Rowing Glossary:

Alden: short for Alden Ocean Shell, a popular brand of sculling boat. 
articulated oars: a type of forward facing rowing system using oars with two shaft segments separated by a direction reversing mechanism at the oarlock.  This type was featured in the movie "U S Marshals".  Not to be confused with the FrontRower system, which uses a different principle.  Also known as "bow facing" oars. 
beam: width of the boat to the outside edges of the planking, usually at the widest section.
blade work:  lifting, lowering, and feathering the oar blades.
bow facing oars:  see articulated oars.
bow:  the forward part of a boat.
carry:  the distance a boat travels between strokes.
catching a crab:  unintentional failure to release the oar blade from the water at the end of the drive portion of the stroke.
check:  slowing or stopping a boat's forward progress by reversing motion of the rower's body mass.
dinghy:  a small boat often carried on a larger boat and sometimes powered by oars.
displacement:  The amount of water displaced by a boat, i.e. the weight of the boat.  Also, a type of hull that moves by displacing water rather than riding on top of it or planing.
dory:  a flat bottomed boat with no structural keel and with bottom planking running lengthwise.  Traditionally used as hand-line fishing boats lowered from mother ships in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  Featured in the movie "Captain's Courageous".
feather:  to turn the oar blades parallel to the surface of the water to reduce wind resistance on the recovery portion of the stroke.
fixed seat rowing:  traditional rowing system in which the rower sits on a thwart or board positioned crosswise in the boat.  Does not promote the use of the powerful quadriceps muscles of the leg to drive the boat.
flat water rowing:  refers to rowing in calm smooth water as in the sport of racing in narrow beamed shells.
FrontRower:  a patented forward facing rowing system which uses oars which are levers of the 3rd order, can be powered by arms or legs and features automatic blade work (lowering, lifting and feathering of the oars).
glide:  coasting, usually to a stop.
grabbing air:  powering the oar when it is above the surface of the water, as may happen in the trough of a wave.
gunnel:  see gunwale
gunwale:  the top of the side of a boat.
hatchet:  a large oar blade shaped somewhat like a hatchet.
hull speed:  the maximum speed at which a displacement type hull will move easily.  The longer the waterline length, the higher the hull speed.
keel:  a longitudinal timber that extends along the center of the bottom of a boat.
lever:  a rigid bar used to apply pressure at one point along it's length by applying a force (effort) at a second point and turning about a third point or fulcrum.  There are 3 classes of levers, called 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order.  Oars having the fulcrum located between the handle and the blade are levers of the 1st order.  Oars having the handle located between the fulcrum and the blade are levers of the 3rd order.
loom:  the shaft portion of an oar.
Macon:  traditional oar blade having a long narrow tulip shape curved or "spooned" surface.
mechanical advantage:  can be either a force advantage or a speed advantage.  In the case of oars, the advantage is a speed advantage with the blade moving faster than the handle.
oarlock:  a pivot attached to a boat and which holds an oar.
oar on gunnel rowing:  traditional rowing system having the oarlocks mounted on the gunwales.  Requires a boat with a wide beam for sufficient spread between the oarlocks.
open water rowing:  rowing in water which may have waves and wakes, as opposed to flat water rowing.
pulling boat:  a boat designed for comfortable rowing rather than racing or utility use.
recreational rowing:  rowing for recreation (enjoyment) rather than as a sport (racing).
regatta:  competitive rowing race.
release:  portion of the rowing stroke where the blade leaves the water.
rig:  rowing gear.
rocker:  upward curvature of the bottom of a boat at the ends.
row boat:  boat designed for rowing.
rudder:  movable fin at the aft end of a boat used for steering.
scull:  to propel a boat with a single oar off the stern.  Also, to propel a boat using a pair of oars, one in each hand, as in sculling.  Also, a boat used for sculling.  Also, an oar.
sculling boat:  a boat designed for sculling as defined by racing organizations.
sculling:  a type of rowing sanctioned by racing organizations, in which each rower faces backwards and uses a pair of oars which are levers of the 1st order.  Also rowing with a single oar off the stern, using a back and forth motion and keeping the blade submerged.
seal launch:  a method of launching a boat by boarding it while on a dock and sliding the loaded boat into the water.
sheer line:  the line formed by the uppermost portion of the sides of the boat.
skeg:  a fixed fin at the aft end of a boat to help tracking.
skiff:  a flat bottomed boat with no keel and crosswise planking, usually used for utility purposes.  Also any small boat.
sliding rigger:  rowing system using a fixed seat and moving oarlocks to develop leg power.  More efficient than a sliding seat, this system won the world championships for men's singles in 1981, 1982 and 1983, before it was outlawed by race sanctioning bodies. 
stern:  the aft end of a boat.
stretcher:  device used in sculling boats for clamping the rowers feet to the boat.
touring:  rowing for pleasure.
touring rowboat:  rowing boat optimized for comfortable long distance rowing.
tumblehome:  sides of the boat leaning inward to narrow the width at the gunwale.
waterline beam:  width of a boat at the loaded waterline. 
waterline length:  length of the boat at the loaded waterline.
wherry:  lightly built boat designed for comfortable rowing rather than racing or utility use.