The Skinny Shaft

What's the Skinny?

The Skinny was specifically created in response to women's crews who desired the efficiency of the Fat2 blade, but felt our standard shaft with the Fat2 blade was too stiff for their style of rowing. Since the Fat2 blade slips less in the water, some athletes describe the shaft as feeling stiff. The Skinny's design allows us to create an extra soft shaft that maintains durability and also reduces wind drag.

See how Concept2 tests oar shaft wind resistance on our Concept2Lab channel at YouTube.com.

Construction

The Skinny sweep shaft is created with a diameter similar to our sculling shaft. The Skinny scull features a diameter narrower than our standard scull shaft. Additional high-modulus carbon is required to tune the stiffness. Available in extra soft, soft and medium flex.

Blade

The Skinny shaft was developed specifically to soften the catch of the Fat2 blade while still taking advantage of its low slippage and efficiency. Of course, other blade types can be used with the Skinny to achieve the benefit of reduced wind resistance.

Sleeve

The Skinny uses a standard sleeve, fitted to the narrower shaft with a custom insert.

Grips

We have designed a sweep handle for the Skinny that will accommodate a wider range of grip options. All standard scull grips fit the Skinny scull.

Who is Rowing with the Skinny?

At the 2011 World Championships in Bled, five women’s crews and one men’s crew raced with Skinnys. Three of those six crews won medals.

Who Should Row with the Skinny?

Any crew that wants to improve performance by using more efficient blades should consider the Skinny for the softer feel. The savings in wind resistance, particularly in a headwind, may also be an important factor for any crew considering rowing with Skinnys.