Preview: Sculling

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At last, a close-up look at an old-time technique that can prove useful under many circumstances. Maynard Bray talks us through the basics of propelling your boat with only one oar manipulated through a half-circle notch in the transom. No amount of written text can convey the instruction given to us by Maynard. Then, with a little practice, you’ll be sculling around like a pro.

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41 Responses So Far to “Sculling”

  • Winston Shaw says:

    Very impressive demonstration of sculling by a real old school master of the art! When I was a kid many Maine lobstermen still sculled their skiffs out to their boat. Sadly many of today’s lobsterman no longer even row. Owning a fiberglass dinghy with no sculling notch for the last 25 years I adapted the sculling stroke I used to teach in sea kayaking to move the kayak sidewise. While my technique was similar to that demonstrated in this video it was executed from a standing position in the bow. I could move forwards or backwards, rotate the dinghy full circle, or sidewards, depending on the positioning of the oar. Extremely useful when arriving or departing crowded dinghy docks…and tons of fun as well.

  • Ricardo Dacosta says:

    I’m new to sailing. Recently bought a classic Bristol19 aka Corinthian. Is having an oar onboard a boat of this size an overkill? I’m thinking it could be useful for entering, leaving a marina? Anyway this was really awesome to watch. Thank you!

  • Marc Smiith says:

    Is there a “best shape” for a sculling oar? I see from the Internet posts regarding the Asian yulohs that a flat back and curved front is preferred. Of course these are on much larger and longer boats. Does anyone have any experience or opinion on oar shape (cross section) for the smaller boat or punt?

  • Sean Scully says:

    This may sound funny, but as a kid visiting my grand folks in Finland, that is all he did was scul when picking up his lake gill nets. Had two oars in the boat, tied down in a lap and strake boat, but an overgrown canoe paddle to pull up to the net from the side, pick the fish out of the net. was able to leave the net in the same location the fish migrated to along the shore line. Was dinner for the long winter.

  • Ben Fuller says:

    Dusted off my Good Little Skiff this season. Forgot how well it sculled. Some real weight in the boat so it doesn’t wiggle when I wiggle the oar. My 35 year old sculling oar lived in the boat all summer. An old lifeboat oar, 10′ with a 4′ blade, slightly bent. wicked blade heavy. Wish I’d put in a pair off notohes when I retransomed the boat. But the boat is stable enough so I can stand one side and scull then swap sides.

    The advantage of the center line is that I usually don’t bother taking along the rudder when I sail. Boat steers really well by shifting weight. And if I need it I can give a stroke or two with the oar.

    For people interested in sculling oar design, I finally got scanned copies of the article set that I did for Small Boat Journal years ago. Great drawings by Sam Manning. If people wanted a copy, I could email.

    • Bill Theurkauf says:

      I’d love a copy of there Small Boat Journal article! Seems like something well worth posting somewhere on this site.

    • Gregory DeCowsky says:

      Hi, I would love to see your article on sculling oar design. I just bought a 15′ coble. Sculling oars are wicked expensive so I probably will make one. How long do you think it should be? 2.5 x beam as recommended by Pete Culler would be 14’7″.

      I will be at MASCF in case you are there. Would like to discuss this with you for a bit if you have time.

      [email protected]

    • Marc Smiith says:

      I have plans to build a Bolger Bobcat, 12’3″ x 6′ that is too wide to row and the centerboard retracted allows no comfortable rowing station. I am thinking of two sculling notches (not sure of the proper term here) port and starboard to stay clear of the barndoor rudder. I envision standing with the tiller between my knees and sculling with my right or left hand depending on the circumstances. Does anyone have suggestions, comments or a similar experience?

  • Joseph Wl Haley III says:

    There is a device sold by ‘Small Craft Advisor’ that makes sculling easy. It is a hinged metal fitting. You need a two pieces oar. You can cut your oar into two pieces, One for the upper handle and the other to make the lover shaft and blade. They are clamped into the device. You just pull it back and forth as the grip rotates by itself in you hand as the blade does the sculling. I sold boat and no longer need it. Will part with it for $50

    • Joseph Wl Haley III says:

      I forgot to mention that there is a video of their sculling device on SCA’s web site.

  • Egor Pridannikov says:

    Двумя то не получается иногда справится а тут одним. Круто!

