Anyone sculling?

[Ken]

All,

Back in Nov. of 2003 Finton posted:

"I've semi-decided not go put a motor on it, but try mounting a sculling oar. Within the harbour, you're never too far from anywhere, and if you wait an hour, the wind will always come up"

I am considering this as an option opposed to motor power too.

Finton, I'm wondering if you ever did this and if you still are? And.... anybody else sculling out there?

Thanks, Ken

[Charlie Jones]

We've considered it, if for nothing other than an interesting skill to have.

We watched this guy back the boat out of her slip using a Yuloh. The boat has no engine. He sailed her around within the confines of Roberts Bayou and used the Yuloh several times when he got into dead spots. He stowed it on deck when not in use, by just hauling it in and laying it along the side of the house. He could get it into use far quicker than you could start an engine that's for sure.

Roberts Bayou is the place behind Pirates Cove Marina in Josephine Ala by the way

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[BobSmalser]

I adore sculling...perfect for workboats getting into tight spots in the brush:

But ya gotta have a boat with good lateral resistance in the keel area....works well with dories, but not my punts.

[Charlie Jones]

Long ago I'd see guys sculling work barges around the marinas. No lateral resistance at all to a square box. No sculling notches either- they'd just lay the oar where ever and move the thing.

I can't do that.

I think we have forgotten or lost a lot of the technique in the last 40- 50 years, eh?

[Barry Pyeatt]

I too would like to give it a try and see if the skill can be re-discovered. I like the idea of using a Yuloh to get into and out of tight places. I think we could put an oarlock on the corners of the stern and work it from there. I've seen others with some pretty large boats working them into and around marinas by sculling as well as in some of the coves here in the Northwest. I had a link to a good article on sculling. But I seem to have lost the link.

[BobSmalser]

Oh, I can can and do make the boats go with the sculling oar...but there's a lot of wiggle in the stern and it ain't efficient compared to a longer or keel boat.

Technique? Sure...but nothing out there defies the laws of physics.

[Charlie Jones]

Barry- there was a two part article some years ago in Small Boat Journal (before it was murdered)

I have them both, and I even have them saved on my harddrive Want 'em?

[Frank Hagan]

The article in Small Boat Journal is reproduced at http://councill.home.mindspring.com/sbjournal/sculling/scull1.html

Looks like someone's private site, but the article is good.

There's more on sculling at http://home.hiwaay.net/~parsons/, and the guy looks like he's pretty experienced with it.

Lynn and Larry Pardey also wrote about it in one of the mags ... they evidently used to scull one of their passagemaking boats all the time.

[Mike Pennington]

The last time we talked about skulling, set me to thinking about trying it. Though I didn't have one of those Yulohs. I did grqw up in Charlie's area and I remember guys scooting all over the place with just an oar.

So I lag screwed an oarlock into the stern, when I converted to the wheel. I haven't used it that much prefuring two oars my self, but I did benefit from the lock while out for this season's first shake down cruise.

Probably due to adding sail and and another layer of marine ply to the bottom of my Vacationer, I changed a few strength issues :roll:

I broke the rudder while pushing the top end of the high wind thingy, we had crew that day to hold the boat down, too. :twisted:

But I got two reasons for that poarlock now.

[tdrown]

Article about Sculling taken from WB #100:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/6383/yuloh2.htm

For those without a motor that have to navigate crowded slips and marinas sculling is most likely the best way to go because it does not make the boat any wider like oars do. I hopefully will get a lot of sculling practice once I finish my dory.

[Fintan Murphy]

Jeez,

did I say that ? :oops:

I have still decided to forgo the motor, and had forgotton about sculling. I have two paddles that are too small, but would do if there were two of us on the boat. I also have the article on sculling.

I must take another trip to my, by now much richer, chandler and pick up an oarlock and mount it on the back.

I'll let you know how it works out when I eventually launch :roll:

[Guest]

The old timey oar for sculling was a spoon shaped blade. The Bahamians use sculling as a means to propell all of the smack dinghies.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Thanks Charlie and Frank, that is the article. I will save it to my computer now.

[tdrown]

The sequal to the Small Boat Journal article from the following issue:

http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Stories/Sculling/scultwo.html

[tdrown]

Didn't realise that the first page had part 2 linked to it. Opps, Here is a page I found on Yulohs and Sculling:

http://www.simplicityboats.com/yulohpage.html

[Barry Pyeatt]

Thanks for the links Tyler.