About
FAST, SAFE AND COMFORTABLE
The concept behind Saphira was to develop a cruising catamaran that could average at least 250 nautical miles a day safely, when sailing offshore with an older, experienced couple. Saphira has averaged 265 miles a day in its six seasons of cruising from Rhode Island to the Caribbean multiple times, as well as through the Panama Canal, up the west coast of Central America to San Diego and out into French Polynesia.
The owners, who were integral to and deeply involved in the design process, have approximately 175,000 miles of sailing history including a trip around the world with Cape Horn and north of Spitzbergen/Svalbard, as their farthest points south and north. Their experience shows up in the big and small details that make the boat easy to handle and, equally important, a joy to live on.
The 70’ hulls are for speed and sea-kindliness, not space. The beam, weight and sail area are similar to a performance cat in the 55’ to 60’ range. Saphira has covered approximately 25,000 miles over her six seasons and has the parts and the maintenance to continue cruising the world’s oceans.
Specifications
SPECS
MEASUREMENTS
ENGINE(S)
Atlantic 70-F Construction and Equipment
Construction:
The vessel was built by Goetz Composities in Bristol, Rhode Island, a company known for its decades of high quality construction, including Americas Cup boats. All of the structural elements were built from vacuum bagged epoxy pre-preg carbon fiber cured at 200 degrees F under vacuum and cored with high temperature “Core-Cell” foam. This ensures the lightest, strongest and most durable laminate possible.
All exterior surfaces are spray painted with AwlGrip
linear polyurethane coating.
Weight was a key consideration so, for example, instead of painting the inside surfaces of the hulls which would have required many pounds of fairing compound to get a smooth surface, the boat has “Whisper Wall.” This is a light material that looks great, provides insulation for sound and heat, as well as providing space for wiring.
Crossbeams are built of uni-directional pre-preg carbon fiber with foam cored epoxy/carbon fibre bulkheads.
Extensive Finite Element Analysis structural modelling and final engineering was done by SDK Structures, also known for their work on high tech racing and Americas Cup boats. Interior joinerwork and floorboards are all cored panels to provide stiffness at low weight with lovely veneer for good looks.
Propulsion:
Starboard & Port: Volvo D2-75 diesels with saildrives (April 2024 Engine Hours: Port – 1547; Starboard 1576)
Recent engine service included replacement of mixing elbow and oil pans.
Dual instrument panels with tachometer and engine monitoring gauges and alarms.
Dual Racor primary fuel filters to allow for switching.
Secondary fuel filters on the engines.
Dual “ZF Micro Commander” electronic single lever engine controls mounted at pilothouse inside helm and outside in the forward cockpit.
Three blade bronze folding type propellers by FlexOFold
Steering:
Rudder blades are carbon fiber, high performance hydrofoil section with carbon fiber rudder stocks turning in JP3 spherical rudder bearings.
Custom carbon composite radial drives
All Harken roller bearing sheaves leading Dyneema steering cable
Exit Carbon Composites wheel in cockpit
Engine Rooms & Watermaker Cabin
One critical aspect of the design was to make maintenance easier for the owners. The aft part of each hull has full standing headroom engine rooms. Literally, you can walk around the engine. This makes maintenance, like checking the oil or cleaning the sea water strainers, which is rarely easy on sailboats, easy to do. It is the same with a watermaker … sure, you can get to the filters when you have to crawl under a berth or into a small space, but will you do so as often as you should? Saphira may be the only cruising sailboat where the watermaker has its own cabin with full standing headroom.
Carbon Mast and Booms
Carbon fiber masts and booms are from Southern Spars, New Zealand
Carbon fiber roller furling mandrel is from Offshore Spars
The airfoil shaped tapered freestanding masts turn in JP3 spherical bearings at the deck and the bilge levels.
Masts rotate relative to the boat using the mainsheets, so they can rotate 180 degrees each way without breaking anything. In fact, they were made to rotate 270 degrees just to make sure they were safe. If there is ever a concern that the boat is dangerously overpowered, you just blow off the mainsheets and the sails “flag to the wind.”
Masts rotate forty degrees port and starboard relative to the boom for sail shape and this is controlled from the cockpit via a hydraulic cylinder.
Masthead light, masthead VHF, wind instruments
There is one main halyard and one spare on each mast. Halyard locks – full hoist position and the 1,2&3 reef points.
All controls are in the cockpit. Sails are furled with Bamar hydraulic roller furling on mandrels above the boom, so the operator can “see” the roll at all times.
Sails are “vang sheeted” with a large Harken hydraulic cylinder. No topping lift needed. No block & tackle at the end of the main boom, which just adds friction and many more feet of line that has to run freely to depower.
