Boats: Boat Oars

Saturday 17 November 2012

Boat Oars

An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by means of rowlocks or tholes which transmit the applied force to the boat. In this system (known as a second class lever) the rowlock is the fulcrum.

Rowing oars have been used since the early Neothilic period. Wooden oars, with canoe-shaped pottery, dating from 5000-4500 BC have been discovered in a Hemudu culture site at Yuyao, Zhejiang in modern China.In 1999, an oar measuring 63.4 cm (2 ft) in length, dating from 4000 BC, has also been unearthed at Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

Oars have traditionally been made of wood. The form is a long shaft (or loom) with a flat blade on the end. Where the oar connects to the boat there is a "collar" which stops the oar slipping past the rowlock. Oars usually have a handle about 150mmlong, which may be a material sleeve or alternatively an ovoid shape carved to fit the hands.