The boat in the old photo (from 1928, apparently) is casting a pretty good wake, and the man aboard is holding a tiller attached to a rudder. It’s impossible to tell for certain with the low-res image, but entirely likely that one of those shapes in the boat ahead of him is an inboard engine.

The old boat also has a motor, note how it’s still moving in the photo while the only person in it is in the back holding a tiller (and appears to be facing forwards).

Which is also a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic.

the old boat has oars

Which no-one is using. It’s the first thing I noticed. There’s a man sitting in the stern with a tiller and rudder, but there’s no visible means of propulsion, no other crew. Weird.

Edit: I zoomed in, and it’s possible there is someone else in the boat, hard to see.