A single scull (or a scull) is a

rowing boat Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

designed for a single person who propels the boat with two

oars An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...

, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimize drag. They have

rigger Rigger may refer to: * One who attends to the rigging of a sailing ship * Rigger (entertainment), those who tend rigging in stage performance (theater, film, concert, etc.) * Rigger (industry), specializing in moving large/heavy objects such as log ...

s, which apply the forces symmetrically to each side of the boat and (usually) a fin towards the rear which helps prevent roll and yaw. Originally made from

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

, shells are now almost always made from a

composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

(usually

carbon-fibre reinforced plastic Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

) for strength and weight advantages. Recreational single sculls tend to be shorter and a little wider than racing boats and can have a slightly flattened hull shape to provide more stability. Recreational single sculls can be made of a variety of materials including carbon fiber, fiberglass, wood or rotomoulded polyethylene. The single scull is the 2nd slowest category of racing boat (faster than the coxed pair), and competitors are recognised by other rowers as among the toughest, both physically and mentally: single sculling is sometimes known as 'king's class'. The single scull is one of the classes recognized by the

International Rowing Federation World Rowing, also known as the World Rowing Federation (former abbreviation FISA; french: Fédération internationale des sociétés d'aviron), is the international governing body for rowing. Its current president is Jean-Christophe Rolland who ...

and the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, who set the minimum weight of the hull at 14 kg (30.8 lbs): the average length is around 8.2 m (27 ft). Single sculls are also used for the

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or Physical fitness, fitness that relate to specific practicality, useful Competence (human resources), competencies. Training has specific goals of improving on ...

of team rowers, serving primarily to enhance the rowers' individual technique and watermanship. The main reason for this is that in the single scull the sculler is responsible for all movement in the boat and therefore receives direct

feedback Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled ...

on the effect of their movements on balance and speed. Single sculling time trials and races are sometimes used to measure individuals' rowing ability for selection into larger boats, since each rower's ability can be measured directly and there is no contribution from other crew members. However sculling ability and sweep-oar rowing ability are not the same. Powerful and accomplished sweep-oar rowers may be unable to demonstrate their ability in a single scull, where balance and technique are more critical. A single

Thames skiff A Thames skiff is a traditional River Thames wooden rowing boat used for the activity of skiffing. These boats evolved from Thames wherries in the Victorian era to meet a passion for river exploration and leisure outings on the water. Construct ...

has a similar layout to a single scull but is clinker-built with fixed seats and tholes instead of outriggers and can be skiffed for leisure outings or in competitive races.

Major competitions

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the Sc ...

(1830-) *

World Sculling Championship The World Sculling Championship (1863–1957), evolved from the Championship of the Thames for professional scullers. Only the sport of boxing claims an older Championship of the World. It is notable that Jack Broughton, the "Father of Boxing", t ...

(1831-1957) *

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

(1844-) *

Rowing at the Summer Olympics Rowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since its debut in the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the wo ...

(1900-) *

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...

(1962-)

References

{{World champions – Lightweight men's single sculls Rowing racing boats

Major competitions

See also

References