Terry & Chuck,
Those are the best explainations I've heard yet.
Correct: very informative.

Now with that information , here's my assumption on sail boat steering.
seeing that large sailing ships from ancient days, w/ exception of the
tiller steering, the wheel would be of best advantage being mounted in
the center, due to equal pull on the ropes to the
rudder.(?)

also the large ships, had the wheel mounted high on deck for full
visibility on both sides.

I don't know at all, I'm simply making an assumption.

A friend of mine has a pretty cool sail boat (about 30-32 ft.)and now
that I think about it,
His wheel IS more to the right (starboard) side, probably due to access
to the cabin.

"Larboard" it's been a long time since I've heard that phrase!






Mys Terry wrote:
On 7 Jun 2006 11:45:14 -0700, "
wrote:


Tim wrote:
Why do most boats have "right hand" steering? Almost all cars in the
US are set up with left hand steering and we drive on the right side of
the road, obviously for passing purposes. I would think that small
craft would have the same set up.

it is traditional only? or is there some mystical reasoning for it?

Thanks!
Tim

Actually, there is a very practical and common sense reason for
starboard steering stations.

While you must keep an adequate watch in all directions, your first
obligation is to keep watch to starboard. In a meeting or crossing
situation it is the vessel approaching from starboard to which you will
be expected to give way. Vessels approaching from your starboard beam
will assume stand on status (but prudent skippers won't absolutely bank
on it until it is evident the boat to port is complying with the
rules). Because those vessels are likely to assume stand on status, it
could be argued that the starboard side presents the greatest hazard.

Sailboats tend to have the wheel in the center, and with a tiller, you
often switch from side to side. How come, if what you said above is
true? Haven't sailboats been around a lot longer than powerboats?


The reason your steering wheel is on the left side of the car when you
drive on the right side of the road is that the greatest hazard is the
oncoming traffic, headed straight toward you at perhaps 70-80 mph and
often only a few feet away.


I believe that is incorrect, Chuck. The basic reason for left hand
steering in countries where you drive on the right, and right hand
steering in countries where you drive on the left is because you can
see farther around curves and get a better view down cross streets of
intersections if you are out near the middle of the road.


The explanation about "starboard" being derived from the Norse "steer
(ing) board" is correct, but at one time not all that long ago it *was*
common for pleasure craft to have port side stations. Perhaps this was
because people wanted their speedboat to be like a car? Who knows? The
trend in recent decades has definitely been to starboard helms, and it
does provide for safer operation.

And then there are all those Center Consoles...