  • Dale Benham says:

    I have a double ender which I would like to scull; it would required an oarlock I think. I have 2″ diameter oars and wonder if 2 1/2″ diameter oarlocks would allow enough room for oar movement. Any advice?

  • James Lovegren says:

    For a very interesting demonstration of sculling from the front of a cal boat in Myanmar, watch starting at 2:50 in this video. But I really recommend the whole thing. https://vimeo.com/216678812

  • Mark Baldwin says:

    Sweet explanation Maynard gives. Years ago, after growing up with oars popping out of the oarlocks when rowing, I discovered that angling the blade keeps downward pressure on the oar and eliminates the popping. Works like a champ. Maynard put it clearly.

  • Ben Fuller says:

    Kind of motoring around on the site, just back from the Wooden Boat show, where I sculled the ducker from the launch up to the show loaded hard with a couple of rigs and other interfering gear. Then did the show from the water early Sunday morning, where sculling gave you a real look at stuff. My took is the 10′ oar with the 4′ blade, blade weighted and bent a bit, reminiscent of Bahama style, but modeled on a gunning oar. Makes it easier.

  • Steve Branam says:

    Too cool! I’ll have to learn that! Reverse sculling uses what’s known to whitewater canoeists as a “draw stroke”, with that same feathering.

  • Tim Roberts says:

    I love the video, but I want to know the design of that lovely little boat. What is she?

  • KIM DOXEY says:

    Large barges throughout the far east scull. Gondolas in Venice are sculling. Coracles in Wales and Ireland are sculling. Picking through the mangroves in the FL Keys, home to me, I would scull with oars on the side of the boat, with one or both oars. I guess because I learned the skill at such and early age, it was never a problem for me. Also try it with a canoe paddle in your canoe or coracle.

  • George Palacios says:

    You make it look easy, and fun. Thank you for sharing your technique, I’ll definitely try to do it, come summer.

  • John Hughes says:

    When I teach academic-type people to scull (the ones who want to learn the “why” rather than get the muscle memory), I start by having them rest the oar in the sculling notch, blade horizontal, and somewhat deep in the water, oar parallel with the centerline of the boat. Then I say “press down on the oar”. The blade of course lifts up, and water spills off the back of it, with the result that the boat moves forward a little. Unfortunately, it’s tough to take another stroke. So you twist the oar until it’s vertical, lift your hand (which lowers the oar blade), and untwist. Now you can do it all again.

    You can do the same thing with the axis of the oar pointed a bit to starboard or to port (with the result that the boat goes in circles).

    And then you can alternate between doing it on the starboard side and the port side, cancelling the tendency to go in circles. The only difference is that for the “get set up for the next stroke” phase, you don’t turn the blade vertical, because you need to both (a) get it lower in the water AND (b) go to the other side. So you turn it diagonal. At that point, you’re about 95% of the way to sculling.

    The last step is to stop pushing exactly DOWN on the handle, and instead push down-and-across…and you’re sculling.

    I find that for folks used to dancing or horseback riding — the ones with good muscle memory — the “stand here with your hand on the oar and feel what I’m doing, and then gradually take over” strategy works better.

    • Dustin Urban says:

      Cool points, John. As a kayaker, I use a “sculling draw” all the time- exact same principles except your pulling the boat towards the paddle (as Maynard is doing while standing). Look forward to trying this out in a nutshell with a sculling notch.

  • Mark Ritter says:

    I’m going to have to try this on my Whitehall next time I’m out. Once I get the hang of it I’d love to use this method to get my Coquina in and out of the slip.

  • Vince Bobrosky says:

    HELP,,,,

    This video has really inspired me to give sculling a try with my Penobscot 14. I have a sculling notch in the transom, but it would only be accessible once I remove the rudder assembly since the notch in the center of the transom. I thought about drilling a hole in the top of the rudderhead to facilitate an oar lock. I could scull from that point then. I would like to scull to bring the boat up to the dock after sailing.

    Has anyone seen this done?

