KnowraOarOarAn oar is a long pole with a flattened blade, used to propel or steer a boat by pushing against water.BriefConnectRowing: The act of propelling a boat by moving oars through water. Rowing is the coordinated motion that makes an oar drive a boat forward.Oar shaft: The long, narrow part of an oar connecting its grip to its blade. The shaft transmits force from the rower’s hands to the blade.Sweep rowing: A form of rowing in which each rower uses one oar with both hands. Sweep rowing assigns one long oar to each rower.Paddle: A hand-held blade or shaft-and-blade tool used to propel a boat without a fixed pivot. A paddle is moved freely by the user, unlike an oar supported by an oarlock.Oarlock: A fitting that holds an oar against a boat while allowing it to pivot. The oarlock provides the pivot around which an oar swings.Oar handle: The end of an oar held by a rower. The handle is where the rower applies force and controls the stroke.Sculling: A form of rowing in which each rower operates two oars, one in each hand. Sculling contrasts with using a single oar per rower.Boat rudder: A movable underwater surface used to steer a boat by redirecting water flow. A rudder steers through water flow rather than rowing strokes.Lever: A rigid bar that pivots around a fulcrum to move a load or multiply force. An oar acts as a lever, with the oarlock serving as its fulcrum.Fulcrum: A fixed or moving pivot around which a lever turns. The oarlock acts as the pivot for the oar’s lever action.Show all 21Linked from 1 pageTriremeRelated: Trireme speed depended on coordinated crews pulling banks of oars.