Put one hand on the rope under the oar. As you push and pull on the rope, it introduces the right angle/twist to the oar. The other hand just pushes and pulls on the oar. That way, no twist of either wrist, so no carpal tunnel.

Wow this video is awesome. This is what I was looking for. I have a 16' fiberglass center-console boat that I stripped completely. I can't afford a new engine, and I really want to put it in the water and use it. I really hope the sculling technique works on my boat. I'm sure it will. Thanks!!!

On occasion I did scull my previous 22’ catamaran with just a simple oar, actually far too short. It is such a pleasure to make progress with resorting to a noisy engine. My current catamaran is 28’, haven’t got around to making a sculling oar yet but will do. She has quite a bit of windage, so will not work if completely calm. As my boats have all been shallow draft, the oar also makes a good emergency pole for pushing off, though I will have a dedicated pole for this.

For dinghies, what you can also do to accommodate a sculling oar is install another place for a regular oarlock (for rowing) off center in the stern. That is what my father did on one of our dinghies that we used to get out to( and back from) our sailboat at its mooring.

This is very informative. For my previous Folkboat (with very low freeboard) I was able to purchase an oar that suited the purpose. Laziness, and a 1/2 mile trek up a creek to my mooring usually left me using the 4hp outboard, but having the oar always left me feeling like I had options if the outboard pooped out, (and they do). I got it because I read about the Pardeys doing it many years ago. Your instruction showed it could be done even with a heavier displacement boat. Great videos.

I'm glad you showed us how that thing works. Until i saw you twisting it back and forth , I didn't know what you were doing. I think that's gonna be a great addition to my 31 footer. I just got a new 20 hp diesel and am waiting for spring to install it. Who new ! Cheers

The 18' fishing yawls from my childhood had " paddles" and "sweeps". The sweeps were 12' long and sculling a sweep from a notch in the transom was normal.

It's great you use a sculling oar, and share it. I am really glad to see this. This is clearly not a very efficient sculling oar. The blade is not cambered, the surface area too small, and the shaft is not bent. You may scull short distances without wind, that is useful, but I scull 5 miles at a time. I scull against 15 knots of wind, and can even make progress against 1 knot current.

Kevin, a terrific video for those of us who use heavy metal to leave and enter our marina berths. Not sure I'll be changing modes of propulsion just yet, but thanks for the excellent presentation. For those without access to a wood shop to manufacture your own, Shaw and Tenney make a beautiful hand-made sculling oar for about $325 (and up).

I love this simple application. It's not a complex oriental angled device that only has one use. However I would call it a sweep due to it 14' length. Good job on your build. Take care , Tom

thanks for the info. this video answered my question I had on another of your videos. We have had pretty good luck with lashing our dingy to the side of our boat when you just can't quite make it to the anchorage before the wind dies or you need to make it under a bridge that happens to be dead upwind. But the sculling oar seems like a good method as well.

the lanyard you are using is traditionally pulled on with one hand first, then the oar hand pushes/pulls the oar in the same direction. By by pulling the rope it changes the angle of attack in the water. Pull the rope first it will save the small muscles in your wrist from becoming fatigued from turning the beastly oar back and forth.

Ive one and it has many uses fending getting off chains and getting into shore when the engine just wont start every one should carry a long oar

And this answered all of my questions!

Excellent!

Thanks I was curious about that

Excellent - very well explained.

Yay another excellent video, thank you. So happy when I see one appear. Nice T-Shirt.

I shit you not on our way to my brother's house to work on lobster traps I was telling him about you and about how you don't use an engine and only a skulling ore and we get to his house and I go to the KZfaq app and right at the top was this video. Tell me Google isn't some how listening in on people's conversations through their cell phones

Bronze Oar lock , you might find one in a Museum :)

Excellent video!

Great video just one thing I would have liked to have seen was how you change the pitch of the ore. It's a very usefull skill to have for any sailboat even with an engine those things do tend to break with you need them most

That is so cool! Great video!

i love it

very informative mate!

What Make/ Year is your boat please? I'm sure you've mentioned it somewhere, but I find a lot of channels omit it from either their home page or the individual videos, other than, maybe the length, or they'll just say *small boat" ? ? Etc. So I have to dig and dig, sometimes never find that basic information. Really appreciate your thorough vldeos and sharing your expertise.

Wow, I didn't know a sculling oar could propel a vessel that large.

Love the video. I was curious about the details on that oar including how you carry it. I noticed the Chinese lanyard the first time I saw you sculling the boat and knew what that was for. I'm going to build an oar and was curious as to the length of yours, which you included in the video.. What do you figure Your free board is at the oarlock? We have a saw mill up the board walk and I live in the land of spruce and yellow cedar. I'm just going to mill up my own planks and maybe make the center from yellow cedar. I've decided to install an engine in that boat I mentioned in an earlier comment but I'm going to run it as though there is no engine installed and see how it goes. I always wanted a boat with no engine but I have some trepidation about doing it in these parts at least to start with, without the safety factor of the motor available. I watch a couple of other sailing channels that put out a little more content maybe but this channel by far is my favorite. The other channels are pretty rank amateurs which is part of their charm but you have the obvious mark of a seaman. I've spent a lot of time on the water in power and sail boats but I've never owned my own sail boat. Last boat I had was a 24 ton power boat. I was looking for a sail boat when i bought it ! LOL anyway, im loving the videos!

Interesting video. I was wondering how long it would be possible to scull for? I've seen a few videos of people crossing the Atlantic and they all seem to spend a certain number of days becalmed, would it be feasible to scull for a few hours a day to make some kind of progress? Would a longer oar give you more leverage?

Great video. How is the cleat for the lanyard oriented with respect to the lateral location of the oarlock; i.e. is the arc of the handle centered over the cleat or is it offset a bit? Would the angle with which the lanyard pulls on the oar affect your input and control of the blade in the water?

I wonder if that bronze oarlock is sturdy enough so the sweep/sculling oar can be used as an emergency steering oar if your rudder fails/drops off. :) (Think viking longship.)

If you lost your rudder then right there is the real benefit of a sculling oar. edit: would a sculling oar work in a sheet to tiller self steering arrangement?

Would wrapping a piece of leather around the oar keep the lashing line from chafing? Just and idea. Thanks for making great vids.

Spiffy, that oar lock of bronze really looks neat! Wonder how much pressure it can take? Do you have one of hard wood as a spare? (Probably you already noticed: Parts of the vid is with sound only in right channel… you can easily put it in mono on both channels in editing when needed. To use headphones when editing is a safe way.) 😉

Interesting, now a DIY building Orr is in order Please.

Is there difference between sculling oar and power fin in terms of power?

So you only use the oar on one side in all conditions?

You mentioned that there were some building plans for this, on your website? I'm having trouble finding your site though. Could you possibly link me? I tried looking through your profile but didn't have the luck

Have been looking for info on using a suckling oar on a westsail 32 it weighs about 4,000 pounds more than your boat.any thoughts?

Why do you change the pitch when sculling?

A straight yuloh? For the "bent" version: www.junkrigassociation.org/Resources/Documents/Slieve's%20Files/Yuloh%20efficiency.pdf Aloha nui! 🤙

What kind of boat are you sailing? Thank you.

Delete every "uh". They interrupt the flow of narration. The trick is not speak until ready to deliver a complete sentence.

Stop saying ah and um...