"It's completely different," he says. "Everything we learned from boat one has been incorporated into boat two. These are incredibly difficult boats to sail. They're physically demanding. These boats are a handful, but they're also very rewarding. It's incredibly thrilling to sail them."
Coutts and Spithill say Oracle has made advancements in both the wing sail and the hydrofoils the catamaran rides on as its hulls lift out of the water.
The wing sail on Oracle's new boat is the one the syndicate has been using on its first boat; Coutts says they have finished building a new wing sail.
This America's Cup could be won or lost depending on teams' ability to foil, when there is enough lift that both hulls are out of the water and the cat skims along the waves on foils on the rudders and on a daggerboard on the leeward hull. Foiling reduces drag and, as a result, increases speed.
"What's so amazing about this boat is it's suspended on these tiny pieces of engineered carbon fibre," says Spithill.
"That's why these boats are so cutting edge technologically, and we're pushing them right to the limit. The other big advance is we're trying to stay on them while manoeuvering, like through a jibe. It's a handful, something the sailing team has to come to grips with.
"Once the boat foils, it's like hitting a turbo button in a car and off she goes," says Spithill. "It's pretty cool."
Oracle had its first boat going faster than 40 knots, making it hard for the chase boats to keep up.
"This one will be even faster," says Spithill.
