Ericsson 3 is the first one off VO70 yacht coming out of the Ericsson boat yard in Kista, a yard built especially for the purpose. With Juan Kouyoumdjian as the exclusive designer for Ericsson Racing Team, Ericsson 3 will be one of its kind, although with a strong heritage from Ericsson 2. In late 2007, the majority of the major components and assembly was done on Ericsson 3, and attention has since shifted to the smaller details, pedestals, winches, deck gear etc.

In terms of hull-form optimization in the new hulls, the possible design trade-offs to favor up-wind versus off-wind performance is still a very contentious point. One reason for this is that the route is still changing. Presently, the proposed Pacific leg features a great-circle route (the shortest distance in actual miles) that runs right through New Zealand. Then, from a design standpoint, there is always the question of should you work to eliminate perceived flaws in a known design – or to evolve and improve a winning concept?

One of the last steps in the construction process is to give Ericsson 3 her true identity - adding colour to the black carbon hull. After that she is ready to go into the water and start serving the team as their main training boat as well as one of the race boats for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.