Boats and Boating—II

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22877, 25 November 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

Boats and Boating—ll

This boat is only a variant of the scow. Anything more than, a flatbottomed boat complicated for a boy to make/ Many of the details are. the same as for the scow, and these were published on this page last week. First you need two boards, 12ft long, 18in wide,' and Jin thick. Cut them as in Fig. 1, and fasten them together by nailing a.,plank 2ft 9in. long across the top. - ■> Gut a solid 1 block'of wood (Figs. 2'and.3), and screw trie narrower endof the planks to it. Gut aboard 2ff by lOin, and screw the free ends of the planks to either end of it.

Now comes the realjy\ tricky part of the job, the fixing , of boards across the bottom. Many of them, as you will :see, have to be carefully shaped ,in the ends. You will have to measure in advance the required length of each board. The method for making watertight is the same as for the scow. Seats can be added and rowlocks fitted, again as for the scow. By this time you will, of course, have removed- the 'plank which you originally used to hold the main planks together. Sculling Sculling is what most people call rowing—that' is, when one person uses a pair of oars. In rowing, each oarsman has only one oar. In other words, you can't row a boat singlei handed; it takes at least two persons. ' More usually there are four aj! eight 1 to a boat.' "" ' \ .Sculling varies somewhat according to the boat, and boats vary, too. Th~ec£-J&£he type of boat let out for I hire on 'Wets. long, broad and stoutly built, with a rudder and rowlocks on the side of the boat. There is the ' dinghy, almost as {broad as it is long, without a rudder, aDd ,with the same sort of , rowlocks as the- ordinary skift.

Skiffs built for speed are very long, narrow, and light, , with rowlocks projecting from the sides of the boat on steel frames, and with sliding seats.- And the fastest boats of all (which you need to be very expert to manage) are just wide enough to sit in, very long and narrow, j and covered in canvas except for the part where the-sculler sits;,, they have, of course,, projecting rowlocks and sliding seats. The easiest boat in which to learn sculling is the river skiff, which is not easily upset. Fix the foot-board so ‘that your feet can press hard against it when your legs are stretched, with the knees slightly

.4- . bent. Sit in the middle of the seat. : Grip the oars about 2in from the end. : Begin your stroke by leaning forward, putting the oars in the water behind you: Put the blades in vertically, , keeping them always at right angles to the surface of the water while they are under -.the water. Pull them forward till they are at an angle 1 of about 45 degrees to the front of the boat; then take them smartly out Carry, them back level with the top of the boat to begin the next stroke. The movement should be smooth and continuous, except for -a smart jerk to bring the oars out of the water. That is the simple basis, but there are a great number of finer points to remember. Don't dig your oars deep into-the\water or wave them high in the air. They shduld be about Ift under the water, .and just high enough above the water to miss any waves there may be—level with the top of the boat is a safe aver-. a.ge. When the oars afe. under the water, keep them at right angles to the surface, so that'you get a good strong pull. This is important. If you let them slip, you just-won't move the boat at all. Put them in and take them out smartly; if you fumble over this'part of the busi-

ness, you may catch a crab, or loss an oar, or even upset the boat. Your pull on both oars'should be equal and regular. If you pull harder, on one side than on the other, the boat will go round in small circles, or zig-zag here and there. When you are taking yoqr oars back for a stroke, the handles will overlap slightly in the middle, and you wiU have to drop one hand a little below the other. This sounds difficult; but it soon becomes second nature. Keep your wrists flexible; dropyour- wrists and hands to bring the oars neatly out of the water. • Keep them dropped as you carry the oars'back, and the blade will be turned flat above the water, so that it offers no resistance to the wind. Then when you are ready to put the. oars in again, raise your wrists and the blades will cut in cleanly. When you are rowing slowly and lazily you can accentuate this movement-, by letting the blades of the oar* glide along the surface of the water as you take them back, which is restful. This turning of the oars if called “feathering.” - Sliding seats are fitted on the best boats, and these give you great deal more power in your'pull. You bend your knees and slide forward as the oars are being taken back, and for your pull through the water you ’have the additional pqjwer of your legs, which push against the foot-board and slide the seat, back as you pull with your arms. If , you have a companion and arudder, they will do the'steering. Pulling the'left rope sends the boat to the left, and vice versa. If you are alone, you can steer , with your oars. This time, if you want to go left, pull with vour right oar, and stop sculling with your left. To hasten the process and enable you, to turn in a smaller space, pull with your right oar arid back water Ci.o, row backwards) with your .left. »And vice versa for right turn. EjO not try to watch your oars.

A Surprising Holiday When the Farrar children are sent to stay with their Aunt Myra. for the Christmas holidays -they fully expect to spend a miserable and boring time. They have never met their aunt, and are greatly surprised to find an active young woman who' doesn't say "Don't," who doesn't answer Jimmy's eternal "why's?" with "Because I say so,"" and who quite often swings along the road carrying her hat in her'-hand. It is no use repeating, the very entertaining story of Gerda and Sally and David and Jimmy, the golden retriever, the little foreign boy, Axel, who plays the violin, and Mrs Epping. who makes hot scones; because the story is told by Kitty Barne in 244 pages that cannot be left once, they're begun. "Family Footlights" is the name of the book, so it can easily be imagined that these young people produce a play. They • do, and it is a very good. play. The story is generously and amusingly illustrated by Ruth Gervis. One of her drawi g shows Jimmy (the youngest one, who persists in asking questions) telling stiff and starched Miss Pirrie that her clocks are all wrong—she has a great number of clocks in her house. This book is published by Dents for 6s, and should: go .on the list of good books for Christmas. Gemsbok A gemsbok is a large South African antelope with long ■ straight horns and a tufted tail. Light fawn in colour, it has a black streak across its face,. and. is yerjr *. fleet of foot 1 _