The New World 900 represents a new challenge for Olbia: a specialist for precisely 30 years in the fitting out of bare hulls and refitting them, the yard now offers its sailboat, designed according to its own specifications.
The basic concept is the Petit Monde, launched in 2004 by Méta. A compact, affordable and indestructible deep-sea cruiser. For the record, it was José Bové who bought the first model... and he was the one who ordered the first New World! The sailboat designed by Olbia and the architect Jean-Pierre Brouns - already author of the Petit Monde - remains faithful to the thick aluminium of Méta, but requires a double-chine hull and a polyester deck. The idea is to gain in elegance, performance, but also to enjoy a very largely glazed deckhouse.
An innovative construction
The entire hull is made of 8 mm aluminium sheet. A guarantee of resistance to even the most violent impacts, but this construction also offers greater freedom for accommodation - no reinforcements or varangage.
The composite deck is bolted and glued to a lip of the hull. A second module acts as a low-rouf. It makes it possible to build a false deck, under which the manoeuvres that come back from the mast foot to the cockpit circulate.
The hull has a maximum waterline length - straight bow and vertical transom. The lateral keels, which are very off-centre, guarantee a low drag, a good upwind heading and perfect grounding stability - without the rudders being subjected to any strain. The 50 mm thick aluminium keel profiles adopt a NACA profile thanks to a digital cutting. The ballast (or rather the two torpedoes), perfectly insulated, is made of lead.
The robust and slender two-tiered spreader rig has a generous sail area, ensuring good performance in light conditions. In fact, the sail-to-weight ratio in the New World is 13.26 m2/t, a much more favourable value than many large series cruisers of the same length.
A deck plan tailored for the sea
The deck plant maintains good traffic flow, with decks never less than 30 cm wide and a clear front deck. The deckhouse is surrounded by a stainless steel handrail.
The cockpit has two seating levels. You will appreciate the natural protection offered by the deckhouse - whose descent panel discreetly retracts into the sliding hood - and the streamlined manoeuvres that return to two winches and a battery of blockers on either side of the helmsman.
The bottom of the cockpit houses a compartment for the BIB and a trunk for the gas bottles. A waterproof panel is provided for direct access to the motor. Congratulations on the throttle, housed in a reservation: no more risk of hanging it with your foot or a tip. At the rear, the yard has two "wet" trunks and a folding platform for swimming or boarding. When closed, it secures the cockpit while sailing.
Flattering performance
If you are convinced that an aluminium sailboat - thick as well - is heavy and therefore not very lively under sails, you may be surprised when you draw your first tack on the New World... First of all because the boat's displacement is measured (the composite deck is involved). Secondly, because the sail plan, with its 7/8th capelage and retracted chainplates, makes no concessions to the search for performance. Finally because the double-chine hull ensures a perfect compromise between shape stability and wet surface optimization.
As a result, the 5 knots are exceeded from the top of force 2. In a good breeze downwind, the New World easily holds an average of 8 knots, rewarding you with a few surfs at over 10 knots. You can have fun offshore on a sailboat of only 9 meters!
Cruising in your bubble!
The highlight of the New World is of course its fully glazed roof; inside, there is no feeling of "going down to the cellar". On the contrary, you are at the heart of the action - monitoring other boats, adjusting sails - and the landscape. Breathtaking 360° view of the sea, your anchorage and of course the sky since the plexis form a bubble above the living area - 1.90 m high under bars.
The large saloon - table 110 by 60 cm - raised is offset to starboard. Its backrest, which can be moved in three positions, makes it possible to set up a sea berth. It is also possible to install a double berth for the night.
To port, a large open plan galley is supported by the planking. The toilet is next to the descent, on the starboard side. At the front, a double berth occupies the available volume. At the port stern, a large volume is dedicated to a berth, it can also be used as a storage compartment. And because the New World is above all a marine world, two pairs of handrails make it safe to travel indoors. Ready to cast off?
The opinion of Bateaux.com
The idea of covering a thick aluminium hull with a composite deck is an excellent idea - you get an extremely robust sailboat, but one that keeps a reasonable weight estimate and a pleasant design.
The bubble roof is also a great find, but needs to be quickly protected from the sun's rays during the summer months. You can't have everything...
Good point also for the convincing behaviour of the boat under sail, as well as its many handrails and return of manoeuvres within reach of the helmsman. An amazing wanderer in less than nine meters of hull.
