Stockholm - Boat Yard

Withstanding constant pressure

“If your boat is still is in one piece at the finish, you haven’t raced it hard enough. But if it doesn’t last the race it wasn’t built properly!” Magnus Olsson, veteran of five Volvo Ocean Races and experienced boat builder, is exaggerating – but not by much. The demands on these boats are the hardest to be found. There is no dropping the anchor at the end of the day. During a leg or an In-port race the pressure is relentless. The Volvo Ocean Race is life at the extreme. Imagine building the boat for this.

The plug – the key to the boat

There is no wood in a Volvo Ocean Race-boat. Wood is too heavy. The hull and many other parts are made from a mixture of carbon fiber and epoxy. The result is a hull half the weight of a similarly sized fiberglass hull, yet twice as strong. But wood is still essential for building the boat. The first step in the construction is to build a plug, an outline of the hull, from frames precision-cut by water jet. This is done with extreme care, getting it even slightly wrong may have grave consequences later.

A long process

Building the boat began long before this. Since November 2006, principal designer Juan Kouyoumdjian (known as Juan K) has been busy running tests, studying the new route and testing different designs. In March 2007 he delivered the first set of blueprints. Juan K’s work is far from done, however. He will continue to work closely with Killian Bushe, the construction manager, and John Kostecki, the skipper, for example. The quest to refine and optimize the boat will continue well into the race.

The measurements

A Volvo Open 70 is 21. 5 meters long, or 70 feet (the reason for its name). The beam (width) is 5.2 meters and the depth below the waterline 4.5 meters. The mast is 31.5 meters above water. The boat must not weigh more than 14.000 kg, but the keel fin and bulb must weigh between .000 and 7.400 kg. The designers and builders try to reduce the weight of the hull so that they can add more weight to the bulb. Each team is allowed to carry 24 sails, plus storm sails. The largest spinnaker is as big as two tennis courts (500 sq.m).

The mould

Once the plug is ready, the next step is to build a mould of carbon fiber around it. The inside of the finished mould has the exact dimensions of the boat’s hull. So in fact the hull is built inside the mould. The carbon fiber comes in rolls, already prepared with epoxy. It has to be kept cold, otherwise it begins to harden. This is why it is stored in freeze containers.

A delivery of sails

The hull and the deck are made here in Kista as is everything inside, such as bulkheads and so on. The machinery and winches are also installed here. All other parts are made by special suppliers. The sails, for example, are specially designed and manufactured for each individual boat. Made from Kevlar yarns laminated onto Mylar films, weight is saved by placing fibers only along paths of stress. The sails are strong enough to hold shape under load, and endure months of sunlight, salt spray and mechanical abuse.

Curing the hull

Inside the mould the hull is built in two layers, with honeycomb core or foam between to strengthen the structure. In areas where extra strength is required, such as around the keel, high density foam or solid carbon fiber is used. When the hull is ready it has to be slowly cured in an oven. The temperature is very important, one or two degrees off is enough for a bad result. The right temperature is decided by the construction manager, and may vary depending on who you ask.

Why build it here?

Boat builders are crucial for the success of the project and there are not that many of them around. There are perhaps two or three teams in the world. Our team consists of 25 builders from about ten countries. Building the boat here is cost effective and allows Ericsson to produce a top-class boat efficiently. It also provides an opportunity to integrate the project into ongoing customer and internal programs. The real estate company Klövern are the official yard host. “Nice facilities make for better boats” says Mange Olsson.

The second oven

There are in fact two ovens here. One is big enough to fit the entire boat and is around 26 meters. This is where the hull will be cured. While the hull is being cured the deck and bulkheads, galley, navigational station, and toilet are built. All of these are also made from carbon fiber and epoxy and have to be cured. This is the reason for the second, smaller oven.

The canting keel

Instead of the fixed lead fin found on most sailboats, these boats use a canting keel. The combined weight of the keel fin and bulb must be between 6,000 and 7.400 kg. The total depth below the waterline must be exactly 4.5 meters The canting keel increases speed up to 20 percent and also counteracts the boat's tendency to tip over. Hydraulic rams can cant the keel up to 40 degrees from the vertical, doubling the effect of the bulb and keeping the boat level, conserving wind energy otherwise lost off the top of the sail An Italian foundry cast the keel for this boat.

Ready to hoist sail

While the hull and deck are being finished, the machinery and winches start arriving. Excess material must be sanded off and everything painted. Then it is time to fit everything together, including the rudders and the keel. Now it is time to get the boat into the water and start testing it. It has to be sailed in many different types of weather so the crew, designer, and builder can learn what works and what needs to be improved. There is still a lot of tinkering to be done.