A modern take on the Yuloh / Sculling Oar - Would you be interested?

[Voiliers_Libres]

Hello fellow sailors,

I have often felt the need of having such a product on board my sailboats, and envied those sailors who tell their positive experiences of feeling independent from their engines in most situations.

If there existed a well designed sculling device, I would gladly pay perhaps 100 euros / 150 US dollars for it.

What are your thoughts on this, what are the reasons the oar has not made it to the market?

Sincerely
VL

[Benz]

Having made one of my own, I can say that it probably wouldn't be possible to sell them at that price point and stay in business, unless you were selling hundreds.
Also they are big and awkward to ship, and would take up a lot of room in a marine store.
Your best bet if you don't want to build one yourself is to find an old-tyme consignment shop that's got old lifeboat and whaler oars kicking around. We have one close by in Mystic, Connecticut.

Or, you could see this as a business opportunity, begin making them yourself, and make a fortune. I would gladly buy the first one for $150 USD.

[Pete7]

Just wouldn't work against a tide, so not suitable for us.

Pete

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Just wouldn't work against a tide, so not suitable for us.

Pete

thats where the skill and seamanship comes into play.

traditionally boats would leave with the tide going out,and return on a rising tide ,the tide carrying the boat into and out of eastuaries,sculling was only used to get the boat into a position where the sails could be raised,and once they were dropped ,if the boat could not coast onto a quay.

this is how london became a center for trade since before Roman times.

though probably in your case sculling would not be ideal for visiting marinas, and deal with contrary tides etc

[Voiliers_Libres]

Originally Posted by Benz

Having made one of my own, I can say that it probably wouldn't be possible to sell them at that price point and stay in business, unless you were selling hundreds.
Also they are big and awkward to ship, and would take up a lot of room in a marine store.
Your best bet if you don't want to build one yourself is to find an old-tyme consignment shop that's got old lifeboat and whaler oars kicking around. We have one close by in Mystic, Connecticut.

Or, you could see this as a business opportunity, begin making them yourself, and make a fortune. I would gladly buy the first one for $150 USD.

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

How about a new high-tech take on a sculling oar: two-piece aluminum or composite shaft, plastic or composite blade, stainless sculling pivot mechanism (whatever the olde-tyme nautical name for that is) ?

Thank you Benz and Lake-Effect for your input on the problem. The longness of the oar is indeed a problem in the eventual process of commercializing it, saying that I now have to be honest and clear of my intentions with my question:

We are three Innovation Engineering students at the University of Halmstad, and we have the idea as a thesis to invent a cheaper and manufacturable modern take on the yuloh. The result of the work will consist of a prototype and a business plan.

We think the project is interesting, perhaps it's possible to create something that has the potential to help out sailors sail more and with greater security, as a complement to their engine. Our vision is to enable sailors to sail more with less and with greater independence and satisfaction.

I have myself a background in the cruising community in Sweden, having owned seaworthy Hurley 22 and Storfidra 25. Inspiration comes a lot from
Sven Yrvind.

We are considering to do this as our thesis. What do you fine sailors think about this idea? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely
VL

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Voiliers_Libres

We are three Innovation Engineering students at the University of Halmstad, and we have the idea as a thesis to invent a cheaper and manufacturable modern take on the yuloh. The result of the work will consist of a prototype and a business plan.

We think the project is interesting, perhaps it's possible to create something that has the potential to help out sailors sail more and with greater security, as a complement to their engine. Our vision is to enable sailors to sail more with less and with greater independence and satisfaction.

We are considering to do this as our thesis. What do you fine sailors think about this idea? Any input is greatly appreciated.

I think it's an excellent idea.

Your post inspired me to do some reading about yulohs, and from that I conclude that a yuloh could be viable on sailboats up to maybe 25 ft, depending on vessel weight. It could be very practical on small trailerable sailboats like ours (17 to 22 ft), if you can address issues like storage.

You should consider sharing your ideas with the readership of Small Craft Advisor, because that publication's focus is smaller boats, and they are very receptive to ideas for alternative propulsion.

Speaking personally, I'd be very interested in a modernized affordable yuloh, if it was simple to store and deploy.

[Voiliers_Libres]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

I think it's an excellent idea.

Your post inspired me to do some reading about yulohs, and from that I conclude that a yuloh could be viable on sailboats up to maybe 25 ft, depending on vessel weight. It could be very practical on small trailerable sailboats like ours (17 to 22 ft), if you can address issues like storage.

You should consider sharing your ideas with the readership of Small Craft Advisor, because that publication's focus is smaller boats, and they are very receptive to ideas for alternative propulsion.

