Sculling with a single oar off the transom is the ancient art of propelling a vessel with a figure 8 or "falling leaf" motion. A proficient sculler can easily move large vessels efficiently, bring them to a stop, and even sculling them backwards! There are many instructional videos and articles available online to learn more about the proper technique.
Shaw & Tenney makes all types of oars including conventional flat blade oars up to 21'. One of the more common uses of our long oars is for sculling sailboats, especially when navigating in and out of the harbor. Beyond sculling oars for sailboats we also make them for commercial fishing vessels operated in shallow waters, gunning floats, and dinghies. Almost any boat can be sculled as long as it can be set up for it.
Sculling offers many advantages to traditional oars (rowing) including the ability to move about in tight anchorages, particularly in smaller boats. Looking for a propulsion method that is environmentally friendly, sustainable and not to mention quieter than a motor, than rigging up a sculling oar to your boat may just be the perfect option.
Equipping Larger Boats for Sculling
The first step in equipping your larger boat for sculling is to properly size the oar. We recommend sizing the oar so it can be used off the transom to scull as well as to row on either side of the boat. This provides three alternate methods of propulsion to select based on the wind and sea conditions.
Now to the sizing formula:
- To size the oar stand in the location you will be sculling from in the cockpit.
- Holding a long straight object to simulate the oar (2x4, boathook, etc.) in your dominant hand about chest height, let it protrude off the transom parallel to the keel of the boat.
- Measure the length from your hand to where it touches the water to determine the correct shaft length.
- Repeat the measurement off the side of the boat in a position where you can take one step forward and one back simulating rowing. When using this technique you can steer with the rudder or wheel.
- If the boat is on the hard have someone visually determine the length in relation to the waterline on the hull.
Once the shaft length is determined the blade length is added to determine the overall length of the oar. For larger oars, from 10' – 21' in overall length, blades range from 42" to 60".
The second, and very important step, is to ensure you have a good location to stow the oar aboard. It may be necessary to reduce the overall length in some cases. Typical locations are attached to stanchions and /or lifelines (be careful of you rigging technique, they can work loose) and on the cabin top. Sometimes affixing the oar to a stay or shroud is an option also.
Finally we need to determine how the oar connects with your vessel. Many smaller boats will have a traditional sculling notch in the transom typically not found on larger sailboats. If not equipped with a sculling notch we recommend using a conventional oar socket and horn oarlock. The type of oar socket, top mount, side mount, or angle mount will be determined by how it will be installed on your boat. The most common installation is the angle mount or side mount socket, oftentimes requiring adding a wooden block on fiberglass vessels. An interesting method for the side rowing position is to modify an oar socket to mount on a winch in place of the crank handle. You can view the various oar sockets and oarlocks we offer on our Oar Hardware & Accessories page.
Sculling Smaller Boats
Smaller boats are allot of fun to scull too. We offer our unique Shaw & Tenney 7'-10" sculling oar which is ideal for most dinghies and smaller boats. Originally designed for the Seacoast Gunning Float and duck hunting, it has an offset, curvilinear blade. Made from a solid piece of native Maine 8/4 ash, it has a superb flex too. It can be custom made in lengths up to 14' also. Please visit our Sculling, Specialty and Large Oars page to learn more about our sculling and specialty oars.
Sculling Tradition at Shaw & Tenney
Creating oars for sculling is a big part of the Shaw & Tenney DNA and we are always proud when a customer tells us that they thought they we pretty proficient scullers… but once the tried our S&T sculling oar they were amazed at how much better they became!
We are quite proud that a customer chose a Shaw & Tenney 17' clear spruce flat blade as their only auxiliary propulsion when circumnavigating the World.
We also make a reproduction of the traditional Merrymeeting Bay sculling oar in spruce and the Whitney sculling oar in ash.
We have helped our customers with many, many sculling applications and installations over the years. Please don't hesitate to contact us regarding your specific application, we are always glad to help! A photo of your boat always helps too!
