© Amalia Infante/Volvo Ocean Race
As one of the world’s leading coatings manufacturers, it’s no surprise that AkzoNobel have gone the extra mile in their design concept – and its intricate and unique branding has been expertly realised by the Boatyard team.
The paint job itself was a major undertaking.
Taking over 1,400 man hours to complete, with 60 litres of primer and 45 litres of top coat, plus three to four days of sanding, cut and polishing, it was no easy task.
© Brian Carlin/Volvo Ocean Race
All the boats competing in the next race are coated with AkzoNobel’s International and Awlgrip coatings. The team AkzoNobel boat has a total of seven different colors (in addition to the seven used as part of the one-design) most of which were custom made.
As the first team to enter the 2017-18 edition, team AkzoNobel, led by skipper Simeon Tienpont, opted to build a new One Design Volvo Ocean 65 to go up against the fleet which competed in the 2014-15 race.
© Amalia Infante/Volvo Ocean Race
Whilst the existing boats were undergoing a one million euro per boat refit, the new-build was constructed at Persico Marine in Bergamo, Italy, before being transported to the Boatyard in Lisbon for the fit out and final touches.
The completion of team AkzoNobel’s boat is a huge landmark for the Boatyard – a unique shared services centre for Volvo Ocean Race.
The new boats feature a host of upgraded deck and rigging gear including almost 1,800 metres of electrical cable, over 1,150 metres of rope, 1,000 screws and 3,500 nuts and washers.
© Amalia Infante/Volvo Ocean Race
