The new and innovative oars by Päijän Boats turn rowing into a smooth, silent, almost meditative experience, allowing you to immerse yourself in the sounds of the surrounding nature in full. CEO Antti Mäkelä of Päijän Boats explains why they decided to reform the traditional wooden oars.
“We had been thinking about reforming oars for a long time. Our Päijän boats are renowned for their optimal design and honed details, the only thing left was the oars. This was one of the main reasons why we decided to rethink oars, too. Also, the life span of traditional oars tends to be rather short nowadays, so we wanted to make better oars that would last longer.”
“The most important development points were to improve the comfort of rowing, and to eliminate the traditional blisters on one’s hands as well as the constant squeaky sound that has accompanied generations of rowers on many a blissful summer evening,” CEO Antti Mäkelä says.
Aerot®️ oars for effortless rowing
The innovative Aerot®️ oars have been designed in cooperation with the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts. The R&D process has been long, but finally the new hydrodynamic Aerot®️ oars are ready for consumers to try out and experience the bliss of effortless rowing. Aerot®️ oars are suitable for rowers of all ages and sizes.
Aerot®️ oars weigh nearly as much as traditional wooden oars, but they are significantly more efficient and comfortable. The greater blade area and greater propulsion make you feel like you are flying on the surface of water. The improved ergonomics of the shaft and handle add to the effortless rowing and thanks to the mobile handle, you can avoid getting those traditional blisters.
Aerot®️ oars – from generation to generation
The quality of traditional wooden oars has significantly declined in recent years, and their service life is much shorter than it used to be. Aerot®️ oars are made of treated 100 percent recycled aluminium, fibre and composite, which makes them more resistant to time and wear.
“We are still working on the material to guarantee the best possible quality. We are also carrying out carbon footprint tests, which will be completed soon. This way, we can ensure that we have the best and the most environmentally friendly materials for the product,” says CEO Antti Mäkelä.
Päijän for all waters
The new Aerot®️ oars and a few other innovations by Päijän Boat are patent pending. The company wants to protect its innovations on boats and oars by patenting them. Päijän Boats’ goal is to have its boats and oars on all Finnish – and, in the future, international – waters and waterways.
“We value constant development. We see our Päijän boat as a platform to which features can be added. We want to offer the best possible rowing experience to holidaymakers, rowers, fishers – in fact everyone who simply enjoys spending time on the water.”
“We are inspired by the thought that people have travelled across water since the beginning of time. Be it river, lake or ocean – it must be travelled. We want to respect the old but travel towards the new, too. We do not want to stay where we are but to travel unchartered waters, explore the unknown. For this reason, we created Aerot®️ oars,” says Antti Mäkelä, CEO of Päijän Boats.