Now step aboard Zaphira. The Bill Upfold-designed, Elite 18-metre Mid Pilothouse was built by the team at Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders, and the loving care and attention that has gone into every detail is clearly evident.
Zaphira’s hull started out life as a spec boat in those distant days before covid, but her current owners came on board quite early in the build process, and were able to put their stamp on the interior and the overall finished product. The efficient hull with its Upfold-signature silent chines is based on other earlier 18-metre Elites, but the detailing and styling is custom-designed and built to the owners’ specifications.
She’s built of epoxy glass over balsa, with an epoxy fibreglass and foam over ply superstructure, making her significantly lighter than solid glass production boats of a similar size, and is powered by a grunty pair of 800hp MAN diesels. The
