Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

The place to discuss SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project), our 11' 11" micro minicruiser.

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kenjamin
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Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by kenjamin »

Seems like I've read that there is an option for going right through the top planks with ports for oars. Is there anyone that has done the homework on this subject or is the information somewhere in the manual and I just missed it? I would be interested in the different options and the different oar lengths involved with the different options. I would like to find the most ideal rowing position with the longest oars possible that would provide the most comfortable and effective rowing position without having to cross hands while rowing. Can someone educate me on the various options and especially the oar lengths for the different options?

Thanks in advance, kenjamin
croixe
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by croixe »

Bob Trygg has an interesting method of rowing his tread lightly named Gizmo designed by John Welsford also and it is similar to our scamps.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/pro ... /index.htm
JohnT
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by JohnT »

I'm building my Scamp and I have no experience rowing one. I do have some experience rowing fixed seat boats. Perhaps someone who has rowed a Scamp could weigh in.

Shaw and Tenney's web site has a formula for calculating oar length, and this will get you close. However, the formula does not consider the height of the oarlock above the water or the height of the rower. When you are talking about a high sided boat or a very tall (or short) rower, the formula gets a little less precise.

Looking at the Centex videos of mike Monies rowing Scamp, It appears that he might be more comfortable if his oars were a little lower or if he were sitting a little higher. One easy fix for this would be to sit on a flotation cushion.

I have not purchased the plans for Tread Lightly, but my impression is that Tread Lightly is a little deeper than Scamp and that to lower the oarlock on Scamp to a more convenient height would involve cutting a hole in the cockpit coaming; I can't work up much enthusiasm for this. I think a raised rowing thwart or a boat cushion is probably a better solution, but when my Scamp gets far enough along to sit in, I'll review the issue.
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Editors
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by Editors »

Hi All,

We gave Steve at Shaw & Tenney the SCAMP specs and he said the perfect oar length would be 9' 3". However, he said because of the cost of shipping oars, he'd probably recommend 8' 11" oars, since they'd be much less expensive to ship (under 9 feet I guess) and work about as well. When we explained that SCAMP's sole was 8' 3" long, he agreed that if rowing was clearly going to be the secondary means or propulsion and we wouldn't be regularly rowing great distances, it was reasonable to go with 8' 3 oars that fit on the sole. —EDs
The smaller the boat the bigger the adventure.
kenjamin
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by kenjamin »

I guess that 9' 3" length was with the oarlock above the coaming, right? And does the 9' 3" length require crossing of the hands? I'll call Steve and talk it over with him. I'm still curious about the "thru the sheer plank" option and what the ideal oar length for that option would be. Seems like the lower oarlock option could provide a more comfortable position, a more powerful stroke, and probably a shorter set of oars – but I'm just guessing. I've bought four oars and a paddle from Shaw & Tenney so hopefully Steve will spend a little time and help me figure it all out. Of course, cheap standard 8 footers would work in a pinch, I suppose.
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by JohnT »

Somewhere there is probably a formula for calculating the 'best' difference in height between the top of the thwart and the oarlock, but I don't have it. Emperically, I like the set up on my Beach Pea. The top of the oarlock socket is 8" above the thwart and this allows me to pull the oars on the power portion of the stroke with my fore arms parallel to the water, ending the stroke with my hands at about the level of my sternem. This height also allows the oars to clear my thighs during recovery. I am 5'7".

8" translates to 143 mm. A quick check of the plans indicates that Scamp's gunwale is around 140 mm above the thwarts. Therefore, if one wanted to install oarlocks at an 8"/143mm height above the thwart, it would be necessary to cut the cockpit coaming away and mount the oarlocks on the gunwale.

I once had a Dovekie with oar ports. It rowed reasonably well, but coming along a dock was interesting as there was a limit as to how far aft I could swing the oar and I couldn't twist it out of the port. As a result, I don't have much enthusiasm for oars going through ports.
kenjamin
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by kenjamin »

Thanks for that input, JohnT. I think I will avoid the through the port option. I had set up my Caledonia Yawl with two rowing stations and two sets of oars but in practice it turned out to be too much lumber to stow. I now normally take one set of oars and a 5' paddle on the CY and it dawned on me today that I could easily cut down my 10' set of oars for my SCAMP. Because my birdwing mast wanted to be stepped further aft on my SCAMP (at bulkhead 4), I eliminated the mast step (and the lockers) at bulkhead 3 and let the cabin space extend all the way to bulkhead two. A happy result is that I have plenty of sole length to store long oars. This afternoon I bravely cut 4" off the blades of my 10' Shaw & Teeney oars so they could lay flat on the sole but they are still way too long for the SCAMP so tomorrow I'll cut 8" off the handle ends and shape new handles using the old handles as a guide for shaping the new ones.

I'm having a blast building my SCAMP. I've never had a self-bailing boat or a boat with a cabin. It will be a very small cabin but fine for just me. I hope to get my SCAMP done in time to take to the WoodenBoat Mystic Seaport Show at the end of June. If all goes well, I'll be camping on my SCAMP during the trip to and from Florida as well as at a water slip at the show. With the money I'm saving on the oars I hope to get a deep cell marine battery, some LED lights and maybe a small fan. It's almost like building a gypsy wagon!
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by Johnny Walker »

Has anyone experimented with the Skullmatic (sp?) device that I see advertised?
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by Monies »

This is in reply to the length of oars and how low I was sitting. First, my oars are 9 ft. 6 inches. They are second hand sculling oars that my friend Dockdog gifted me with. They have worked OK. I store them in the oarlocks and use velcro holders at the stern to keep them in place.

The reason I was sitting low at Centex was the high winds. I was actually crouching sort of, down low to reduce windage. With the sliding seats and the height you would be up much higher.

Mike Monies
kenjamin
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Re: Most perfect rowing position for SCAMP?

Post by kenjamin »

Hey Mike,

I'm cutting down some 10' oars to use on my SCAMP and I'm curious about your 9' 6" oars. Are you having to row cross-handed when using them thar long oars??? Thanks in advance, kenjamin
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