The Diagram and picture above illustrates the progression of the rowing oar from the Square blade in 1847, to the Macon blade in 1960, and to the Cleaver blade in 1992. Today the rowing oar is most common the Cleaver or Hatchet as it is known in modern rowing. As Rowing progressed through time so did the equipment. In the past, boats were made with wood and so were the Oars. Then inventors started making boats with carbon fiber, which made the boats lighter and more durable then wood. This meant that boats could now go faster, last longer in performance lifetime, and be made at better consistency then in the past. The image below is a link to a timeline of rowing, giving the viewer the relevant order of events in the history of rowing.

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            Rowing has changed over time with Boats being made in a material other than just wood. Oars started to be devoloped and changed to become more effective for each rowing team. Overall boats and equipment took progressions along with the rowers and coaches who have used the rowing equipment over time in the respective eras . Each new progression and era brought with it the ideas of making boats go faster, making rowing teams more competitive, and making rowing a bigger sport Tommorow than is was Today. For more information about the history of rowing, please click on the picture on the left.