Review of Excel 400 Esprit
Basic specs.
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The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The hull is a double hull which improves the indoor climate. Especially when the water is colder than the air in the cabin, then the double hull insulates against cold water and reduce the condense water in the cabin.
The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany. Mahogany belongs to the hardwood species, known for being water-repellent and resistant to decay. It has an attractive wood grain and holds wood polish and varnish well.
The boat is equipped with 8 berths, a galley, 300.0 liter fresh water capacity, toilet facility and 140.0 liter waste water capacity.
The Excel 400 Esprit is equipped with a fractional rig. A fractional rig has smaller headsails which make tacking easier, which is an advantage for cruisers and racers, of course. The downside is that having the wind from behind often requires a gennaker or a spinnaker for optimal speed.
Unknown keel type
The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.
The boat can only enter major marinas as the draft is about 1.95 - 2.05 meter (6.40 - 6.70 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
Excel 400 Esprit may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta MD2040 diesel engine at 40 hp (29 kW). Calculated max speed is about 6.5 knots
The transmission is a saildrive.
The fuel tank has a capacity of 175.0 liters (46 US gallons, 38 imperial gallons).
Sailing characteristics
This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Excel 400 Esprit is 1.93, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
Excel 400 Esprit holds a CE certification:
The boat is by European Union certified as Class A. OCEAN:What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?
The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.6 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Excel 400 Esprit is about 243 kg/cm, alternatively 1364 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 243 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1364 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.
Sailing statistics
This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.
What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?
The Motion Comfort Ratio for Excel 400 Esprit is 26.2.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Excel 400 Esprit is 3.24.
The ballast ratio for Excel 400 Esprit is 53%.
What is Displacement Length Ratio?
The DL-ratio for Excel 400 Esprit is 229 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Excel 400 Esprit with ISO 8666 reference sail is 20.0, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 23.6.
Maintenance
When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy.
The surface of the wet bottom is about 41m2 (441 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.
Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.
Dimensions of sail for fractional rig.
Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale
If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 39.3 m | (128.9 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 39.3 m | (128.9 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 39.3 m | (128.9 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 12.2 m | (39.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 12.2 m | (39.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 30.4 m | (99.7 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 26.7 m | (87.7 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Cunningham | 4.9 m | (16.1 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 9.8 m | (32.2 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 9.8 m | (32.2 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.
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