Team New Zealand will take delivery of their first AC72 catamaran by the middle of next month as their preparations for next year's America's Cup step up a gear.
The mammoth cat will be assembled - it will arrive at the base as components - before an official launch planned for late July.
The team started work on design and engineering in October 2010 and started building the boat in November last year. The sailing team, which has been heavily involved in the design process, will soon get their hands on the cat and start learning how to sail it fast and safely.
The AC72 is a massive leap for designers, boatbuilders and sailing team. More than 50,000 design hours have gone into the project and more than 500 parts will be manufactured locally in aluminium, titanium and composites. Seven Auckland machine shops have engineered the metal components - only deck gear and winches could be bought off the shelf.
Nothing like it has been built previously in New Zealand and Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton said the race yacht will be delivered on budget and on time.