Sails
2 x Square Top Mainsails, Doyle Sails, 2023. Radial head dacron, two ply leech. Super durable offshore construction.
One spare Doyle “Stratis” carbon fiber composite, 2019
Running Rigging
Dyneema halyards and control lines. Low stretch sheets (2022, 2024)
Deck Hardware
Winches:
2 x Harken #70 Performa 2 speed electric winches
2 x Harken #60 Performa 2 speed electric winches
Spinlock and Karver rope clutches
Daggerboards
Two cored carbon fiber asymmetric “hi lift” daggerboards
Up and down haul controls lead to cockpit
Collision Bulkheads
Each hull has a “false” bow section plus two collision bulkheads forward.
There are multiple watertight compartments throughout the boat.
Electrical:
American Power Products – High output, low rpm, 140amp 24V alternators
2 Wakespeed 500 regulators
24-volt circuit breaker panel with redundant voltage and amp meters.
3 x Lithionics 300 amp hour, 24V batteries each with a separate with BMS, 900 amp hours total
2 x Lithionics 12V engine start batteries
Battery monitors
LED strip lighting in multiple places (bilges) to aid maintenance
LED lighting throughout the boat, including red night lighting within the pilothouse
Solar Power:
2.1 Kilowatt output in 17 Solbian Solar Panels with individual Genasun solar charge controllers. Located on pilothouse top where they are largely free of shading.
AC System
Victron Energy Phoenix Inverter, 24Vdc/120Vac Output 60Hz
Shore Power: Li3 Multi-input &output Lithium Battery Charger, 100-240Vac/50-60Hz input, 29.2Vdc/300W output
AC outlets are installed in the following places. (1) each head, (1) galley, (1) hightop, (2) starboard-side main salon, (1) each workbench/dressing area, (1) nav. Station, (1) each stateroom AC locker, (1) port side of pilothouse settee, (1) each engine room, (1)
Tanks
(2) 150 gallon diesel fuel tanks each with deck fill, vent, shut off and gauge
Fuel transfer pump
(2) 75 gallon water tanks each with deck fill, vent and gauge
(1) water transfer system using house water pump
Watermaker
14gph Spectra 24v Cape Horn Extreme located in its own “cabin” – full standing headroom for ease of maintenance.
Navigation & Electronics
B&G AIS
B&G Chartplotter – 16 inch Nav station unit
B&G Chartplotter – 12 inch Cockpit station unit
B&G Chartplotter – 9 inch Owner’s berth unit
Depth – 2 sounding units (one on each hull, one forward scanning)
B&G Halon Radar
VHF – B&G with Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
VHF – Standard Horizon handheld with Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
B&G Wind
B&G Autopilot
2 x Autopilot drive units (one on each rudder)
ICOM IC-M802 SSB radio
Starlink and Iridium GO Satellite Communications
Hailer PA Horn, 2020
Hull and Deck Ventilation:
(13) Deck hatches, all Lewmar Ocean Series. Accommodation area hatches are equipped with Ocean Air roller shade/screens.
(6) opening portlights with clear plexi windows, three in each outboard hull side
An opening port is located adjacent to each double berth
Cowl vents in engine rooms and in anchor locker
(14) Hella fans, (2) main salon, (1) each head, (3) each stateroom, (2) each forward cabin,
Air Conditioning and Heating:
2 “window style” units, 5500btu in each master stateroom, connect directly to shore power at 110V
Webasto AirTop EVO 55 diesel air heater
Rails and Lifelines:
Custom fabricated carbon fiber stanchions with dyneema lifelines.
Custom fabricated polished SS pushpits
Integral swim step on rudders and transoms
Swim ladder – use “toy locker” ladder and hang on transom step
Anchor Handling:
Dual bow anchor rollers enable two anchors to be easily used at the same time.
(2) Muir Storm VR3500, 24VDC, 1500W, 316 Stainless Steel windlass. (1) rope/chain gypsy (1) chain only
Self-bailing lockers for self stowing chain and rode.
Bow Thruster:
Side Power Model SRVP80 185T-24V, Cockpit control, inside joy stick
Anchors:
(2) Rocna 40Kg anchors, (1) with 265’ 10mm chain (2023), (1) 25’ chain, 250′ nylon rode
Danforth stern anchor, 25’ chain, 150′ nylon rode
Salt water washdown
Cleats and Docklines
(8) 14″ docking cleats, (2) bow, (2) stern, (2) aft springline, (2) forward springline
Two 14” large size, mooring cleats
(6) braided ¾” docking lines, (2) long (≈50’), (4) short (≈30’)
(4) 1¼ ” 3 strand nylon docking/mooring lines – variouslengths
Navigation Lights
Lopo LED lights, Stern, steaming, port/starboard, masthead and masthead strobe
Exterior Lighting
Transom and aft deck LEDs
Aft dinghy floodlights
Deck lights (inboard side of both masts)
Interior
All cabinetry is foam core with veneer
Varnished red birch interior with fiddles and trim
Teak and holly laminate soles in accommodation spaces
Semi-gloss polyurethane finish in accommodation areas
Main Salon
Varnished wood table, with fold-out to seat 10.
