Italia Yachts 12.98 Bellissima, Much More Than A Simple Sport Model

Do you remember the Italia Yachts 12.98, a model we really loved so much? Ok, now you can forget it. The Italian shipyard has unveiled the first images of a completely new project, the Italia Yachts 12.98 Bellissima, which it wants to combine sportiness and elegance. It maintains the characteristic eyebrows on the deckhouse side, merged now with the big single window and the chamfer typical of the Fuoriserie line and of the Italia Yachts 14.98.

There are two versions of the IY 12.98, the Fuoriserie without the hull windows and the teak deck, and the Bellissima version with all the accessories. But the differences between the two versions go far beyond that. The substantial difference is in fact in the ergonomics of the cockpit: the racing version has a traditional winch layout, with halyards on the deckhouse, jib sheet on the coaming and mainsheet on deck; the Bellissima version, on the other hand, has all the same maneuvers aft of the coaming, leaving the seating area free to enjoy the experience on board in total relaxation.

Italia Yachts 12.98: the deck

The deck plan is practical and functional and the hull lines of Italia Yachts 12.98 have a correct balance between comfort and performance, borrowing the fluid-dynamic concepts of the multi-winning Italia Yachts 9.98 Fuoriserie for the distribution of volumes while maintaining the characteristics of the interiors in absolute cruising style. The thrusts at the stern and bow are more evident than in the other models of the shipyard. The smaller wetted surface is an all-round benefit of performance in light wind conditions. The shapes of the boat favor a variable waterline length: contained with little wind, it dynamically stretches with increasing speed and the heel. The aspects related to comfort in navigation are very accurate, to mitigate pitching.

Italia Yachts 12.98: naval architecture

“Every new boat is a challenge, but the new Italia Yachts 12.98 is in a particular way“, explains Maurizio Cossutti. “In the case of the 14.98 we had talked about a hypothesis of 20% competitive and 80% cruise use, in practice the opposite of the 11.98, and therefore the Fuoriserie and Bellissima versions were conceived accordingly. The new IY 12.98, on the other hand, will be a 50-50% competitive – cruise use. The goal is to be competitive at the top level with the Fuoriserie version (we mean World and National Championships) and, at the same time, in the Bellissima version to have better characteristics for cruise use compared to the current 12.98.

For this reason, at the beginning of the project we made an accurate analysis of the displacement range that could be the best compromise between performance and rating, but at the same time it was fine for a Bellissima version with richer and more complete set-ups. On this basis, having decided on the hull length of 13.16 m, we opted for a reduced maximum width to have a hull that had the least hydrodynamic resistance, that moved easily and therefore agile in medium-light conditions but capable of expressing high potential speeds with sustained wind.

An accurate analysis of the toughest competitors in the B ORC class was the basis for conducting an in-depth CFD fluid dynamics study with the support of the team of Giorgio Provinciali and Simone Bartesaghi (both with experiences in America’s Cup and high-performance boats), comparing the new 12.98 with competitors. We are convinced that the new IY 12.98 will be a performing hull upwind and with rapid acceleration, a fundamental advantage in windward-leeward regattas, allowing optimal downwind navigations both with gennaker or more traditional spinnakers.

The sail plan has several options, with traditional, semi-square or true square top mainsail coupled to the double backstay, standard or long bowsprit to maximize the size of the gennaker, but also the possibility of having a self-tacking jib for a truly easy sailing configuration. For the carbon mast option, Italia Yachts is working with Hall Spars to have a customized profile for our needs. The racing version has a  2.5 m steel keel with lead torpedo. The Bellissima keel has a draft of 2.30 m and it is in full lead with steel structure. There will also be a fixed keel option with reduced draft, especially for the Northern European and US markets.“

Italia Yachts 12.98: the interiors

The layout of the new Italia Yachts 12.98 includes 3 double cabins and one or two heads. In the Fuoriserie version the bow head is optional to limit the weight. One of the improvements is the separate shower in the aft head, along with an optional second fridge for cruising. The interior design is curated by the architecture studio Arbore & Partners.

Italia Yachts 12.98 Bellissima Specs