# Steering wheels

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 28, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318 "2000-04-28T16:41:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drollman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@drollman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drollman)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318/1 "2000-04-28T16:41:00Z")

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Why are North American boat (small pleasure craft) steering wheels on the right and not on the left like they are in cars. (And is the reserve true in the UK?)

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My fate keeps getting in the way of my destiny.

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**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318/2 "2000-04-28T16:48:00Z")

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I think pretty much all boat steering wheels are on the starboard side. Starboard comes from steer board, i.e., the side of the longship that the Vikings put the steering oar on. (Mediterranean vessels often had twin steering oars.) I think the steering oar was on the right since it was assumed that the steersman had a stronger right arm. So its a fairly old tradition (1300 years?).

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**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318/3 "2000-04-28T19:07:00Z")

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Because British boats are made in the US and US boats are made in Britain. 😃

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You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda

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**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318/4 "2000-04-28T20:52:00Z")

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Check out the mailbag:  
[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdriveboat.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdriveboat.html)

SD claims it’s to counteract prop torque, but Boris’ answer make just as much sense… Hmm…

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**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steering-wheels/11318/5 "2000-04-28T20:54:00Z")

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…answer _might_ make as much sense…

Too late on a Friday afternoon…