Speaking personally, I'd be very interested in a modernized affordable yuloh, if it was simple to store and deploy.

Happy to hear your opinion on this Lake Effect. Thank you for the tip with Small Craft Advisor, that was a good idea!
BG / VL

[Voiliers_Libres]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

I think it's an excellent idea.

Your post inspired me to do some reading about yulohs, and from that I conclude that a yuloh could be viable on sailboats up to maybe 25 ft, depending on vessel weight. It could be very practical on small trailerable sailboats like ours (17 to 22 ft), if you can address issues like storage.

You should consider sharing your ideas with the readership of Small Craft Advisor, because that publication's focus is smaller boats, and they are very receptive to ideas for alternative propulsion.

Speaking personally, I'd be very interested in a modernized affordable yuloh, if it was simple to store and deploy.

Update: I have now contacted Small Craft Advisor awaiting reply, I will keep you informed.

I have also created two new posts on the forum regarding this question, and also a secondary idea of designing an emergency rudder. You find the links below:


A modern take on the Yuloh / Sculling Oar - Would you be interested?


Manufactured Emergency Rudders - are you in need of it?


I suggest this discussion can continue on the threads above.



BG / VL

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Voiliers_Libres

...We are considering to do this as our thesis. What do you fine sailors think about this idea? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Sounds great. Can I put in a plug for making your design scalable to my boat: 37’, 15 tons .

[Voiliers_Libres]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Sounds great. Can I put in a plug for making your design scalable to my boat: 37’, 15 tons .

Thank you Mike for the feedback, your plug is noted!

BG VL

[fatherchronica]

I built a 12 foot sculling oar out of 3 layers of laminated douglas fir. It is also the mast for our dinghy " Mintberry Crunch". The mast step is a slot forward of the centerboard well. I have, lazily I suppose, never attempted to propel "Mana" with it. I used to be able to move my first boat " Tramp", a wooden, converted Navy whaleboat, at over a knot sculling with the huge outboard rudder. Took a bit to get going, but not much effort to maintain after she was moving. Of course I was a young framer and had pretty big guns at the time.

[Brigadoon]

If you want a long oar, the older crew rowing sweeps are 12.5 ft long and are lightweight. since the newer blades "hatchets" are asymmetric, you would probably want one of the old style symmetric "Macon" blades. Since these are no longer used in competitive rowing, if you can find some, they would be cheap. A website that has used rowing equipment is "row2k.com". Good luck

[Cheechako]

Contact the Wooden Boat Society, or a boat shop that does vintage boat work in maritime locations. They can probably put you in contact with someone to make an oar. Not going to be cheap though. As mentioned , it's an art of sorts. Heck just plain spruce rowboat oars are expensive now.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard Voiliers Libres!
Yeah the cost thing, even a regular aluminum whitewater 11 or 12' oar will be a $100, and as you may know, the shaft of a yuloh very long and often bent, so it makes sense that it would need to be custom made to each boat, given that freeboard is the primary limiting factor. I could see a carpenter specializing in yulohs perhaps. I'd sure love to get a quote from a good one! Stowage of the yuloh is also an issue. I am lucky with my boat. I have 11 foot oars and they stow inside well because I happen to have the hatch under the cockpit open to the salon and the oars can be stowed there when not on deck (literally and figuratively.) A large yuloh with a bent shaft would be cumbersome at best on many modern boats unless it could be broken down. These threads may be of interest too:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ar-145638.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...or-158700.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ne-184799.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-121734.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-115725.html

[Voiliers_Libres]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Welcome aboard Voiliers Libres!
Yeah the cost thing, even a regular aluminum whitewater 11 or 12' oar will be a $100, and as you may know, the shaft of a yuloh very long and often bent, so it makes sense that it would need to be custom made to each boat, given that freeboard is the primary limiting factor. I could see a carpenter specializing in yulohs perhaps. I'd sure love to get a quote from a good one! Stowage of the yuloh is also an issue. I am lucky with my boat. I have 11 foot oars and they stow inside well because I happen to have the hatch under the cockpit open to the salon and the oars can be stowed there when not on deck (literally and figuratively.) A large yuloh with a bent shaft would be cumbersome at best on many modern boats unless it could be broken down. These threads may be of interest too:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ar-145638.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...or-158700.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ne-184799.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-121734.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-115725.html

Thank you Don for the thoughts, it sure is an issue storing and selling a yuloh if it would be constructed without the option of breaking it down. Perhaps its possible? Being on my last year in Innovation engineering Uni, if my project group permits, I will look into this.

What kind of freeboard would be optimal for the yuloh do you think? Thanks for all the links! I will get right to it.