communication system for scull boat suggestions

C

Chris Glennon

Member
Guys,

I need suggestions for a communication system to use in my sculling boat. I have one of Lou Tisch’s Brant II-X two man sculling boats and I need a way to communicate with the person in the front of the boat.

Voices carry a long way over the water. Whispering doesn’t really work for several reasons. I have a couple of old Motorola Talkabout 250 radios but no headsets for them. I’ve found some headsets on eBay but don’t know how well they will pick up whispers.

Cabela’s 2010 Fall catalog includes a Midland GXT 1050 VP4 radio with “whisper mode” and a headset. Unfortunately, the radios get very mixed reviews on Cabela’s website. The one review that commented on the included headset was not very complementary.
Has anyone else found a radio based (or other) system that works in a sculling situation? Any leads would be greatly appreciated
 
I have extensive experience with Motorola radios and a small mic with ear bud while bow hunting for deer. They work exceptionally well. I have had chats while deer were about 30 yds away with no issues.
 
Check your local game laws, in some states using radios to aid in the pursuit or taking of game (hunting) is illegal.
 
The guy in the front usually can see a bit better, as its his head in the way of the sculler, when the sculler is headed directly at the birds. The only other guy I scull with and I use a finger raised over the shoulder of the direction the bow should head. When no correction is needed then no fingers are raised. When the guy in the front has to wait for either the man in the back to jump or the birds to jump. Two man scullers in maine were usually guide in stern sculling, and guy in front "the sport." The sport has to wait on the command as he usually cannot gauge range, and also it allows the guide or sculler to get the oar down and gun up, as he's gut the disadvantage. What I've laid out here is a bit of history, a bit of etiquette, and the little communication my friend and I have worked out. We have still had plenty of mix ups, but plenty legs up as well.

What are you actually trying to communicate. Did this help or were you more thinking of talking about last nights game?....haha
Frank
 
I would suggest only the front person having a loaded gun. Safer that way. Is a duck worth getting shot over or losing your hearing?
 
My brother and I usually scull small to medium sized rivers as much as we do lakes. On the rivers the ducks can be resting behind a laydown or under an undercut in the river bank. The guy in the bow is almost certain to see the ducks in these situations before the sculler (me) does. We’ve also run into the circumstance where a lone duck was flying up the river toward us but the movement of the oar flared the bird before I could see it and stop. Having the ability to communicate these things to the sculler would likely help us put more birds in the boat.

So far, when sculling a river only the guy in the front shoots. The current makes it difficult to turn the boat so that both shooters can draw a bead on the duck(s). Of course, that could just be a reflection of my amateur status as a sculler too.

When sculling on a lake it is possible for my brother and me both to shoot. Since my brother shoots right-handed and I shoot left-handed we shoot out of opposite sides of the boat. It just depends on what the birds do when they take off. Most of the time only one of us shoots, even on a lake. As Andy said, it isn’t worth shooting a sculling partner to get a duck. I enjoy just being on the water, playing with the boat and executing a good scull as much as I do killing the bird.
 
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The guy in the bow is almost certain to see the ducks in these situations before the sculler (me) does. We’ve also run into the circumstance where a lone duck was flying up the river toward us but the movement of the oar flared the bird before I could see it and stop. Having the ability to communicate these things to the sculler would likely help us put more birds in the boat.
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[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Having the ability to communicate these things to the sculler[/font]
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I too would suggest you check the legality of this for your local laws. Using a radio device to communicate would be illegal here. As far as the law is concerned, it would make no difference that both people were in the same boat within speaking distance of each other, the use of a radio to transmit your communication would be illegal.
 
I too would suggest you check the legality of this for your local laws. Using a radio device to communicate would be illegal here. As far as the law is concerned, it would make no difference that both people were in the same boat within speaking distance of each other, the use of a radio to transmit your communication would be illegal.
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It is funny how the rules can be so different in different places. In Ontario they actually recommend the use of radios for deer and moose hunting and they don't restrict it for anything else.

We use Motorola ear buds and mics. We did try aftermarket ones with limited success. It helps to hold or clip the cord so the inline mic is as close as possible to your throat or mouth. A whisper can be heard clearly as long as the other person is within good reception range.
 
Chris

hand signals is what we do. One thing is the man on the oar should know were the birds are. if your gunner is blocking your vision make him sit down lower. you wont to be able to reed the birds reaction towards the scull. He does not need to know were the birds are till the last few feet of the scull.

Also a good set of binoculars are a must if you do not have a pair already.

Mike
 
Andy, the guy in the back has to jump to his feet. That's what I meant by jump. If the birds are within range and have not flushed, he'll have a chance to put them up with his motion. Nobody wants the scenario any other way. The merrymeeting gunning float is stable enough for that, don't know about other boats.
Take Care, Frank
 
Andy, the guy in the back has to jump to his feet. That's what I meant by jump. If the birds are within range and have not flushed, he'll have a chance to put them up with his motion. Nobody wants the scenario any other way. The merrymeeting gunning float is stable enough for that, don't know about other boats.
Take Care, Frank
 
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