What Is A 'scowl'?

[Andrew Denny]

In the recent story about the boat torched by arson in Edinburgh, one newspaper describes it as a 'bomb scowl', used for transporting munitions on the canal during WW2.

 

I've not heard the term 'scowl' relating to boats before, and googling it (or binging it) hasn't brought up the word except in reference to this story.

 

Can anyone explain the term?

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/disabled-woman-left-homeless-after-5782890

 

[saltysplash]

scow

(skou)

n.

A large flatbottom boat with square ends, used chiefly for transporting freight.

[Dutch schouw, from Middle Dutch scouwe.]

scow(skaʊ)

n

1. (Nautical Terms) an unpowered barge used for freight; lighter

2. (Nautical Terms) (esp in the midwestern US) a sailing yacht with a flat bottom, designed to plane

[C18: via Dutch schouw from Low German schalde, related to Old Saxon skaldan to push (a boat) into the sea]

 

[gazza]

There is one at our club.

 

Originally fitted with twin meadows petrol engines.

 

It was found in a scrapyard in the fens in the early 70's.

 

Father and son have worked on it over the years and made a very high spec comfortable cruiser.

Its got a gert big six pot Leyland in it, on board Genny (two pot water cooled Petter) ice machine, air con - the list goes on.

 

Far cry from its war time role.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Why is a boat sometimes called a scowl?

[Murflynn]

scows (not scowls) are quite common - some racing dinghies, many barges.

the defining feature is that the bottom curves up at each end well above the waterline.

[bizzard]

Certain sailing dinghies had what we called scow bows, like a little bow transom. Fireball, Mirror 10'.10'' and Miracle, as had many small yacht tenders.

[Ray T]

I used to race Fireball sailing dinghy's in my younger days. They were scow hulls:

 

 

Not me, nor any of my boats BTW.

[bizzard]

I used to race Fireball sailing dinghy's in my younger days. They were scow hulls:

 

 

Not me, nor any of my boats BTW.

Snap, Ray.

[BruceinSanity]

I used to race Fireball sailing dinghy's in my younger days. They were scow hulls:

 

 

Not me, nor any of my boats BTW.

Humph. Device for making letterbox slit shaped hole in a proper dinghy.

 

ATB

 

Bruce (former Scorpion sailor)

Why is a boat sometimes called a scowl?

Link doesn't work for me, just opened a new blank window on my iPad.

[BruceinSanity]

Found this YouTube clip, but it's about a sailing dinghy, not a cargo craft:

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pzxBvNAOAcA

 

And not transom bowed, either.

 

Looks like "scowl" is mostly a variant of scow as discussed.

[Ray T]

Humph. Device for making letterbox slit shaped hole in a proper dinghy.

 

ATB

 

Bruce (former Scorpion sailor)

 

 

 

Been there done that.

[bargemast]

The "l" behind the word "scow" was probable a typing error.

 

There were many scow types boats in the Netherlands of which the "Zeeschouw" has been the most popular, and there are still many (even recent built ones) around.

 

America and New Zealand had different freight scow types, I've visited the "Alma" in San Francisco some years ago

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scow

 

Peter.

[PaulG]

Humph. Device for making letterbox slit shaped hole in a proper dinghy.

 

ATB

 

Bruce (former Scorpion sailor)

I used to own Scorpion no.25..

[BruceinSanity]

I used to own Scorpion no.25..

Wow. My first girl friend owned 252! A condition of going out with her was learning to sail, so she taught me on said Scorp, an interesting sail trainer but by jiminy you learnt about balance...

 

It proved the basis for an enduring relationship, we've been wed 44 years.