Dumb question

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Why on boats is the streering on the right when cars are on the left? Yes, I know some are in the middle, we'll discount those for now.

[knockoff64]

Maybe because you stay right, you can see obstructions in the water better sitting on the right?

[ESOX]

I have wondered that myself. Especially in the days when outboards were growing in horsepower, but before power trim and no feedback steering. Sure would have been easier to counteract torque steer with the right hand on the wheel and the left on the throttle.

[TimT]

Wow, you'd think that there was a sure answer for that "dumb question", but I can't find it. Now, we all know that the right side is "starboard" and the left is "port". I read at websters that the "steer board" was on the right. (An oar used for steering, referring to 12th century ships) Obviously, if there's an oar used for steering on the right side, the port or mooring side would be on the left. I guess that it stuck. I also stumbled across a long article on why countries drive on which side of the road they do. He seems to think in many cases that it's relevant to where the driver of carriages where. Oh, and in aviation they use the same terms and pass opposing craft port to port. Seems like a simple enough question, Mike. Maybe somebody has the answer.

[Downrod]

Remember, boats have been around long before cars. So its the auto industry that varied from the standard. As to why? I have no idea

[adjusted]

I thought at first that there was a simple to answer to this. Not so sure anymore. A few of use were discussing this over a few barley pops and this is the best we could come up with..

We are of the opinion that when outboards first came out, The engineer that designed the tiller was left handed, hence the tiller on the left, steering the outboard with the left hand and sitting on the right side of the boat. Ahem......I said that we were having a few barley pops at that time....

Well that didn't make much sence, so the best thought, at the the moment, was that the original inventor of the outboard was from the other side of the world where they drive on the wrong side of the road, and sit on the wrong side of their cars....This made the most sence at the time.

A littel digging and Wal-la

Ole Evinrude, the inventive Swede who, in 1909, built ten outboards by hand. They each weighed 62 pounds, developed 1 1/2 horsepower and he sold them for $62 each.

Now he is not the first to invent the outboard but was the most influential at the time.....He accuired Johnson motors several years later and He and his son Ralph produced outboards. the early engines did not have tillers, but as time went on they were added to make steering easier vs spinning the powerhead.

At this point, It is our opinion that in placing the tiller on the engine, and at the time Ole & Ralph were operating out of France, the "left sided influences" came into play. Over the years as modifacations and re-engineering came to be, the controls remained on the right side of the engine "facing it" to allow the operator to sit on the left side of the watercraft.......

this is our best guess.

Great question as it provided for a great conversation and debate

[Shoeman]

I believe it has something to do with counterbalancing the engine torque.

[reeldeal3]

boats come in many different shapes and sizes, there are differeny styles as well, i guess that is jsut the way they disided to make them!

[northern_outdoorsman]

My Guess is for Navigational Purposes..."Red to the Right when Returning"...

[northern_outdoorsman]

I did a Search on history and this may be the answer:

Port and Starboard

The original fishing boats in the south of England were equipped with a "steer board" that hung over the side (unlike a tiller, which hangs over the stern). This solved the problem of nets getting caught in the steering apparatus when set off the stern of the vessel. Most fishermen were right handed, consequently placing the steer board over the right side. To save the steer board apparatus from damage while in port, the left side of the boat was tied to the dock, leaving the steer board away from the dock. To this day we refer to the right as starboard (from steer board) and left as port. A good way to keep them straight: "left" has the same number of letters as "port," which is the left side of the boat when facing forward.

[northern_outdoorsman]

Also Found this to add to the above:

Good question with no clear answer, the favourite theory goes back to the fact that most people are right handed, if that was the case and if the boat was propelled and steered in the same way as a punt then you would want to sit on the right hand side and steer with a pole or board (might be where the word starboard comes from). If this is the case then you would keep to the right so that it is easier to reach the bank.

Recently I heard of another reason that makes a lot of sense, early powered boats used automotive engines and often were simply the engine in the middle of a boat with an extension on the rear of the crankshaft to drive a propeller at the back of the boat. Most engines (and until recently all engines) turn in a clockwise direction when viewed from the rear. A high powered engine particularly in a small round hulled boat will succumb to the laws of physics and the boat will try to turn in the opposite direction to the propeller. This could be seen in the right side lifting slightly when under power, to overcome this early boat builders put the seat, steering gear, and anything else heavy, on the right.

[TSS Caddis]

I think Shoeman is correct.