Chinook 34 Sailboat – Cinnamon

Once again my favorite marketplace on the web, Craig’s List, came through with a great bargain. Thanks to an RSS feed that I had set up on my “MyYahoo” home page that searches Portland Craig’s List for the latest “sailboat for sale” ads I saw this ad for an 8′ Fatty Knees dinghy with sail kit for $200. The ad was posted about 9 pm and it was about 9:15. I sent a response to the ad saying if they still had it I would buy it, had cash and then held my breath. I got lucky and the lady went by first come first serve and my response was the first so she called me. They had gotten it with a 45 ft sailboat they purchased five years ago and had bought an inflatable so they didn’t want this one. It had been sitting in their backyard for about five years and they said they had tried to give it to their kids but none wanted it so they just wanted it out of their yard. I was more than happy to take it off their hands and get it out of their yard for them. When I got there to pick it up she said she had 38 responses to the ad before she could delete it off the next morning.

Wow what a nice little boat. It is a 1981 model built by the original Lyle Hess company in Ontario, Ca. New Fatty Knees dinghy’s are still being built by Eddy and Duff in Mattapoisett, MA.

The boat had a few chips that need touched up, but overall is in very good shape. The only thing missing was the dagger board and that was easy enough to fabricate.

We got her in the water for Memorial Day weekend. Our son Bill helped me carry her down the ramp at the marina and put her in the water. I rowed her around the marina to our slip and Beth was surprise how fast I got there. With the light winds Saturday and Sunday it was just right for a first trial and I think I can honestly say we were ones of the few actually sailing those days. A few trips around the marina is all it took to get the hang of sailing this fun little Fatty Knees dinghy. Since she didn’t have a name we decide to name her Spice, because we thought a little spice would be good with Cinnamon.

Beth heads out to try her hand in the new(1981) Fatty Knees dinghy.

Dan gets a try with the Fatty Knees dinghy too.

Even with Dan's 250 lbs the little Fatty Knees dinghy handles well in light wind.

The resident geese at the marina came by to show off their new family and check out the new little boat.