In 1924 Frank commissioned Ted Geary, a well-known Seattle-based naval architect, to build an auxiliary motor yacht rather than a racing yacht that would be comfortable for business and family use.
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Suva was unique, she was the first of her kind, a pilot house schooner, and the only cruising sailboat Geary designed, (that we know of.)
The Suva was shipped to Victoria, British Columbia for her masts, sails installation and rigging. Her masts are made from British Columbian Sitka Spruce. She was then sailed from Victoria to Coupeville and has remained in the waters of the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest all her life.
Frank Pratt had a clear picture of what he wanted, and his library still exists with books showing his notes on what he wanted in a ‘best boat’. Suva was his third boat, and the only remaining cruiser almost 100 years later. She was built with a Gaff rig, as all sailboats were in the 1920’s. A Gaff rig is a four sided sail, held in position by a pole or (gaff) at the top of the sail. In 1960, she was re-rigged to a staysail. Suva’s midship gaff sail became a triangular sail riding on the Main Stay. Her original Lawson-Scott gas engine was replaced by a 140-horsepower diesel Detroit 45.