Does anyone still scull?

[Arcady]

So - who amongst you still sculls their dinghy? Is this a dying art?

I appreciate having the right sort of dink helps enormously, but in France one often sees the most improbable of craft propelled this way. I think the best I ever saw was five people (all standing) in a 7'6" Sportyak plastic dink propelled with considerable enthusiasm and effectiveness in equal measure!

 

[sarabande]

genuine sculling, or using a yuloh ?

 

[doris]

genuine sculling, or using a yuloh ?

I thought sculling was a single oar over the transom and a lot of wrist movement.
A lot more difficult than it looks.

 

[johnalison]

I've always called it yulohing but I don't think it is precisely correct, so sculling will have to do, although sculling means rowing by holding both oars, unlike rowing, which is rowing with single oars. Life can get very complicated.

 

[Hydrozoan]

... sculling means rowing by holding both oars, unlike rowing, which is rowing with single oars. Life can get very complicated.

Which reminds me that while we’ve been waiting for the single oar scullers to arrive, I’ve been recalling an Alex cartoon strip in which Penny accompanies him to Henley - but being short cannot see over the crowd: P: “What are they doing now?” A: “Getting out of their sculls.” P: “I might have guessed!”

OK, OK – I’ll start the outboard ...

 

[theoldsalt]

Sculling is still alive and kicking.

View attachment 49489

 

[Reptile Smile]

Still common in my club

 

[Arcady]

Bog-standard, messing about in small boats, one oar over the transom, sculling - at least that's what we always called it as kids.

 

[paulm299]

I can Scull , I moved my Alacrity across Swansea Marina Sculling . It helps if you have a rowlock on the transom I didn't and had to use rope .

 

[VicS]

So - who amongst you still sculls their dinghy?

Yes my dinghy has a rowlock on the transom for that very purpose.

Very useful for getting through narrow gaps or along narrow channels.

 

[Rum Run]

Commonly seen at Tollesbury and West Mersea, both amateur and professional types

 

[theotter]

Yes I still scull...but you get some strange looks....envious I would say! But remember...happiness is two oars in a dingy!

 

[[70521]]

Very, very common in Brittany. Not easy to do in an inflatable.

 

[Seven Spades]

I thought sculling was a single oar over the transom and a lot of wrist movement.
A lot more difficult than it looks.

That's right but it is dead easy and you can generate a reasonable amount of propulsion that way.

 

[Sybarite]

Very, very common in Brittany. Not easy to do in an inflatable.

Yes it's the rule rather than the exception especially amongst fishermen who moor off.

At the last Mille Sabords second hand boat show (Le Crouesty) they were giving free sculling lessons.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Sculling is still alive and kicking.

View attachment 49489

Or, photo evidence proves it was in the 70's anyway

 

[AHoy2]

Still common enough amongst gaffers for sculling races to be held at get togethers, with all ages partaking. Suitable dinghys being one of the requirements.

http://www.classicboat.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/blogAug17002.jpg

 

[ianc1200]

Video of above, see about 1.40 in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iATFMPs3lY8

The dinghies are "Smacks Boats" built (in the main) by Brian Kennell.

 

[AHoy2]

Highly prefereable to kids droning around moorings for hours on end with flubber and outboard! Get em out there sculling.

 

[Billjratt]

I found a very big oar (sweep?) on the shore years ago in Holy Isle (the Arran one) and used it to scull our shipman28 very successfully but it didn't half bend under the pressure.
From a (hard) dinghy point of view I pull rather than push with a single oar, I assume similar to the way coracles were moved. I think sculled boats need to have a reasonable keel to be manageable.