[Rhodes22-list] Ro, Ro, Your Boat...

[Robert Skinner]

Bill, Todd, et al:

I sit mostly corrected.  

As I dug into more references after Bill's shot across my 
bows, I found a preponderance of cases siting sweeps rather 
than poles, the encyclopedia being the most major.

Britannica describes a gondola as a "tapered, 32-foot- 
(10-metre-) long flat-bottomed boat historically associated 
with the canals and lagoon of Venice, carrying from two to 
six passengers. It is propelled from the starboard quarter 
by a single sweep (oar) manipulated by a gondolier standing 
on the stern cover, and it has an asymmetrical shape, being 
9 inches (23 cm) wider on the port side..."

Todd's picture is also compelling evidence.

However, some other references, among those I cited, refer 
to poles.

/Robert
------------------------------------------------------------
Todd Tavares wrote:
> 
> Bill,
> 
> Gondolas have curved hulls.  Their natural track is a curve.  The "oar"
> fights this natural turning tendency and the result is a sort of straight
> track, but it is a mild zig-zag.  See pic
> 
> Todd T.
> 
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: "Bill Effros"
>   To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
>   Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ro, Ro, Your Boat...
>   Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:01:34 -0400
> 
>   No, that's not right.
> 
>   They sometimes use their oars as poles, but many of the canals are
>   far too deep for that, and the oars are specialized.
> 
>   There is a fulcrum at the rear that the oarsman puts his oar into.
>   The motion of the oar is to and fro, similar to what you described
>   in the Japanese boat. The oarsman can put his full body into the
>   stroke from the pad on which he stands at the stern.
> 
>   It looks like an inverted version of the Japanese system, and it
>   seems that the physics of the propulsion is similar.
> 
>   But the mass of the boat is much less than the mass of our boats.
> 
>   I have sculled with the rudder o n my R22 on windless days, and
>   traveled miles. I have tried pulling my boat with my dinghy--that
>   doesn't work if there is any current at all. In fact, my sculling
>   may have been floating in the current for all I really know. I see
>   people paddling their boats from the bow, but this has never worked
>   for me. I have an electric motor, but I find I never turn to it in
>   an emergency. I have a reliable outboard which almost always comes
>   through. My sails are my back up. Then I break out the anchors.
> 
>   Just wondering if you knew the physics of gondolas. They move
>   beautifully, not zig zagging through the water with a single oar.
> 
>   Bill Effros
> 
>   Robert Skinner wrote:
>   > Bill Effros wrote:
>   >
>   >> Robert,
>   >> How do gondolas work?
>   >>
>   >
>   > Generally, they use poles, as the canals are shallow.
>   >
>   > http://www.bergercollection.org/artwork_detail.php?i=27
>   > http://www.coasterville.com/Italia/ItalyPage3.htm
>   >
>   >
>   >> Does the Japanese boat weigh a ton and half?
>   >>
>   >
>   > Often more. The ro is used both alone at the stern, or
>   > in some cases, multiple ros were used along the sides of
>   > boats. The article that I cited showed a picture of one.
>   >
>   >
>   >>> Reference:
>   >>>
>   >>> Wooden Boat Volume 192, Setember/October 2006, page 54
>   >>>
>   >>> "A Different Way to Ro -- Complex Japanese traditional
>   >>> oar makes sculling simple"
>   >>> If you want a copy of the article, contact:
>   >>> Woodenboat
>   >>> 41 Woodenboat Lane
>   >>> P.O. Box 78
>   >>> Brooklin, ME 04616-0078
>   >>> 207-359-4651
>   >>>
>   >
>   >
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> Url: http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200609/07/gondola-1.jpg
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