Boat Master

Upfold’s father, the late Darrell, was an entrepreneur with a passion for powerboats which certainly rubbed off on his son. By the time Upfold was attending Kelston Boys High School he’d pretty much decided on a career – “at school I was always drawings boats instead of what I was supposed to be doing.”

In those days, the only way to become a boat designer was first to become a boatbuilder. At the time, John Lidgard was one of the premier wooden boatbuilders in Auckland and was located just down the road, so Upfold’s father facilitated Lidgard taking on the youngster as an apprentice.

It was 1977 and while production GRP boatbuilding was in full cry, custom timber boats were still in demand. But as Upfold quickly discovered, from necessity Lidgard ran a tight ship: “I’d get to work maybe a minute late and John would greet me at the door with a curt ‘Afternoon’”.

Though firm, Lidgard was a fair employer and gave his apprentices plenty of opportunities. For example, by their third year