Toy replica rowing boat

Description:

Toy replica wooden rowing boat with two oars.  Full scale boats like these are used for rowing along rivers for pleasure.  They are also used as tenders to transport people to and from shore when larger vessels cannot come close enough to dock.

Terminology

Oars – wooden poles with a handle at one end and a flat wide blade at the other to glide through the water

Rowlocks – a device or hole where the oars are held in place and to stop them slipping out into the water

Thwarts – wooden bench to sit on and important support for the structure of the boat

Painter – the rope that secures the boat to its mooring when not in use or for towing

Bow or Fore – refers to the front of the boat

Stern – refers to the back of the boat

Transom – the vertical section at the rear of the boat

How to row a boat

Sit with your back to the bow on one of the thwarts (benches) in the middle of the boat where the oars are located. Take the handle of the oar in each hand.  Put the oars into the water but not too far underneath.  Repeat pulling the oar handles towards you with the blades in the water and then away again with the blades out – this propels the boat through the water.  To turn the direction of the boat, start to row with just one oar in the direction you wish to turn.