ome years back Lagoon Catamarans came up with what appeared to be a stroke of marketing genius. The company was – and still is – the largest manufacturer of cruising multihulls in the world. Yet the world was not enough and the company wanted more. Much as our incumbent prime minister is fixated on growth, so too did Lagoon and it opted to aim its sights at a younger market. The result was the Excess catamaran range; cruising catamarans, which were jazzed up with stylish interiors, bigger rigs and more sensitive handling, thanks to twin outboard helms. The marketing behind these boats was incredibly slick but the first couple of models off the production line were a bit, well, familiar. This was because they were cannbalised from existing Lagoon moulds with new decks, rigs and interiors. Life is all about compromise – unless you are the incumbent prime minister that is – but some felt that compromise had gone too far. Including, as it turned out, the boffins at Excess who came to realise if they wanted to create a distinctive brand, they were going to need a distinctive
