The finished carbon fibre composite shafts are 10% stiffer and 10% lighter than comparable products; and with filament winding technology the product stiffness can be altered to within 1% using subtle fibre angle changes, according to CST Composites of Sydney, Australia.
CST filament winding and precision computer numerical control (CNC) grinding is part of the in-house technology used during the oar manufacture. This included custom mandrels as well as tubing and machinery.
The product has been developed with New South Wales oar manufacturer, Jacoars and the carbon fibre composite oar shafts were used by ‘Ativo’, an entrant in the four weeks Ocean Thunder Series, part of the Australian Pro Surf Boat Championship.
