GreenPoxy 550: Sicomin Contributes to the Restoration of the Historic Yacht Tuiga

Sicomin’s GreenPoxy 550 Helps Restore Historic Yacht Tuiga with a Lighter Mast

Sicomin, Marseille, 2 November 2026: Sicomin SR GreenPoxy 550 epoxy resin has played a key role in the construction of a replacement mast for Tuiga, the 1909 Fife-designed 15-Metre Class yacht and flagship of the Yacht Club de Monaco. The new 27m (89ft) spar uses a hollow, tapered Alaskan spruce construction to reduce weight by 300kg, while retaining the distinctive appearance and character of the original design.

The replacement enabled Tuiga to return to the water just six months after losing her original mast while racing off Menorca in August 2025. Since then, the historic yacht has resumed competitive sailing on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Sail4th 250 International Parade of Tall Ships in New York and the Monaco Challenge Cup.

Re-engineering a classic yacht mast

The new spar was built at the specialist shipyard of Gilbert Pasqui in Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera. With decades of experience in classic yacht rig construction and restoration, Pasqui is a long-term Sicomin partner.

Rather than reproducing the original solid spar, traditionally made from Oregon pine or Douglas fir, Pasqui developed a hollow, tapered design using Alaskan spruce. This significantly reduces weight aloft, improving weight distribution and reducing pitching without compromising the yacht’s traditional profile.

“The main advantage of spruce for mast construction is its excellent balance between strength, stiffness and weight,” explains Pasqui. “Combined with hollow construction and suitable engineering, it gives us the performance we need, while significantly reducing the overall weight of the mast.”

Achieving these benefits required longitudinal timber sections machined to precise tolerances and bonded to deliver durable structural joints along the length of the spar.

GreenPoxy 550 delivers reliable timber bonding

Having used Sicomin SR 5500 resin for timber construction for many years, Pasqui selected its bio-based counterpart, SR GreenPoxy 550, for the project.

Designed for demanding wood bonding and lamination applications, SR GreenPoxy 550 provides effective wetting and penetration of timber, supporting reliable adhesion between accurately fitted wooden components.

“It wets the substrate very well and penetrates the surface of the wood effectively, which is important for achieving a good bond,” says Pasqui. “Today, with an epoxy such as SR GreenPoxy 550, we have a much more controllable system for producing durable structural bonds, with very good adhesion to wood.”

Only a small quantity of Treecell cotton fibres was added to modify the resin’s consistency and help retain sufficient adhesive in the joints during clamping. The process prioritised precise machining and close-fitting timber sections rather than relying on thickened resin to fill gaps.

During assembly, the sections were clamped and visually inspected to ensure excess resin was expelled evenly. The objective was a thin, regular and continuous bondline along the full length of each joint, without squeezing all the adhesive out under pressure.

Working through the winter, Pasqui used Sicomin’s slow SD 551 hardener to provide sufficient time to apply the resin, position the timber sections and secure the assembly before cure.

Combining performance with a considered HSE profile

SR GreenPoxy 550 is a bio-based, non-CMR epoxy system developed for wood bonding, lamination, timber sealing and protection, making it suitable for specialist wooden yacht construction, repair and restoration.

Its health, safety and environmental profile was also an important consideration in the traditional shipyard environment.

“Working in our old premises, with traditional methods, using a partially bio-based system with a good HSE profile is something we appreciate, particularly in order to limit our carpenters’ and joiners’ exposure to hazardous substances,” says Pasqui.

“We are delighted to support Gilbert Pasqui with Tuiga’s new mast and to help get her back on the water as quickly as possible,” adds Marc Denjean, Sicomin’s global sales manager. “The project combines traditional mast-building techniques and craftsmanship with the performance of GreenPoxy 550. The result is a beautiful new mast that has enabled this remarkable 116-year-old yacht to return to competitive sailing and continue her story.”