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

Very informative...thanks!


"Mys Terry" wrote in message
...
On 7 Jun 2006 10:41:50 -0700, "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

Starboard:
The Vikings called the side of their ship its board, and they placed
the steering oar, the "star" on the right side of the ship, thus that
side became known as the "star board." It's been that way ever since.
And, because the oar was in the right side, the ship was tied to the
dock at the left side. This was known as the loading side or
"larboard". Later, it was decided that "larboard" and "starboard" were
too similar, especially when trying to be heard over the roar of a
heavy sea, so the phrase became the "side at which you tied up to in
port" or the "port" side.

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...

"Mys Terry" wrote in message
...
On 7 Jun 2006 12:21:04 -0700, "Tim" wrote:


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


A couple of years ago I was talking to the captain of the replica of
Columbus's
boat, The Nina. He said that due to the configuration of the boat, the
person at
the wheel could not see ahead, and had to depend entirely on crew at the
bow for
steering directions, especially in close quarters.



I have the opposite problem. From the upper station, I can't see the stern
and, when docking in a tight slip, have to depend on someone standing in the
rear of the cockpit with their hands above their head, pointing in the
direction to move the stern to avoid hitting the finger slips. A familiar
slip is no problem as I learn to line up with a permanent object behind the
slip.

I need some big back-up mirrors.

RCE

Mys Terry wrote:


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?


There are also many powerboats with wheels in the center, particularly
up on flying bridges where visibility thorugh most of the spectrum is
more easily achieved..
Almost nobody is building a new powerboat with the wheel to port these
days, while it was more common back in the 1950's and 1960's.

Sailboats are another matter, of course, because you have to account
for heeling. It would be fairly dumb to have the wheel to one extreme
or the other and be required to sit on the low side when heeled to port
or starboard. I don't pay much attention to sailboats, frankly,
but I did notice one motorsailor recently that had a slick steering
setup, with two wheels on the aft bulkhead of the main cabin. I assume
that when heeled to starboard, the helmsman can move to the port wheel,
and vice versa.




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.

Those would be additional good reasons for the configuration, but do
not invalidate the reason I advanced.



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...

Yes. Take a careful look at a center console. There is virtually always
unobstructed visibility to both port and starboard and very little
superstructure. Nobody is peering out of a cabin window, smeared with
rain, trying to keep a proper watch.

The preference for starboard helm is to facilitate the highest priority
watch- to starboard.

If the primary motivation was to honor the Norse tradition of the
rudder on the right hand side of the boat, one would have to wonder why
we have departed so far from the Norse traditions in other aspects of
the sport? Why no square sails and yardarms on sloops? Why don't we go
boating with 24 of our closest friends and 48 oars rather than a diesel
engine? About the only Norse traditions that seem to have survived is a
compulsion to
drink and celebrate to excess and deflower any and all virgins
encountered enroute. :-)

"Mys Terry" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Jun 2006 17:16:05 -0400, "RCE" wrote:



I have the opposite problem. From the upper station, I can't see the
stern
and, when docking in a tight slip, have to depend on someone standing in
the
rear of the cockpit with their hands above their head, pointing in the
direction to move the stern to avoid hitting the finger slips. A familiar
slip is no problem as I learn to line up with a permanent object behind
the
slip.

I need some big back-up mirrors.

RCE


Now THAT is a photo I want to see, "over there"!

Take a look. Now I have to find a pair of these suckers.

RCE

wrote in message
oups.com...

Mys Terry wrote:


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?


There are also many powerboats with wheels in the center, particularly
up on flying bridges where visibility thorugh most of the spectrum is
more easily achieved..
Almost nobody is building a new powerboat with the wheel to port these
days, while it was more common back in the 1950's and 1960's.


The Navigators still have the upper station to port, mainly because there's
a ladder leading up from inside the pilothouse just off center to starboard.
The pilothouse station is on the centerline.

RCE

On Wed, 7 Jun 2006 18:07:27 -0400, "RCE" wrote:


"Mys Terry" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 7 Jun 2006 17:16:05 -0400, "RCE" wrote:



I have the opposite problem. From the upper station, I can't see the
stern
and, when docking in a tight slip, have to depend on someone standing in
the
rear of the cockpit with their hands above their head, pointing in the
direction to move the stern to avoid hitting the finger slips. A familiar
slip is no problem as I learn to line up with a permanent object behind
the
slip.

I need some big back-up mirrors.

RCE


Now THAT is a photo I want to see, "over there"!

Take a look. Now I have to find a pair of these suckers.

RCE


I like 'em. They're unobtrusive, inconspicuous, and go well with the other
trim. Now, do they have the lights in the mirrors to show if you're going
to port or starboard?
--
John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

Mys Terry wrote:

The preference for starboard helm is to facilitate the highest priority
watch- to starboard.


Sorry Chuck, but that is pure unmitigated baloney that you are making up as you
go along. I've been boating for almost 50 years and I have never heard that ONCE
anywhere but in your post.


So, where have you been? I freely admit that I don't pay much
attention to sailboats.
If you want to make narrow and absolute statements about powerboats
without having to be so insecure about them that anybody with a
different opinion is a threat to you, you should bone up a little bit
first..

(They say there's a difference between 50 years of experience, and one
year of experience 50 times).


Here's link to some other people expressing the same opinion, so you
can now say you have heard it twice:

http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1483


Or, you can visit this site and read a comment by a spokesman for a
boat manufacturer (that places the helm to starboard) that "visibility
from inside the cabin in our number one priority....." with regard to
location of the helm.

http://www.fishsniffer.com/cgi-bin/f...1117771557/240


There you go, you have just tripled your experience regarding reasons
for helm placement (beyond sustaining Norse tradition) in a single day.


And finally, if you are really interested in unmitigated baloney, allow
me to recommend

http://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/spec...P5LPJ95D1587G2

On 7 Jun 2006 17:03:26 -0700, "
wrote:


Mys Terry wrote:

The preference for starboard helm is to facilitate the highest priority
watch- to starboard.


Sorry Chuck, but that is pure unmitigated baloney that you are making up as you
go along. I've been boating for almost 50 years and I have never heard that ONCE
anywhere but in your post.


So, where have you been? I freely admit that I don't pay much
attention to sailboats.
If you want to make narrow and absolute statements about powerboats
without having to be so insecure about them that anybody with a
different opinion is a threat to you, you should bone up a little bit
first..

(They say there's a difference between 50 years of experience, and one
year of experience 50 times).


Here's link to some other people expressing the same opinion, so you
can now say you have heard it twice:

http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1483


Or, you can visit this site and read a comment by a spokesman for a
boat manufacturer (that places the helm to starboard) that "visibility
from inside the cabin in our number one priority....." with regard to
location of the helm.

http://www.fishsniffer.com/cgi-bin/f...1117771557/240


There you go, you have just tripled your experience regarding reasons
for helm placement (beyond sustaining Norse tradition) in a single day.


And finally, if you are really interested in unmitigated baloney, allow
me to recommend

http://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/spec...P5LPJ95D1587G2

That food store doesn't even carry boiled peanuts. How could their baloney
be worth a damn?
--
John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************