Skull
The scull is a means of propulsion for rowing boats . Each rower operates two sculls, one on the port and one on the starboard side of the rowing boat. The rowing technique practiced with sculls is called " sculling " and scull rowers are called "scullers".
In addition, the somewhat larger straps are important as propulsion means in rowing , of which each rower only operates one. Colloquially, sculls and oars are often referred to as " oars ".
construction
The core component of a skull is called the shaft . At the inner end is the handle, which the rower uses to hold and guide the skull. Handles made of rubber or wood are widely used. After about a third of the length of the shaft, there is a sleeve that encloses the shaft. The clamping ring is attached to the cuff, which divides the skull into the inner lever (part up to the handle) and the outer lever (part up to the blade). The position of the clamping ring can be adjusted by a few centimeters along the shaft and thus change the translation of the skull (length ratio of inner lever to outer lever).
At the outer end of the skull is the rudder blade , which is built and used in various forms. The symmetrical “Macon blade” is mainly used today in rowing training and in leisure and touring rowing . It is named after the French city of Mâcon because it proved its worth at the European Rowing Championships in 1959 and quickly replaced older blade shapes. Various asymmetrical blade shapes are referred to as “big blades”, which are particularly important in racing rowing and have only been manufactured since around 1985.
Although the sculls for the starboard and port sides are basically constructed the same, they nevertheless behave slightly asymmetrically to one another and are not interchangeable. The reason for this is that the rudder blade is slightly tilted in the upright position ("contact angle"), which is achieved, among other things, by the structural properties of the sculls. The swapping of the sculls with respect to the boat side therefore leads to a configuration that is hardly rowable.
Manufacturing materials
Traditionally, skulls were made of wood. The shaft and blade were made of spruce , the cross-band to protect the blade and the contact wedge were made of ash . Since the 19th century, the wooden bowls have been built hollow on the inside in order to keep the total weight within limits. Holzskulls are very easy to repair in the event of damage.
Since the mid-1980s, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has become more and more popular as the production material for the shaft. This results in a strong weight reduction with high flexural and torsional rigidity . By means of various arrangements of carbon fibers , the rigidity of the skulls can meanwhile be precisely adapted to different usage scenarios. In racing rowing, oars that are as stiff as possible are used, while in touring rowing, a certain amount of bending when the oar is turned is desirable. Damage to a shaft usually means a total loss.
Since the plastic bullets and belts have prevailed since the 1990s, the wooden versions are rarely manufactured today. Since both versions are very durable with good care, wooden oars are still often used in recreational sports.
Dimensions
Skulls are generally shorter and narrower than straps . The exact dimensions depend on the specific purpose, the level of performance of the rowers and the design:
- Skull with Macon leaf: length approx. 294–302 cm; in the children's area 285–290 cm
- Skull with big blade: length approx. 287–294 cm
In many cases, skulls can also be adjusted in length by a few centimeters.
The weight depends largely on the material used to manufacture the shaft. A wooden bowl weighs around 2.5 kg, while modern carbon bowls only weigh a little over 1 kg.
use
During use, the scull is placed in a oarlock that is connected to the rowing boat via the boom . The cuff protects and supports the scull, and the clamping ring, which is located inside the oarlock as seen from the rower, determines the position of the shaft in the oarlock. With a correctly inserted pair of sculls, the two handles overlap by about a hand's breadth in the vertical position to the boat. For sculling, there is therefore the convention in German rowing of keeping the right hand under the left hand and a little closer to the body. Such a movement is also supported by the adjustment of the oarlock height . In the former GDR, according to the local convention, the hands were turned the other way around, so that after the fall of the Wall, many rowers had to relearn.
In contrast to oars, each rower uses two sculls, one for each hand. Sculls and their rudder blades are smaller than oars, but the total area of both scull blades is larger than that of one oar blade. The scull rower therefore has to cope with a higher pressure than the oar rower.
language
The word "skull" comes from the English "scull", whose etymological origin is unknown. The pronunciation is German, so it rhymes with something like "zero".
market
Skulls and straps from various manufacturers are available on the market. The companies Concept2 , Croker Oars, Dreher, Brača-Sport and the Empacher shipyard have a broad market share . Historically, it was primarily the boatyards that were involved in the manufacture of wooden skulls, such as the former Karlisch Werft. The price for a pair of skulls depends on the design and the manufacturer, but is typically between 400 and 800 euros.
Skull boat classes
Since each Skuller serves two Skulls that Scull classes wear except the Einers the name "Double ..." in the name. Important scull boat classes are:
- One (also called "Skiff")
- Double scull
- Double fours
- Double eight (rather rare - the widespread eight is a belt boat)
literature
- Wolfgang Fritsch: manual for rowing . 4th, revised edition. Meyer & Meyer Verlag, Aachen 2006, ISBN 978-3-89899-111-7 , p. 39, 50 .
Web links
- Historical development of sculls and oars on the website of the German Rowing Association
- Trimming of boats with typical dimensions of sculls and oars on the website of the Rowing Association Schleswig-Holstein
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden: "Skull, that". Duden , accessed on November 15, 2014 .