Building on a winning concept

By ROBIN BAILEY

Take a great design concept, refine it over many years and add the talents of a master boatbuilder. The result is an almost unbeatable combination.

That formula has gone into the creation of Vacanza, a 14m Elite Pilothouse. From the board of Bill Upfold, whose reputation is built on creating practical and seaworthy craft, the newest Elite embodies a good deal of evolution since the launch of the first in 1986.

Some changes have been made to the hull forms of the new 14m design. The forward sections are fuller and there is more beam on the waterline.

Upfold says, "By increasing the built-in spray rail and shifting the strakes around we have made the boat incredibly dry. It's exceptional in a following sea and much improved in a beam sea. Overall, it is a better hull shape than my previous Elites."

There's more volume in Vacanza than in the Elites that went before. The boat not only provides a better ride and improved handling, but inside there are huge accommodation, galley and entertainment areas. The interior finish is traditional, with teak used throughout.

Here's where the builder's input is important. And when the builder is Lloyd Stevenson, chairman of the Boating Industry Association's Boatbuilders' Standards Group, his influence is obvious. The aim of the newly established grouping is to give the bigger-boat segment of the industry in this country the sort of boost the introduction of the Compliance Plate has achieved for the trailer-boat sector.

Stevenson says, "We pride ourselves on our workmanship and can generate just about any interior an owner wants. The aim is always to work within the owners' parameters while remaining conscious of the budget."

While each Elite is strictly one-off and reflects each owner's needs, the Upfold pilothouse design has a levelling effect. The accommodation is forward with the saloon central and the galley and aft cabin below the raised pilothouse. Individual owners can customise in the choice of timbers and furnishings and also in the layout of the cabins.

The accommodation areas are split between the twin cabins forward and a big stateroom aft. While many Elite owners use the aft cabin as the owner's stateroom, in Vacanza this has been given over to guests. The owner's area is forward.

Stevenson has built nine Elites between 13.5m and 16m and is building two more in his Auckland yard. One of these is 17.5m, the other is 18m.

The designer believes anything smaller than 13.5m in the pilothouse format is too small and the internal space is too pokey. The 18m is the biggest mid-pilothouse ordered so far. The interest in boats in the 16m range is strong with interest generally being in the bigger boats.

Usually, people who buy boats such as Vacanza have been boating for some time and know what they want in a good cruising boat, says Upfold.

Auckland photographer Bruce Jarvis shopped around for months before buying Guardian, an 18m Upfold Elite built in the Vaudrey Miller yard at Henderson.

After using the boat for a season, Jarvis decided he wanted to become more involved in fishing. He talked to the designer and builder and the result was just under a metre added to the stern that includes a live bait tank.

"The boat now does everything we want," says Jarvis. "One of the features that sold me on the pilothouse design is the easy access and added space. It's a great boat."

A full evaluation of Vacanza is in the February-April issue of Pacific Motor Yacht . The boat will be at the Boating New Zealand On-the-Water Boat Show at the Viaduct Harbour from March 20 to 24.

Elite Marine