Freshly launched for the Coppa dei Campioni, the IY 9.98 nextGen has immediately lived up to expectations. Michele Vitulano’s yacht stands out in the rankings, securing a Class victory and second place overall. This marked the first true test for nextGen, the first eco-friendly, high-tech yacht designed to compete at the highest national and international racing levels, launched just ten days ago.
“Considering that the boat is currently only at 65% of its development in terms of tuning, it has already allowed us to race very close to larger yachts,” commented Daniele De Tullio upon returning ashore.
nextGen is the result of over two years of research into construction materials, recycled and recyclable, starting with the compound used for the hull, as well as advanced design studies. These had to ensure that, despite the adoption of new materials, the new IY 9.98 remains robust, safe, and fast.
“I’m also impressed by battery consumption: with a single compact unit running throughout the entire day, nothing else was required. Fuel consumption averaged 2 liters per hour, well below the traditional daily average of 60 liters. In fact, these eco-sustainable materials seem to outperform carbon. The interior system, thanks to the materials used, quick disassembly, and modular solutions, allows the entire boat to be cleaned in just a few minutes with minimal water usage,” De Tullio concluded. The team will continue optimizing nextGen in preparation for the World Championship.
Due to its high ecological and technological content, the project, identified as B-Eco, involving 4 Hub77, Italia Yachts, Linset & Co, and Delta, was funded through Regione Marche cohesion initiatives (Coesione Italia), co-financed by the European Union and the Italian Republic. It serves as a pilot prototype for the design and construction of a green sailing yacht, built with recyclable materials and equipped with the most advanced systems for lifecycle monitoring and traceability of components, as well as real-time assessment of material conditions under operational stress, based on Industry 4.0 approaches.
The project aims to contribute to decarbonization through the use of recyclable resins derived from recovered materials, ultimately moving toward the realization of a carbon-free vessel. It also implements a digital, integrated approach to lifecycle management by developing innovative tools based on Industry 4.0 technologies, and evaluates the sustainability of partner companies according to ESG criteria.
The IY 9.98 nextGen integrates the most advanced technologies available. It is the first eco-friendly yacht to implement GENE.SYS, the digital solution developed by P2M, representing an advanced digital ecosystem for traceability and certified preservation of technical dataa true digital passport uniquely identifying each vessel, detailing its materials, processes, and operational history.
Through Global Sensingan advanced system based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) optical fiber sensors for measuring strain and shape variation fully integrated into the onboard NMEA 2000 network and managed via a dedicated dashboard, along with a comprehensive monitoring and diagnostic platform, the IY 9.98 nextGen represents a new frontier in performance yacht engineering.
