Yachting: New boats are best shot at winning back cup says Dalton

Team NZ's new boat arrives at the Viaduct base.

New boats NZL84 and NZL92 are Team New Zealand's best shot at winning back the America's Cup, managing director Grant Dalton says.

And he doesn't foresee any big changes to them between now and next year's event.

Emirates Team NZ's second and final boat, NZL92, was delivered to the team's base in the Viaduct early yesterday.

The appendages, hydraulic and electronic systems and deck hardware will be fitted over the next couple of weeks and the boat will be launched this month. It will be shipped to Valencia just before Christmas.

"It is an important milestone for us because it is the beginning of the end of the story," Dalton said.

"You are starting to lay your cards on the table now. If you are wrong by much, you are pretty much stuffed. NZL84 and NZL92 are our best shot. I don't see any big changes to them between now and the cup."

Team NZ's first boat, NZL84, was launched last December. A narrow yacht with a full bow and slab sides, NZL84 is different from its rivals.

However, it has plenty of pace as shown in the team's victory in the final match-racing pre-regatta in July which clinched the 2006 season championship for the team.

"You wouldn't want to suddenly think you had a rocket ship on your hands - we haven't," Dalton said.

"We have got a competitive boat, that is sweet and doesn't seem to have any bad vices.

"NZL92 is no more than proof that we are happy with NZL84 and we believe a development of NZL84. We think we have improved things that we thought needed improving."

NZL84 would now be brought into alignment with NZL92 to ensure the boats kept leap-frogging each other in terms of speed gains.

"That will allow us to sail either boat in the competition, then we just have to decide which one we want."

Team NZ are the first of the three big challengers (Team NZ, BMW Oracle Racing, Luna Rossa) to have completed their second boat.

In the past, the teams that have launched early have benefited as it has allowed them time to squeeze more speed out of their boats.

The last sail number issued was 94, which Dalton assumes is Chris Dickson's Oracle.

"Which means it will be another four months until their boat goes in. That makes us pretty early but we are pleased about that. We still think of NZL84 as a new boat, not a redundant boat with NZL92 being the new boat."