    Thanx for a great web site OCH

    • Maynard Bray says:

      Hi Vince,
      Bad idea! It’ll rattle and perhaps even split the rudder head. Try an off-center (no pun intended) notch, placed for your convenience and where the oar will clear the rudder. I have a matched pair of off-center notches in my Coquina and they work fine. No material cost and no moving parts!
      Good luck,
      Maynard

  • Eli Baird says:

    Ever since Maynard taught me how to scull when I was eight I have used it as my primary tool for scooting around harbors and chatting with boat captains. having the oar off of the stern of the boat frees you up to cost through tight spaces as well as facing forward to accurately approach boats without having to rush to pull out the oarlocks! It has been a wonderful tool and definitely worth learning if you have the desire. I have two pieces of advice for those trying to master sculling

    1. Go sculling at night in the harbor. The reason being that the water is perfectly still and quite. Sculling if done properly should make very little noise at all, and its more about feel, than it is about seeing, so the lack of light helps me not over think it.
    2. the less vertical the angle you have when you scull generally the more control and silent of an experience you have. I like 100 and 260 for my angles.

    Loved the video thanks for the refresher!

    AND I CHALENGE THE BRAY’S ANY DAY OF THE WEEK TO A SCULLING MATCH!!

    Dont forget I do bi-monthly works outs…

  • Warren Sherburne says:

    For excellent illustration of the yuloh, watch the miniseries “Shogun”. The major japanese warship in the story is propelled by several Samurai warriors on each side using large counterweighted yulohs. Also, in the beginning of the Bruce Lee movie “enter the Dragon” there are shots of smaller water taxis working in Hong Kong harbor with yulohs.

  • Warren Sherburne says:

    If any of your members or principals get the chance, see the annual sculling races in Nassau, Bahamas. That is their only method of manual propulsion down there and they are very good. It is almost impossible to find a native boat with two oars in the Bahamas. They usually stand facing forward and the sculling notch is slightly offset to port of center. For speed, they use both hands with their shoulders at a 45 degree angle to the centerline. The speeds in the races are amazing rivaling a small outboard motor.

    • Steve Stone says:

      Thanks for the tip Warren. Hope we can catch this on video some day, or perhaps one of our members can.

  • Nathanael Bray says:

    Learning to scull does take practice and perseverance, but it’s an impressive skill worth learning. My father (Maynard) took away one of my oars for the small dingy, Enoch, that I was using one summer back when I was a child and wouldn’t give it back until I could scull all the way around Chatto’s Island off Center Harbor in Brooklin. This drove me nuts for a week or two, but I learned to scull very well and appreciate his guidance now, and challenge anyone to a sculling race! I’m a two-handed sculler, so beware! ;)p

  • Jonathan Margolis says:

    Glad to have this. Several years ago, I practiced sculling after reading about the technique; I managed to propel the boat backward, which someone told me was difficult. Perhaps studying this video, I can learn to move a boat ahead. This is very well done and it’s nice to see a beginner at work, not just watch the expert. One suggestion: if the video could be made full-screen it would be more effective for us klutzes.

  • Carroll Owens says:

    As Mr. Weld suggested and maybe a little yuloh build and demo on a 20 footer or so.

  • Stephen Weld says:

    I’ve never understood why sculling notches are on center, unless to balance inconvenience between righties ang lefties.My Dovekie (21′ half-decked sharpie from Bolger) has a sculling lock offset to starboard, and I can stand comfortably on center and scull while looking forward. In a smaller boat one might be sitting, but the idea is the same. when looking forward, sculling is a wonderful, peaceful way of poking around an anchorage.
    A discusion of oars specificallyintended for sculling, e.g. Chinese and Bahamian, would be of interest. Both Chinese and Bahamians moved large-ish vessels by sculling, sometimes with two sculling oars at a time.

  • Thomas Galyen says:

    I have wanted to learn this technique for most of my life. This is the first video that I’ve seen that I feel I can learn from. Now I just have to wait until the ice leaves the lake so I can practice it.

    Seeing this has had one detriment, however, and that is it will make the wait until the ice is gone seem all that much longer.

    • Steve Stone says:

      Thomas. Curious to hear how it goes, please let us know…

  • Doug Wood says:

    Wow! That’s impressive technique. Nice to see how this is done.

  • Robert Baird says:

    Maynard taught my son how to scull when he was eight years old and he has become a master at it. At a regatta he could scull around the anchored boats with ease drawing all kinds of attention. Often late in the evening when the stars are out he will take out nut shell out and scull from the dock to the mooring. It is as fun to watch as it is quiet, peaceful and relaxing.

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