Single oar propulsion!

[Jim Fynes]

Does anyone have any experience or advice!  I'm thinking that it would be great to be able to move and control the boat with a single oar from the stern.  I think it's called sculling.  I have never tried it or seen it done except in pictures. Sampans for example.  How nice it would be if its practical.  Has anybody tried it?

[CaptK]

Jim -

I've heard of people doing it. You will need a looong oar, though, and if you are in a tidal area, you'll find it difficult to go against the tide (and/or wind, too). Still, if all you need to do is get away from a dock, or maybe back to it from a short distance away, it should work fine. The Pardeys sailed around the world without an engine, no reason you couldn't circumnavigate a lake or two like that.

[curtis]

According to the Pardeys Lin (5'2" not much over 100 lb woman) can scull
their 20,000 lb 30 footer, Talisan, at about 2.5 knots.  They use a 16 foot
sculling oar.  For an oar that size, unless you can find a used Coast Guard
life boat oar (an antique) then you have to make your own oar.

Trailerable Compacs, at 1/10 that weight will probably scull at better speed.
Won't be like having an outboard, but should work fine as long as you are
not in much of a current.

Only rely on a sculling oar if you are prepared to sail in any weather that you
could possibly run into where you sail.  If your "heavy weather" tactic is to
fire up the outboard you can't replace the outboard with a sculling oar.

[Dan Hill]

Try the Boy Scouts of America - Rowing merit badge book.  The 1981 revision has 4 pages of instruction and diagrams.  The Small Boat Sailing merit badge book is also a good source of information for new sailors.