Aft settee seats have partitioned stowage beneath via lift out covers in the seat top.
Forward settees lift for easy access to batteries, electrical, solar, inverters – plus storage.
Pilot House Navigation Station
B&G 16” display (multiple programable displays); ZF electronic gear shift/throttle control
Autopilot controls: B&G (various screens), port controller (buttons), starboard controller (joystick)
Ritchie compass, B&G Triton (?) full displays
5” Czone screen with access to all electrical controls
Large “L-shaped” chart table with full size chart drawer beneath and dedicated printer
One file drawers and one miscellaneous drawer
Electrical outlet for laptop computers, etc.
Maretron monitor (all vessels sensor) with multiple screens that are user configured
Bilge Pumps:
Each hull is divided into 3 major compartments that are watertight above the static waterline to cotrol flooding in event of collision or other calamity. In addition SAPHIRA is positively buoyant and cannot sink under any circumstances. Appropriate bilge pumps are located in each hull compartment.
An ”Arid Bilge System” is used to pull out the little remaining water that normal bilge pumps cannot remove ensuring very dry bilges throughout the boat.
Bow Nets
High strength Dyneema knotless net.
Forward Cockpit
Carbon wheel at foward end of spacious L90” x W95” cockpit with full forward visibility
All controls within easy reach: instruments, winches, clutches, line reelers, halyard locks, throttles, anchors
Seats are L86” x W20” with cushions, great for entertaining, sleeping
Folding aluminium, dining table with canvas storage bag in forward cockpit
Tensioned awning with removable posts forward, so it can be rolled up and stowed in integral zippered poach
Aft Deck
Aft “tensioned” awning. Stamoid heavy vinyl coated fabric, AR-60 polycarbonate window material (11/22)
Dinghy hoist and dinghy tie downs built into the aft deck
Four large seat lockers along the forward side of aft deck for stowage:
(1) miscellaneous cleaning supplies
(1) Brownie electric hookah storage with battery, one dive tank to fill 2 spare ait mini tanks, 5 gallon gas
(1) BBQ storage with additional space
(3) 20lb fiberglass LPG cylinders with direct venting outside of boat.
Custom carbon, glass and screen doors into main Salon
Galley
Force 10 four burner propane stove with automatic temperature control oven and broiler
Xintex remote solenoid propane shut-off switch
Whirlpool microwave oven
Galley sink is house sized – deep double bowl polished stainless steel with strainers set flush into a counter top
Hot and cold pressurized water delivered by single lever mixer
Automatic, instantaneous hotwater dispenser
Separate Whale galley footpump for hands free, fresh water
Ample drawers, lockers and shelves for storage. Built in trash and recycling containers
Refrigeration
Galley, front opening, Isotherm Cruise 195 Classic w/wood panel to match interior
Galley, drawer opening, Isotherm Drawer 160 Light top fridge/bottom freezer w/wood 3/4″ panel to match interior
Coffee table, top opening, Engel MT80 12/24VDC – 110/120VAC fridge-freezer w/wood panels to match interior.
Midship Cabins
Port side is set up as a working area with tool storage and 66” x 19” work surface. (2) Large hanging lockers. Tool drawers and bags. Many tools including some that are unusual and, at times, indepensable.
Starboard side is a dressing area with clothing storage, hanging lockers, drawers, as well as access to electric panel.
Master Staterooms
Each hull has a sleeping cabin amidships with king sized berth that can be oriented fore and aft or side to side.
Air mattresses for light weight and to be easy to handle.
Clothing storage under the berth and outboard. Additional storage at forward end. Small shelves for head aft position.
Heads – Port & Starboard
Tecma X-light carbon fiber toilet with Tecma Silence macerator pump system, plumbed to holding tanks with valves for overboard discharge, as well as pump out.
Heads are equipped with polished stainless steel sink with hot/cold pressure water via a mixer.
Laminate countertops and stowage lockers beneath including laundry bin.
Full walk-in shower with electric sump pumps.
Hot Water Heater
PrecisionTemp Showermate M-500 EC Hot Water Heater
Outside Shower
A hot and cold water pressurized rinse station is installed on the starboard hull transom boarding platform.
