direction and got a Highfield CL380 w/ FCT. The FCT is way too heavy for what it is, but going long distances in chop is exhausting without the seat/wheel. I use an "anchor buddy" elastic line so I don't have to pull it up on the beach. While much better than an OC, the bottom is still too flat and heavier than it needs to be. It's amazing to see all these high-tech, multi-million-dollar cats with highly compromised tenders. I'd like to see something with a much finer entry forward to cut through the chop for longer trips and a much lighter console.

Bonjour,
J'ai pris livraison de mon Excess 14 en mars et de mon annexe fin avril, c'est un Highfield 310 avec poste de pilotage, moteur Honda 20 CV, double fond, démarrage électrique, pompe vide fond. Je suis content de mon choix pour faire des mouillage parfois un peu éloignés.
Je trouve que l'usine devrait prévoir des barres de renfort sous les deux bossoirs et pas uniquement babord car cela impose le positionnement de l'annexe toujours dans le même sens.

I forgot to ask - please can the factory publish the measurements between the hulls for Excess Catamarans ? This will help owners decide the length of their dingy. Merci.

Bonjour - we take delivery of our Excess 13 in 2026 and our plans are to explore the Atlantic coast of France, England and possibly go further north before sailing to the Mediterranean. After that home to New Zealand via French Polynesia. This is a 5 year plan. During this time our dingy will usually transport 1-2 persons but sometimes 4 persons.
We will use the dingy for resupply, exploring, fishing and diving trips. The dingy must be light so Vicki and I can safely beach it through surf (right it if it is overturned) and carry it above the tide line on stony beaches. It also must be light so it does not affect the performance of the Excess 13 or overload the davits,
We value quiet anchorages and will not be towing water skies. We have used for a long time in New Zealand a 2.6 metre RIB with a 3hp two stroke outboard. This is small but can do most jobs.
For our Excess 13 we will fit a 2.9 or 3.1 metre Highfield Ultralight or 3 metre carbon OC tender with either a 2.5hp or 6hp 4 stroke outboard or an electric 3hp equivalent outboard. The lightest option (2.9 metre + 2.5hp) weighs 56kg. The electric outboard (Mercury) adds another 7.6kg including the portable battery.
The 6hp Outboard has the advantage of more speed - the dingy should plane with 1-2 persons and a light load......but at the moment we are probably going to select the 3hp electric option. This is because our Excess 13 will have induction cooking, no gas on board and it is nice to have no petrol on board. We can still go distance in our dingy but more slowly.
We hope this helps.

Avec mon historique de bateau, le cata donne bien plus d’autonomie en évitant au max les ports. L’annexe doit nous permettre d’aller à terre sans se mouiller les fesses, être suffisamment légère pour être manipulée par une personne ( Beacher par exemple), et résistante aux UV dans le temps.
Pourquoi être équipé en Gonflable si l’annexe est toujours à poste, exposée aux UV. J’ai opté pour une OCTenders de 3.40 de 45kg seulement et nous en sommes ravis.