Joshua Hansen, age 12, of Casper, Wyo., for his question:

WHEN DID WE START TO USE ROWBOATS?

Rowing is the act of moving a boat across the water with oars. Rowboats with rudders for steering were used before 3,000 B.C. Rowboats without rudders are much older.

Ancient Greeks and Romans used huge rowboats called galleys. These boats had long rows of oars which were often placed in tiers, one above the other.

Among other early peoples who made skillful use of rowboats were the Vikings of Scandinavia.

An English comedian named Thomas Doggett helped originate rowboat racing in the 1700s. He offered trophies for the winners of races held for boatmen on the River Thames. A bit later, the regatta or racing meet became popular. The first race was a student contest between Oxford University and Cambridge University in 1829.

In the United States, the oldest intercollegiate rowing regatta was held in 1852 between Harvard and Yale University students.

There are two main kinds of rowing races today: sculling and sweep oar racing. In sculling, each oarsman, or sculler, uses two oars. Both the boat and the oars are called sculls. Craft include single sculls, for one man: double sculls, for two men; and quadruple sculls for four men. A few eight place sculls, known as "centipedes," have also been built.

In sweep oar racing, each man uses only one oar. Sweep oars are much larger and longer than sculling oars. The boats used in this form of rowing hold two, four, six or eight men, and are called pairs, fours, sixes and eights.

Eights, and some fours, are designed to hold an additional crewman, known as the coxswain. The coxswain steers the boat by pulling on tiller ropes to turn a rudder. The coxswain may also direct the timing of the oar strokes for the oarsman who sits closest to him. The stroke sets the pace for the other oarsmen.

Racing rowboats are lighter and more fragile than ordinary rowboats. For this reason, they are called shells.

There are no rules limiting the length, width or shape of a shell. Some of the biggest may be 60 feet long and weigh nearly 300 pounds.

Famous regattas are now held each year throughout the U.S. and in many parts of the world. A number of these scheduled races are open to contestants from all nations.

The Henley Royal Regatta, an outstanding English event that started in 1840, is held each year at Henley on Thames.

Other famous races include the Intercollegiate Racing Association Regatta at Syracuse, N.Y. and the Royal Canadian Henley at St. Catharines, Ontario.