AL Jenkins - Single Scull Rowing for Beginners

Single Scull Rowing for Beginners

A.L. Jenkins and Peinert Boatworks

Copyright 2017 A L Jenkins

All rights reserved

1-945378-02-6

978-1-945378-02-7

www.JackWalkerPress.com

With thanks

Peinert Boat Works provided instructions and the very boats that helped launch many into the sport of sculling. They also permitted use of their Primer On How To Scull for use in this expanded guide. Their enthusiasm and service to rowers has provided many with a lifelong sport that supports fitness and fun.

peinert.com

Paul Milde, owner

508-758-3020
46 Marion Road (Route 6)
P.O.Box 1029
Mattapoisett, MA 02739
Email:

Contents

Carrying the Equipment and Getting In and Out of the Boat

Rowing and turning

Problems you may encounter and how to correct them

Glossary of Terms

A Brief History of the Sport of Rowing

Additional Resources

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to all who preserve nature and clean water ways.

Lets Begin

Welcome to the sport of rowing, also known as sculling. This is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable of all water sports, as well as being a complete exercise and ,historically, an efficient means of transportation. However, like any new activity, a little practice is necessary at the start. Perhaps the best way to learn the sport of rowing is to get instructions from an experienced sculler. In the absence of such advice from a trusted expert, this guide should help you to get started. If you are an experienced rower, this guide will be too basic for your needs.

Peinert Boat Works of Mattapoisett, MA provided instruction for this Sculling Primer, and youll find my personal tips and responses to using this guide as a new rower. There are no other sculls on the lake I use, so this guide, in an abbreviated form, served me well as an introductory instruction to the sport. After only a half dozen times out, I found a physical sort of Zen meditation in the coordination of body movements and the silent glide along the water. The quiet movements allow the sounds of water, ducks, and aquatic life to join me. The water seems to soak up all my errant thoughts. If you only want the exercise without the Zenthats available to you too. Yet the Zen may sneak up on you!

You can learn this by yourself even if you have no guide. Im over 50 and found that after an awkward first few attempts, I could scull. Im sculling on a long inland lake in central Arkansas and hope to be able to be active most of the year. There are no clubs nearby, and I dont transport my scull other than from my garage to the water.

This book uses spacing between paragraphs because we noticed that new users are reading and reviewing paragraphs from their boat or dock, and the spacing supports using this book as part of the action as you put the book down and seek to find your paragraph again.

The first three of the six main sections build upon each other, while the final three chapters offer ancillary information. If you are unfamiliar with sculling terms, you may wish to review the glossary in chapter three.

1. Lets Begin
2. Carrying the Equipment and Getting In and Out of the Boat.
3. Rowing and Turning
4. Problems You May Encounter and How to Correct Them.
5. Glossary of Terms and Resources .
6. History of Rowing
7. Health Benefits
8. Additional Resources: Find a Rowing Club

Because sculls are built for speed, these rowing boats are narrow and, until you become used to handling them, can tip over easily. You should start only when the water is warm and you are prepared to get wetbut you probably wont. If you can begin with an experienced mentor or rowing club, all the better. You should be a swimmer and have a float device plan or wear an approved life vest. If you should capsize, do not leave the boat but rather stay with it and use the boat, cushion and/or the oars as a flotation device with which to swim to shore. Its safer to wear a life vest, but they can encumber your rowing. Consider an inflatable vest. They are expensive, generally over a hundred U.S. dollars. Totally worth it. Have a partner nearby to give you any needed assistance. Know and follow all rules associated with the body of water and community where you row.

I use a scull with pontoons that help to keep the boat stable, but I did tip it once when figuring out how to get into the scull in a non-ideal launch area. The water was warm and no problems resulted. Be prepared for this to happen to you. Consider phones and other pocket contents, watches, slippery rocks, cold water, and how you might get to safety if you take a tumble. Be prepared.

Wear sunglasses and a hat to protect your eyes. Use sunscreen. Gloves may help your hands from getting banged up. Especially in the early stages of learning to scull, its easy to bump the backs of your hands. I use biking gloves, but you can use more specialized gloves if you choose. Dress for the weather. When you scull, you assume responsibility for all involved risks.

You should read through the entire text first, then concentrate on the instruction section. Take your time, relax, and enjoy learning to row. Dont try to row too fast at the beginning; it will probably take a couple of outings before you feel comfortable and can fully enjoy the sport. The first time or two that you scull, you may want to practice your arm movements alone. Keep your legs extended and practice the rows. Then add and coordinate your leg movements.

Carrying the Equipment and Getting In and Out of the Boat

The boat is easy to carry. It can be carried by two people, one at each end, or by one person from the side, canoe-fashion. The oar blades are thin and can be broken with little difficulty, so you should always carry them with the blades in front of you to decrease the possibility of hitting anything with them. Use care in putting them down and into the boat. When leaving the dock or shore, be careful not to hit them against anything. The seat will stay in the boat when it is being carried short distances, but if you are going to transport the boat you should remove the seat. Simply pull it off the bow end of the tracks. To put the seat in the boat, set the stern pair of wheels on the tracks at the bow end. Make sure that the retaining clips on the underside of the seat are going under the flange on the track, and push the seat on towards the stern. If the boat is too heavy for you, as it was for me, you might want to consider a kayak carrier. I use bungee cords to hold the scull to a small two-wheeled kayak carrier when no one is available to help.

Because you face backwards while rowing, the bow is at your back. In a kayak, youll face the bow, but in a scull, you face the stern. The straighter edge of the seat is parallel to the abdomen, while the curved end is parallel to the back. Pictures of the seat follow.

Once you have the boat, with seat, in the water, either at the dock or next to the shore, put the oars in the locks. This is done by placing the thin part of the oar shaft near the blade into the lock, then sliding the oar out into the lock until the button contacts the lock. It is easiest to push off in a boat that is parallel to a dock or the shore. One should keep the oars relatively perpendicular to the boat while embarking or disembarking, and not try to ship the oars as in a fixed-seat rowboat. Dont stow the paddle end of the oar on the hull of the boat. Keep the paddles extended flat on the water/pier to add to the stability of the boat.