turnerny75
03.05.2021 3:08:42
Interesting question, maybe an engineer will clarify this more.
See full version: Why are boats righthand drive
Interesting question, maybe an engineer will clarify this more.
Always wondered since all of our cars are left drive it just seems odd.
I don't think you'll find a left hand drive boat being manufactured today in the USA. Jets are a hybrid so maybe they don't fit in this discussion. And of course all single marine engines were standardized on RH props many years ago.
First, the right-of-way theory: “It has to do with keeping a proper lookout,” says Burlington, Ont. based boating consultant Michael Vollmer. “The right-of-way rules require you to keep watch in your starboard forward quarter – from the bow to slightly aft of the beam. So if you’re on the right side of the boat you have a better view of who you have to watch out for.” Elbert Maloney, long-time editor of the boating bible Chapman Piloting, agrees that “the controls for a boat are put on the right side so can you have the best visibility.” here
But then there’s the issue of propeller torque. Steve Killing, a yacht designer in Midlan, Ont., explains: “As a standard right-hand prop turns, it tends to put the port side down. There’s a fair bit of resistance to the prop turning in the water. The left side of the boat tends to get physically pushed down [in the water] by 2˚ or 3˚. If the driver’s on the right-hand side of the boat his weight tends to balance that and make it level.” [links]
Why do North American boat manufacturers usually place the steering controls on the starboard side instead of where we’re used to them (on the left) in our cars?
–Brian Beedham, Richmond Hill, Ont.
It depends on who you ask. The speculations range from “I think it has to do with the fact that most people are right-handed and the throttle is easy to get at,” to “commercial shipping was taken to a higher level by the British, and where do they put their controls on cars?” But the most authoritative voices break into two camps: the right-of-wayists and the propeller-torquians.
In the end, the answer is one of convention; people, including boat builders, are used to seeing steering controls on the right, so builders put them on the right. more
Surprisingly, there are a lot of reasons why steering wheels on boats are on the right side. Various technical and conventional reasons, lookout theories, and even international disciplines come together and keep the steering wheels of boats on starboard. more
The terms “port” and “starboard” have their origin way before engines started working on boats. Simply, these non-interchangeable terms refer to directions. Port means the left side of the vessel, while starboard refers to the right side.
Adequate Lookout here
Paddles operated boats in olden times. Each paddle was their steering apparatus to keep the ship moving in their desired direction. Back in the day, and even now, most people who maneuvered boats were right-handed. They placed the paddles on the right side of the vessel, and this naturally became customary.
According to the column "The Straight Dope," the steering wheel is on the right side of power boats for mechanical reasons. Boat propellers spin clockwise and the torque on the propeller caused the right side of older model boat hulls to rise out of the water. Boat designers placed the steering wheel on the right so that the weight of the boat's operator would keep the boat even in the water. more
Like other elements of boating, the placement of the steering wheel is based on both ancient customs and practical concerns. Steering on the right-hand side is likely as old as boating itself.
According to the United Kingdom's National Maritime Museum, as larger boats developed, the paddle was gradually replaced by a large oar permanently attached to the right side. Anglo-Saxon sailors called this device the "steorboard" which gradually became "starboard". The steering apparatus was eventually placed in the center of the ship's stern but the term "starboard" remained the name for the ship's right-hand side. here
The steering apparatus was on the right side of boats long before the invention of engines and propellers, however. The earliest boats were propelled and steered by paddles. Right-handed paddlers would naturally steer from the right-hand side of the boat. Since the majority of people are right handed, steering on the right gradually became customary.