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26 Mar 2008  -  Sweden

Volvo Ocean Race yacht

© Oskar Kihlborg / Ericsson Racing Team

Ericsson Racing Team’s boat ‘Ericsson 3’, which was unveiled to the yachting press on the 12th February 2008, is the first one-off Volvo Ocean Race (VO70) challenge yacht to come out of the purpose-built Ericsson boatyard in Kista, Sweden. This is the first of two Ericsson yachts to be made using ACG’S carbon prepreg materials.

ACG has a proven track record in this and other challenging races, and is pleased to continue its association in this field, with sights firmly set on providing Ericsson Racing Team with customized materials and technical expertise to support them in this formidable venture. With Juan Kouyoumdjian as the exclusive designer for Ericsson Racing Team, and Killian Bushe as construction manager, Ericsson 3 is unquestionably one of a kind, although embracing the strong heritage of the winning yacht ‘ABN AMRO One’, now ‘Ericsson 2’, a veteran of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race.

 One of the final steps in Ericsson 3’s construction process was to provide it with its true identity - adding colour to the sleek black carbon hull, the product of employing VTM®264, ACG’s long out life, intermediate viscosity, epoxy resin matrix prepreg and its associated VTA®260 film adhesive, which is used to bond the honeycomb and foam core.

With the finishing touches complete, Ericsson 3 is ready to take to the water and start serving the team as their main training boat, and be one of the race boats for the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race.

While ACG’s VTM264 has logged a remarkable record of successes over the years, demands placed on these boats are severe. 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 on the extreme edge. Based on previous experiences and the record tally of wins, ACG’s materials will give Ericsson Racing Team the best possible chance of making it to the finish line, both intact and as the winning team.

The first step in the construction technique adopted by Kouyoumdjian and Bushe was to build a plug, an outline of the hull, from precision-cut frames. Once the plug was made, a carbon fiber mould was built around it. The inside of the finished mould had to reflect the exact dimensions of the boat’s hull, so accuracy was of paramount importance. The hull was then fabricated in two layers, with honeycomb core or foam sandwiched between them to add stiffness to the structure. In areas where extra strength is required, such as around the keel, high density foam or solid carbon fiber was used. Once fully laminated, the hull was slowly cured in an oven. 

The Kista yard has two ovens, one at 26 metres long, just big enough to accommodate the entire boat. The second, smaller oven was used to cure the carbon fiber prepreg deck, bulkheads, galley, navigational station, and the toilet. 

It has been said that the boat builders are crucial for the success of the project - and there are not that many of them around, but the same also applies to the crews and, of course, to the construction materials. 

About Advanced Composites Group (ACG)
Advanced Composites Group, part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, is a manufacturer of advanced composites materials and components. ACG specializes in the manufacture of high performance composite materials for a diverse range of industries such as motorsport, aerospace, marine, automotive, construction, wind energy and leisure sports. The main focus of the Group's business, which operates through four divisions, is the manufacture of prepregs for components and tooling. ACG has manufacturing operations in the UK in Heanor near Derby, USA in Tulsa and South Africa in Cape Town. It is managed from its head office in Heanor and employs around 560 worldwide.

About Umeco plc
Umeco is a leading innovator in distribution and supply chain management to the aerospace and defence industries, harnessing new methods for enhancing its customers’ performance and profitability. Umeco also has significant manufacturing interests in advanced composite materials for a growing range of applications in its core aerospace and defense markets and in other high performance technology industries such as motor sport, automotive and wind energy. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Umeco had turnover of £333.9 million in the year to 31 March 2007.
Umeco is managed through two divisions:
Umeco Composites - a provider of a complete range of advanced composite materials and specialist chemical products principally to the aerospace, motor sport, automotive and wind energy markets. A growing range of value-added outsourcing services is provided to major customers. Customers include Boeing, Airbus, BAE Systems, Goodrich Aerostructures, British Airways, Lufthansa Technik, a number of manufacturers of high performance super cars and Formula 1 teams including Team McLaren Mercedes.
Umeco Supply Chain - a leading international provider of value-added distribution and supply chain outsourcing services to customers in the aerospace & defence market. With its specialisation in the supply of small components and sophisticated IT systems, its growing global customer base can enjoy significant operational, cost and working capital benefits. Customers include Rolls-Royce plc, BAE Systems, Safran Group, Parker Aerospace, Goodrich, Thales, Aerospace, Turbomeca, Lockheed Martin and the US Department of Defense.

Source : Advanced Composites Group