Steering port or starboard ?

normskib

normskib

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I'm just wondering why most motorboats seem to have the steering on the starboard side ? Yet the boat I'm in the process of buying is on the port side! I will be using the boat mainly on the upper thames, but it will be moored on the lower .any advice would be most helpfull.
 
Technically seagoing boats will have the helm to starboard so that they can see vessels coming from the right to which they must give way to. River boats are to port to give a good view to pass as close port to port as possible in narrow channels.

However most modern boats are CAD CAM designed to optimise the accommodation below so the helm seems to go where it fits.
 
Chris_d said:
Technically seagoing boats will have the helm to starboard so that they can see vessels coming from the right to which they must give way to. River boats are to port to give a good view to pass as close port to port as possible in narrow channels.

However most modern boats are CAD CAM designed to optimise the accommodation below so the helm seems to go where it fits.
Click to expand...

Ain't necessarily so.
Lots of older Nelsons/Weymouth/Humber etc I've seen have the helms on port side.
Good answer though,I have no idea:)
 
I have always thought American boats (like there cars) are on the other side, I do know that boats traditionally more port side on as the steer-board was on the other (starboard) side and it makes sense to drive on the side nearest the mooring.
 
My Birchwood was LHD, but the previous Scarani, Broom and Scand are RHD!

No real advantage as far as I can see, the River is wide, and you pass boats either sides at many locks, and berth to either side depending on where the Pub is...
 
All three of my boats have / had right side helm (although the flybridge is centre helm, the throttles are still to the right), just about every boat I've driven had stbd side helm too. I'm stuffed if I ever get a port side helm boat - my throttle hand will be all confused.....:)

It's actually a genuine problem for airline pilots when they get promoted to captain - all of their muscle memory is set up for right hand seat flying. All of a sudden the steering up down jobbie is in the left hand, and the noise gets louder noise gets softer knobs are in the right hand... :)
 
Current Broom has the helm on the starboard side which is a bit daft given the saloon has a door on the port side so that's the side you tend to moor but it's the side the helmsman has a more impaired view :ambivalence:
 
Wavey said:
Current Broom has the helm on the starboard side which is a bit daft given the saloon has a door on the port side so that's the side you tend to moor but it's the side the helmsman has a more impaired view :ambivalence:
Click to expand...
Don't you tend to moor facing upstream, regardless of which side that is?
 
Hi Wavey my permanent mooring is on the tidel Thames with the pontoon to the starboard side,so with the helm on my present boat on the starboard it makes life just a little easier for me to moor my boat in some of the strong currents we get down here! I'm Just hoping that with a new larger boat that I'm in the process of buying with the helm to port it proves as easy to moor! I'm Sure it will with practice, also the new boat has a bow thruster ! ( that should help ) normskib
 
Norman 32 narrow beam starb'd helm, Princess 32, Pedro 36 and Hardy 27 all port helms although Pedro had command deck centre helm as well. Now Broom 34 also port helm. As others have said always advisable to berth head to stream so have to get used to whichever side its on :D
Not aware of any specific design protocols- seems to be where the designer decided to put it!
 
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