Chinook: Windsurfing Hardware Made in the USA

      

 

A centerpiece of the facility, the injection molding machine is responsible for spitting out all of the plastic components that your board and rig need. Footstrap inserts, mast tracks, fin boxes, boom front ends, adjustment collars for booms and extensions, the list goes on and on! Aluminum booms and the aluminum extension tubes are the rare items that are not produced on site. We think they still deserve their “made in the USA” status based on the man hours that go into drilling the holes in the extensions and assembling them with the made in-house adjustment collars and pulley and cleat parts.

 

Chinook doesn’t just rely on their team riders to test their gear and drive innovation. The guys who run the company can be found on the water in the evenings after work and in exotic windsurfing locales during the winter. They don’t just make the gear, they also use it, so they are clear on the importance of function and durability! They are just as stoked as you are to have the new RDG (reduced diameter grip) boom in their hands so they can stay on the water longer.

After walking through the warehouse and seeing the products being built, it is clear that Chinook is a lean operation that strives for efficiency.  When you think of the machinery and time that goes into the production of each item, the price you pay for them seems like a great deal. And buying made in the USA parts also lowers the environmental impact, since they don't have to be shipped across the ocean to get to you. Next time you downhaul your sail with your Chinook extension you can think about the Columbia Gorge area resident who assembled that extension while rocking out to a local radio station in a beautiful location. And you can know that their products have been thoroughly tested on the river by windsurfers just like you.