How to Use Sculling on a Boat
Sculling is a process of moving a long oar from side to side in order to propel a boat forward. On boats that are designed to sail under motor or sail power sculling is an effective way to move the boat if the motors or sails fail or if you just want to move slowly and delicately. Follow these steps to use sculling on a boat.
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Instructions
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Check if you have an oar onboard. An oar is the best tool to use for sculling a boat, and many boats have an oar onboard in case of emergencies. If you don't have an oar see if you can improvise with a plank or a piece of fiberglass lashed to a pole. If you're on a tiller-steered sailboat you can use the tiller and rudder as the sculling mechanism.
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Begin with the horizontal stroke. Stick the oar into the water. If the boat has a notch at the stern, fit the oar into the notch and slide the oar into the water a bit past the balance point. If you feel the boat is stable enough for you to stand then do so while holding the oar at about a 45 degree angle in the water.
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Take the first stroke. Hold the oar with your right hand, your wrist level and your elbow dropped a bit. The oar should be blade-face up in the water. Pull the oar's handle toward you as you roll your knuckles forward and downward. This should move the blade away from you while turning it to a vertically aligned position.
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Push and raise the knuckles. After you get about 20 degrees off the centerline of the boat on the first half-stroke you need to push the oar (where before you pulled) while raising your knuckles upward (as you would to increase the throttle on a motorcycle). This forms the second half-stroke of the sculling and brings the oar back to the centerline.
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Repeat on a cycle. You need to repeat the two half-stroke movements on a smooth cycle. Change the direction and pitch of the oar simultaneously so that the oar get into a circular motion without flipping out of the water. Experiment with more or less power and steeper and shallower angles of pitch in the water to maximize the efficiency of the sculling.
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