
A double scull is a
rowing boat used in the
sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by
sculling
Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, it ...
with two
oars each, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum. They usually have a fin towards the rear, to help prevent roll and yaw. Originally made from
wood, shells are now almost always made from a
composite material (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. The riggers in sculling apply the forces symmetrically to each side of the boat.
Double sculls is one of the classes recognized by the
International Rowing Federation 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 ...
.
In contrast to the combination of the
coxed pair, in which the distribution of the riggers means the forces are staggered alternately along the boat, the symmetrical forces in sculling make the boat more efficient and so the double scull is faster than the
coxless pair.
[ List of world records in rowing]
A double sculling
skiff has a similar layout to a double scull and is rowed in a similar way but usually has a cox as well as two rowers. It is clinker built with fixed seats and thole pins and can be
skiffed for leisure purposes or for the sport of skiff racing.
See also
*
Rowing at the Summer Olympics
*
World Rowing Championships
*
Double Sculls Challenge Cup at
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 ...
*
Single scull
*
Quad scull
References
{{fineboats
Rowing racing boats