First - from the drafting board to the finish line

Sykes Racing boasts an impressive list of world first, innovations which have pushed Sykes boats to the forefront of the racing industry.

The low drag stern

Nineteen sixty-six saw Jeff Sykes and Associates introduce low drag sterns. The equation was simple: less drag = more speed, but perfecting the design was an exhaustive process. Extensive trialling confirmed what Company principals already knew to be true, the new look Sykes boats were superior to any racing boat the world had ever seen. Not surprisingly, the system was copied in Europe in the 1980's and is now, of course, standard world wide. From 1966 to today's designs, Sykes Racing boats continue to offer a superior hull shape with less wetted surface than our competitors.

Design

The Aussie rail

The Aussie rail is another Sykes innovation.  It was clear that a low weight, high mass production rail was required.  Today the Aussie rail is virtually a standard design feature in boats used throughout the world.

Aussie Rails

The rounded hull

Narrow, rounded hulls, too, came off the drawing boards at Jeff Sykes and Associates.  It was found that the least possible resistance through the water was acheived with an almost semi-circular hull, allowing an optimium weight carrying capacity for the least surface area.  At the time that Sykes Racing introduced the rounded hulls to international ranges, the changes were considered to be dramtic.  Now the hull shape is standard on elite class rowing boats.

Hull Design

Permanent seat ties and drink bottle holders

Often practicalities can be just as important as cutting edge technology, and the introduction of innovations such as permanent seat tie downs and drink bottle holders are two such cases. An intimate knowledge of the sport of rowing has led directly to these simple yet influential design modifications.

Weight variant hulls 

In 1966 Jeff Sykes and Associates began experimenting with design modification to allow for the different weight of rowers in various weight classes. Once again, extensive trialing proved their theory to be correct; lightweight rowers performed best in boats built to take into account their specific sizes.    New designs were drawn up and production of weight variant hulls began, heralding a new era in boat building.  The ongoing success of designs correctly matched to rowers size prooves the theory and today, most lightweight World Titles are won in purpose built boats.