Why is steering on the right for a small boat?

Question

Why is steering on the right for a small boat?

Answer 1

makes docking easier

also the torque of the prop on single engine boats causes the right side of the boat to lift more

EDIT: hahahahahha, don't listen to an old lady man, don't mean to be rude but wtf does she know....Just like has been said, you stay to the right of your lane, oncoming boats pass on your left. you are effectively going down the wrong side of the road if you dock with the shore/dock/pier to your left, both when you're pulling in and pulling out, there's no law against it but it just doesn't make sense to do that and experianced boaters woud think your either a rookie or an old lady. Technically you can dock on which ever side you want, but 9 times out of 10 you're going to do it on the right. It's just the most prevalent side because of lanes of traffic. If you're the only person in the boat it's easier to pull up against the dock, throw your bumpers out and then be able to grab the dock instead of have to jump to the other side of the boat(another reason you wouldn't want to dock on the left!)

Also, single engine boats props turn clockwise. This means that, just like a helicopters blade will make the copter spin without a tail rotor, when you gas it, it's going to make the boat want to torque counterclockwise, and it's therefore better to have the drivers weight on the right side of the boat to minimize the torques effect.

old lady... there's a reason widow walks are called widow walks too, ma'am, and that's because women stayed home while their husbands went to sea.

Answer 2

For no reason.  They Just Happen to be put on that side for the same reason cars in some countries have steering wheels on the right side.

Answer 3

Not all are some are known as center console boats & the steering is in the middle, Boston Whaler is an example.

Also some boats that are called stick steer, where the steering is done with a stick typ wheel and is usually towards the front of the boat. Other than that who knows, someone desided to put them all on the starbord side.

Answer 4

Maritime rules call for approaching boats to pass on a particular side.

THis applies to all sizes of boats.

So they put the steering on the correct side of passing.

Answer 5

The reason is as follows:

- most of the people is right handed. That is why the speed control is to the right of the wheel.

- in a small boat, the most convenient place where to place the speed control (on the right of the wheel) is on one side of the cockpit, close to the hull, in order to not be in the middle.

- if you have to have the speed control on the right of the wheel, on one side of the cockpit , you need to place the wheel on the right (starboard)

Equally, If we drive cars on the right is a convention derived from convenience. The gearshift must be on the center, and it is easier to manage it with the right hand. Thus, the driver must be on the left. If the driver is on the left, it is easier to overpass another vehicle (better vision) if everybody drives on the right.

In the past, horse vehicles (and consequently the first cars) used to drive on the left, because the driver needs to be on the right of the vehicle to use the whip without hitting his passengers.

Coming back to boats, you can see that in mid size boats (typically where the helmsman can drive standing in a cabin) is very usual to have the wheel on the left

Answer 6

It's just a convention, like driving on the right side of the road. It's easier if everyone is the same. You pass oncoming traffic  port side to port side, but when you are overtaking a boat, it's easier if you (and the steering wheel) are on the right side so you can see exactly where the other boat is in relation to you, and what obstacles might be in the water between you, like floating logs etc.

There isn't a difference in docking as you can pull in on either side of most piers.