Sculling the Ariel

[pbryant]

I have a list of 30 exercises I want to do to get to know my newly acquired Ariel. On that list is sculling her. My outboard moved that exercise to the top of the list. That stupid air pump that runs on dead dinosaurs quit.

There was not a breath of wind near the harbor when the bucket of demented parts quit with me 600 feet from the slip. So  I sculled the rudder home. I enjoyed moving  along slowly, propelling myself with the tiller. It works, but it's  slow. It took me over an hour to get to slip. I'm not  complaining. I'd never imagined a boat her size could be sculled at all. I've used the technique on smaller sailboats that had no engine, when my estimate of speed had me come up short when trying to shoot into a slip, but never something as large as an Ariel.

I believe this technique is possible on a boat having a wheel instead of  a tiller – but considering most boats with wheels require more than a  full revolution of the wheel to move the rudder through a full  side-to-side deflection, the technique would rapidly exhaust anyone  using it.  Chalk up another advantage of tillers over wheels.

So once I was in the harbor channel, all these boats passed me. While  passing, one skipper asked: "Are you aground?" I said, no, I'm just  sculling back to my slip. He looked at me as if I had grown two heads. A  sailboat came along (under power) and asked if I needed a tow. I said:  "No. Do you?" I then laughed and thanked him, and explained that I was  moving along fine by sculling. He said: "Doing what?!" I repeated my  explanation. He said: "Don't you know that's impossible without a  special mount for a long oar?" And I said: "Gee, I wish you'd told me  that before I'd sculled my boat this far."

I got her all the way into the harbor and into my slip. The same  gentleman was standing on the neighboring dock watching me round the  corner, turn 90 degrees right, line up abeam with the slip, turn 90 degrees again, and propel my boat  ever-so-slowly into its berth. He was all bug-eyed at my violation of  the laws of physics. Good thing there weren't any physics cops there to catch  me.

[SkipperJer]

so by deduction we know the sailor you encountered never raced his boat or read the rules about sculling.

[ebb]

pbryant,
Your viewer obviously thought you were up to some form of scullduggery!

This is a great subject.  Loss of power. alternative power.  Good to kinow.

There have been some posts on more efficient methods of propulsion by yulohs and oars.
SEARCH mode could posibly find these, good luck.
I remember Scott fabricated a nice pair oar locks that mount on his sheet winches, an excellent invention imco.

There is a Triton sailor who we breakfast with at Leila's once a month in Berkeley*
who regularly comes into his marina  and backs into his slip with plastic take-apart oars.
He recently lost his rudder on the Bay, had an improv lesson in sailing without his rudder, and oared his way back to his Berkeley slip.
I've meant to ask him where he gets them - they are industrial strength with oarlocks permanently on the shaft..

You might find info on traditional sculling at
google> Sculling One
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*last meeting of 2010
Alberg Design Fleet of San Fransico
Sunday 12/12/10 - 9AM
come one come all!

[c_amos]

FWIW,

  I find it helps to slightly 'rock' the boat while sculling... or maybe doing so just gets me more into it....

... would not want to take a trip down the ICW like that.. but it will work.

I have also towed 'Faith' while swimming, and sailed her backwords out of the slip...
no testament to me, but to the incredible willingness of these fine ships to please!

[pbryant]

FWIW,

  I find it helps to slightly 'rock' the boat while sculling... or maybe doing so just gets me more into it....

... would not want to take a trip down the ICW like that.. but it will work.

I have also towed 'Faith' while swimming, and sailed her backwords out of the slip...
no testament to me, but to the incredible willingness of these fine ships to please!

I'm very much intrigued by that. How do you generate reverse propulsion by sculling?

-Patrick

"The only time a catamaran is truly stable is when its capsized."

[ebb]

Simple:
While sitting at the tiller, a push stroke on the rudder propels the boat forward.
While a pull stroke will draw the boat backwards.

Another way to use the rudder for sculling in reverse is to
move the boat forward in a current that is faster in the opposite direction than you want to go.  
Works well.