Why is steering wheel on right side?

[waterdowg]

Why is the steering wheel on the right hand side of the boat? Ask a few dealers and they did't know. There has to be some reason for it. WHY?

 

[JB]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Ahoy, Waterdowg.<br /><br />My steering is on the left side of my center consoles, so that the steering cable can make a smooth entry to the center tunnel that carries it to the stern. There it makes a reversed question mark loop to the engines starboard side.<br /><br />On walk through boats it is on the starboard side so the cable can run down the starboard side of the boat and curve smoothly to the engine, where the cable enters the pivot tube from the starboard side.<br /><br />So, I guess the answer to your question is that steering is located to allow easiest use of teleflex style push-pull steering cables. That is usually on the starboard for low side consoles and to port of center for tall center consoles.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[wakatoa]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Maybe because as you have to give way to starboard it makes sense to stand on that side of the boat in order to keep a better lookout on that side?

 

[Bajass235]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

From my understanding it's to counter act the torque caused by the prop pushing against the water thereby causing the boat to tilt slightly to the left. steering wheel being on the right places the drivers weight on the right and kinda counter balances the boat<br /><br />could be wrong (like that would be any thing new )

 

[Clay]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Bajass is exactly right

 

[JB]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Why, then, Bajass and Cootie, are the wheels to port on center consoles? Do they expect you to use lefty engines?<br /><br />Actually, I agree that that is why the steering systems are made the way they are. But the boats are made to accomodate the steering system design. That's why center console boats have the steering to port.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[wyattm]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

I agree with Bajass & cootie. early on due to the rotation of the prop it caused the boat to be torted to the left and by having the driver weight to the right it counter acted the prop. I believe modern technology has changed so the steering can be almost any where. On counter rotation engines you can not swap the props between the engines. On some counter rotating engines ever the start only operates in one direction and can not be changes to the opposite engine. Happy boating!!!

 

[TxRiverRat]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Silly me - I thought maybe the English were going to claim to have invented the boat, and thats why it was on the right side!

 

[DJ]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

I thought everyone knew that "it's a vast right wing conspiracy".

 

[rbu]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

I believe that this goes back to the very early days of sailing. Boats were steered with a steering board, I believe that in Norway, it was called a stjar board, (I'm not sure of the spelling). The steering board was offset to the right of a ship so that when it was docked in port (on the left side of the ship), the rudder would not slap into the dock. The right side of a ship became known as starboard, and the left was port. I believe that things have continued this way for no reason other than "that's the way it has always been."<br /><br />Center consoles are obviously not on the right or left, although they might mount the wheel to one side or the other of the console. I have also been in some fly-bridges where the wheel is on the left side or directly in the center.<br /><br />I highly doubt that boat builders build their boats based on the teleflex stering system design. What is the difference what side the cable comes out on? If you had to you could just flip the helm unit around. Not to mention that fact that if you have hydraulic steering, the cable would not be an issue anyway.<br /><br />That's just my thoughts on it ...

 

[Capn Mike]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

So my wife can feel like she's "driving" from the "conventional" left side. She's just now figuring out that I actually steer it where I want....

 

[Waterbug]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

I read in one of my many magazines that the steering wheel being on the right came from the olden days when sailing ships would dock to take on supplies and passengers.<br />The Captians quarters were always on the starboard side of the vessel. Supplies and ships crew were always loaded from the port side and VIP's were boarded from the starboard. The starboard side of a vessel was the "White Collar" side, so to speak.<br /><br />It has nothing to do with the design of steering componets.

 

[chrker]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

While originally steeped in tradition, there is a functional reason for the helm to be on the right. As others have mentioned, it is to help counteract prop torque (single engine planing hulls with right hand prop). Dual engine planing hulls usually have counter rotating props that effectively cancels each others torque. That allows boat builders to put the helm in other positions.<br /><br />-Chris

 

[phillnjack]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

its obvious to all if you think about it. the steering is on the right hand side of speed and power boats so you can checkout the girls on the boats coming towards you. if you have a cruiser with fly bridge they will be checking you out ( still on the right ) if you have a cabin cruiser you aint gonna pull so you go to the left ha ha ha <br />and yes as stated we english invented the boat and thats why its on the right side honest

 

[scamper]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Actually the Vikings had their steer board (steering wheel) on the right side. So the correct place for a steering wheel then would be on the right side. This just has to be correct since we get the word starboard for the Viking steer board. Doesn't explain the green light though.<br />The above was something picket up between between my first boat and changing a lifter.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

hello<br /> because everthing has to be somewhere. like my shop sometimes. everything has a place and everything is someplace. I have a few old fiberglass boats from the 50's and early sixties that had the helm on the port side.<br /> Good luck and maybe a few cool refreshing beverages should help

 

[vidar]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

yep.. the norwegian word is : styrbord.... but i dont know were : babord comes from... maybee a old word for port.....they did a fev wird things those old *******....

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

Bybord was change to Port because it was too easy for the helmsman to confuse Styrboard and Bybord when the commands were being yelled by the captain. A great deal of the early runabouts had port steering, I had a 63 with port steering and it made no difference in torque from the motor. As the motors became more powerful, the torque they generated became more powerful as well, so more weight on the starboard side of the boat helped to counteract the torque. It is all irrelevant nowadays with trim tabs. I do notice on my boat that at full throttle there is a noticeble lean to port, but it does not make the handling wierd enough to warrant the trim tab expense. It is a tri-hull so it only leans so far anyway....

 

[roscoe]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

The Brits didn't invent the boat, Al Gore did, just before he invented the internet.

 

[Snailman]

Re: Why is steering wheel on right side?

In my boating safety class we learned that the reason behind the position of the helm is that boats approaching on a collision course from the starboard side are the "stand on" or "right of way" vessels. The best vantage point from which to watch for vessels with the right of way over you would be from the starboard side of your vessel. That information came from the Coastguardsman giving the class.