About the Boat

about picture

Name Pingo
Type Eric Suhaili Replica
Designer William Atkin
Builder Mike Smith
LOA 9.8m
LWL 8.4m
Beam 3.5m
Draft 1.5m
Displacement 8618kg as per original Atkin design
Sail area 60sq. m

Rather than use an existing GGR approved yacht, Mike has chosen a more difficult route to redesign and build his own Suhaili Replica, built on purpose for the GGR.

The design objectives to reduce hull drag, improve steering and increase sail power will be achieved.    

Within the rule constraints the replica is purpose designed and built for performance.

Just as the original Suhaili, the replica is extremely spartan. 

Strict equipment selection provides only what is necessary to meet the essential functional requirements with consideration to simplicity and a high degree of redundancy.

The sheathed cedar strip planked hull is light and strong. Every kilogram of boat structure has been considered. The cedar used is recycled from a Volvo 70 mock-up.

Suhali, skipperd by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, was the first and only yacht to circumnavigate non-stop in the Golden Globe Race 1968.

Suhaili is an Adkin Eric design scaled from a larger Colin Archer Redingskote, a 1900’s development of the Norwegian Fishing Vessels. 

In the 2018 Golden Globe Race, Abilhash Tommy sailing Thuriya, a relatively heavy Suhaili replica showed the Eric’s design’s performance potential managing an average 6.6 knots in one 24 hour period, lying third and catching second placed Mark Slats sailing a Rustler 36. The Rustler 36 is considered by many entrants as the best performing yacht for the GGR. 

Email: mike@marineleisure.com.au

©2021 by Mike Smith
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