Chinook 34
Description
The Chinook 34 is a pioneering classic fiberglass cruising sailboat, notable for being one of the very first production fiberglass sailboats (and arguably the first of its size in the US). Built by Yacht Constructors, Inc. (later associated with Cascade Yachts) in Portland, Oregon, from 1956 to around 1968, with about 70 hulls produced. It was designed by Frederick Geiger (a Philadelphia-based naval architect), adapted from his earlier wooden Vigilant Class design for fiberglass construction. A group of five sailors founded the effort in 1956 to experiment with fiberglass for larger hulls—starting with personal builds before forming the company. The result was a sturdy, heavy-displacement cruiser/racer suited for coastal and moderate offshore use, with a comfortable layout (big galley, spacious cockpit, berths for 4+), solid performance under sail, and legendary build quality ("built like tanks" per owners). It's a masthead sloop with keel/centerboard for versatility (deeper draft for upwind bite, shoal for access).
Construction Details
| Designer | Frederick Geiger |
|---|---|
| Length | 34.000 ft |
| LOA | 34.000 ft |
| LWL | 23.000 ft |
| Beam | 9.000 ft |
| Displacement | 12000 lb |
| Ballast | 4200 lb |
| Max Draft | 6.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 3.830 ft |
| Year Built | 1956 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 40.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 12.80 ft |
| p | - |
| e | - |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.50 ft | 12.80 ft | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Chinook 34 - MAINSAIL
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Chinook 34 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | * 33.98 ft - (10357 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.92 ft - (5157 mm) |
| Leech | * 29.56 ft - (9010 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 14.72 ft - (4487 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | 250.07 ft² |
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Chinook 34 - GENOA
| Luff | * 40.35 ft - (12299 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.64 ft - (6291 mm) |
| Leech | * 37.98 ft - (11576 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 19.2 ft - (5852 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | 387.32 ft² |
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Chinook 34 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 40.35 ft - (12299 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 23.04 ft - (7023 mm) |
| Foot | * 23.04 ft - (7023 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | 790.21 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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