The Strong, Durable Skinny

The Skinny shaft for our oars and sculls is deceiving: the smaller diameter looks elegant—but it is also strong.

To create the Skinny shaft, a similar amount of carbon is used as our standard Ultralight shaft. Due to the similarity of the components, fully assembled Skinny and the Ultralight shafts weigh nearly the same. While the two shaft types are similar weights, athletes report that the Skinny feels lighter while rowing. The Skinny is in fact “lighter in the hands” (i.e. a different balance point) due to the distribution of carbon along the shaft. The result is an oar that responds quickly: ideally suited for high stroke rates while retaining the durability that Concept2 products are known for.

Gevvie Stone, 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist, started rowing with the Skinny shaft in 2012 testing prototypes for Concept2. "I switched over with the prototypes in 2012 and haven’t considered going back. The Skinnies have the same load and lock at the catch with a bit more spring and acceleration towards the finish (especially with the Fat2 blades). Non-drive bonuses: there’s less wind resistance on the recovery, and it’s easy to carry two oars in one hand—I can carry a double’s worth of oars to the dock no problem."

The Skinny is a performance option that reduces wind resistance, especially in a head wind. This can be a savings of almost two seconds over a 6-minute race. The Skinny is now the preferred option for most elite athletes: 84% of athletes using Concept2 at the 2018 World Championship rowed with Skinny shafts.

We’re always happy to discuss options for your custom oars—give us a call!