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Sculling refers to the use of oars to propel a boat or other watercraft, but the word is used in a number of ways:
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Two-oar sculling
Sculling is a form of rowing in which a boat is propelled by one or more rowers, each of whom operates two oars, one held in each hand. This is in contrast to the other form of rowing where each rower may use both hands to operate a single oar (often called a "sweep rowing").
The most notable difference in using two oars together is that the oar handles overlap at the midpoint of the drive, and again during the recovery. This requires the sculler to hold one hand in front of the other, or to rig one oarlock higher than the other to prevent the oar handles colliding.
Sculling is one division of the sport of competitive rowing, involving races between sculled boats. The small light boats, propelled by one, two, or four scullers, are referred to respectively as Single sculls, Double sculls and Quad sculls. By extension, the oars are also often referred to as "sculls".
Competitive rowing requires an efficient stroke with all scullers keeping time. The boat may have a cox to steer the boat, encourage the crew, and control the rate.
Single-oar sculling
Propelling a watercraft by moving a single, stern-mounted oar from side to side, while changing the angle of the blade so as to generate forward thrust on both strokes. The technique is very old, and its origin is uncertain, probably having been discovered independently several times. It is known to have been used in ancient China [1], and on the Great Lakes of North America by pre-Columbian Americans. The gondolas of Venice, Italy are not examples of sculling but they are rowed, when manned by a single gondoliere, with a technique similar to the J-stroke on a canoe.
In single-oar sculling, the oar pivots on the boat's stern, and the inboard end is pushed to one side with the blade turned so that it generates forward thrust, then twisted so that when pulled back on the return stroke, the blade also produces forward thrust. Backward thrust can also be generated by twisting the oar the other way round. Steering is accomplished by directing the thrust. The oar normally pivots in a simple notch cut into, or rowlock mounted on, the stern of the boat, and the sculler must angle the blade, by twisting the inboard end of the oar, to generate the thrust that not only pushes the boat forward, but also holds the oar in its pivot.
The Chinese "yuloh" (from Chinese: 摇橹; pinyin: yáolǔ; Wade-Giles: yaolu) is a large, heavy sculling oar with a socket on the underside of its shaft which fits over a stern-mounted pin, creating a pivot which allows the oar to swivel and rock from side to side. The weight of the oar, often supplemented by a rope lashing, holds the oar in place on the pivot. The weight of the outboard portion of the oar is counterbalanced by a rope running from the underside of the handle to the deck of the boat. The sculler mainly moves the oar by pushing and pulling on this rope, which causes the oar to rock on its pivot, automatically angling the blade to create forward thrust. This system allows multiple crew to operate one oar, allowing large, heavy boats to be rowed if necessary, and its efficiency gave rise to the Chinese saying, "a scull equals three oars".
See also
References
- ^ [1]"The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China by Joseph Needham, Colin A. Ronan, Cambridge University Press, 1978 ISBN 0521315603, 9780521315609"
External links
- "Cranks with Planks presents Sampans -n- Yulohs" (includes excerpt from G.R.G. Worcester's Junks and Sampans of the Yangtse.)
- "How To Scull A Boat" (Good article including several diagrams).
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