Sculling a 25' Storfidra

[Clay]

Good Morning

   Has anyone sculled a sailboat in and out of port and or on the open seas ?
I have a 25' Storfidra built in Sweden. I pulled the inboard motor out because
the motor was beyond repair and the smell it left inside the boat.

  Do you have any ideas about sculling vs rowing with a pair of oars ?

Thank you for any ideas 

[s/v Faith]

I had the opportunity to attend the Alberg Owners association meeting in San Rafael California last month.

  THis is a gathering of the club that used to be the Triton Owners association, but since so many of them
have gone to other Alberg boats they changed it and opened it up to the rest of us.

  There were about 15 people there, and over half had circumnavigated or were in the fitting / planning
stages.

  One man there had sculled his Triton while cruising extensively.  He had mounted a pair of oar locks to the blocks next to the wenches.  He said it rowed very very well.  

  James Baldwin also rowed his Triton.  James Baldwin is a really great guy, and his web site is an awesome resource for the small boat Sailor.  

I have never fitted Faith with sweeps, but have actually towed her WHILE SWIMMING!  I can say that even approaching 4 tons (loaded for cruising) the trick was steady pressure.  Once she starts moving, she would
continue as long as I could side stroke with the line bent over my shoulder.

 I would assume rowing is going to be tougher into the wind, but then if you were rowing and there were wind, you would likely be sailing...

You might also find this thread to be helpful;

Topic: Engineless cruising

[newt]

You are the man. Only person I will probably ever meet that towed his boat by sidestroke.

[skylark]

Did you hold the greenline in your teeth?

[ThistleCap]

I routinely sculled Thistle (25' Dufour) for a couple years before biting the bullet for a new outboard.  She'd maintain about a knot and handled well in really close quarters.  Thistle was berthed in a narrow hurricane hole about a third of a mile in from the river, and I normally sculled in and out.  A friend with an old, heavy, full-keeled,  29' LOD English Pilot Cutter used a long sweep on one side with the tiller between his legs.  Only powered vessels can transit the Panama Canal.  He got them to accept his ash sweep as mechanical propulsion.  I doubt everyone would have his gift of persuasion, but he got a tow anyhow.  You won't work against a wind or sea, but for maneuvering in a channel or around a pier, it's quite serviceable.  Jim 

[marujo_sortudo]

From what I've read, though I have yet to try it out, getting one long oar to use for both sculling and rowing (you can row with the tiller between your legs,) seems an excellent option.  The Pardeys' Self-Sufficient Sailor goes into some detail on how to set this up in chapter 13.