Fresh Water Washdown
Outlet for hose in forward cockpit.
Workbench (port hull)
Drawers and lockers below for tool and parts storage. Lockers above for additional storage.
Lockers outboard for stowage of larger tools and electrical, sail repair, paint and miscellaneous other supplies.
Exterior Finish
The entire above water line exterior of the boat is spray painted with linear polyurethane, custom color mixed by Awlgrip to match Benjamin Moore “Niagra Falls” blue. White on deck is Awlcraft Matterhorn White with non-skid on walking areas.
Hull Rub Rail
An external rub rail with solid metal cap.
Dinghy
Yamaha 15HP 2-stroke, 5 gallon fuel tank with extra fuel filter, 2 gallon spare fuel tank
Bright yellow Swift 3.4M “positive flotation tender” (per Swift – made for charter fleet) hard bottom inflatable with towing eyes, seat pockets, chaps, anchor locker,
Separate storage locker,
Danard DW3 beach wheels
Safety Equipment:
EPIRB:
ACR Global Fix Pro installed on aft bulkhead — autodeploy.
McMurdo Smartfind G8 in ditch grab bag — main salon.
ACR Global Fix Pro, part of the emergency kit.
MOB:
3 MOBs Ocean Signal; 2 ACR PLBs;
Flare kits:
6 red hand; 3 parachute; 3 smoke; 3 red rocket parachute; 2 red rocket parachute; 8 red hand; 3 floating orange smoke
Disclaimer
The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.
The Multihull Company is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel though the vessel may be listed with another brokerage company.
Request More Information Add to Favorites Receive Updates
Yacht Broker Micheal Streng did a fantastic job helping us buy our dream retirement boat. He is pleasant, professional, smart, diligent, and totally focused toward ensuring the best outcome for us- his clients.
He helped us identify the key features we wanted. And, helped us then learn the market by seeing firsthand seeing all the boats available. How? By organizing a two day driving extravaganza to see as many boats available from dawn to dusk.
But, his crucial expert assistance continued throughout the whole buying process… helping us craft multiple offers and counter offers to ensure we “bought-right”!
His expertise continued with calmly helping us organize the multitude of details, from sourcing survey experts and renegotiating credits for issues… to ensuring our foreign manufactured vessel had duty paid receipts… thus all saving us much aggravation and thousands of dollars!
In closing, sourcing and buying a boat right has adventurous elements of the “wild-west”. Our Broker – Micheal Streng was our LoneRanger & Tonto… expertly guiding and helping us to help make our dream a reality.
Tom & Danielle
Waterford, Connecticut
We purchased a Lagoon 470 catamaran through Zvonimir (Zee) Kalinic, TMC’s broker in Croatia and Italy. Zee is the ultimate professional and by far the best broker we have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Thankyou Zee for your professionalism, guidance and support in securing this purchase for our family! Not an easy task being Australian and purchasing in a foreign country but thanks to your help and the assistance of Andrew Holland in the office, this process was made so much more stress free.
Thank you Zee and The Multihull Compnay!
Andrew Hodgdon was a pleasure to have as a broker. He was always there for me and I appreciated his help and professionalism. Thank you Andrew!! Highly recommended.
Just wish to share our thanks with Cal Landau and The Multihull Company for their service selling our catamaran that we owned for nearly 15yrs. Cal our broker in West Palm Beach was THE BEST!
He worked with us beyond the call of duty in helping us prep and moor our boat during some horrendous weather that came through last Winter and always offered to lend a hand while we were in West Palm procuring supplies. etc. Cal was always present to show the boat, learned about our boat systems to answer questions from shoppers and made a very informative listing with great photos and video that attracted a lot of action. I wish to highly recommend Cal and The Multihull Co if you’re planning on putting your boat on the market.
The entire company was committed to my satisfaction as a seller. Andrew the broker went out of his way to help me prepare the boat for sale and in just 3 weeks we had it under contract. I had to be away from the country but Andrew the broker and Andrew (same name) the Chief Operating Officer walked me through all the paperwork needed and kept me informed at every stage of the sale. Boat owners don’t remain without a boat for long, if this is the case for me, I will certainly contact Andrew and the Multihull Company to be my broker.
Successful relationships cannot exist without it. At The Multihull Company we base every relationship on a firm commitment to earning and retaining our client’s trust.
Advice of any kind is valuable only when grounded in hard-won expertise. It too, must be trustworthy. Trust and expertise define the heart and soul of The Multihull Company. We are a team of skilled professionals who thrive on providing expert, trustworthy advice and service to catamaran and trimaran sailors around the globe.
Read More
