The OneDesign VO65 Boats were planned to be equal for all Teams to create an even playing field and it was thought to make the Boats for at least 2 successive VolvoOceanRaces (VOR).
However the 7 Boats that sailed the VOR 2014-15 were all, meticulous inspected and where required repaired to make them suitable for another challenging VOR. As technical capabilities, of especially electronics and communication have expanded over the last years, some upgrades were also applied. The extra 8th Boat, to be sailed by AkzoNobel, is made exactly identical, of course.
The Boatyards have been busy over the last 28 weeks and have completed the 7 original Boats already and now busy in finalizing the assembly of the AkzoNobel Boat.
Soon all Teams can start their training to learn to optimize the Boat in performance and thus increasing the chances on the Podium.
