Fishing Forum

I am full of dumb questions lately. For the last two years I have been steering my outboard with my right hand... even though the tiller arm on the motor is on the left side (left: when sitting on the bench facing the bow). To do this I have practically been sitting side-dle facing starboard. I am assuming this is incorrect? It makes more sense to sit forward and steer with the left hand. I guess I have been doing this because I am right handed and feel like I have more control this way. Can someone set me straight? Should I retrain myself? The issue is becoming critical because I need to drill some holes in my bench to mount a seat... I will probably need to put the bench to one side or the other, depending on what hand I am going to use long-term. Suggestions?
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[#008000]Retrain yourself. [/#008000]
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[#008000]Traditionally, water craft are made to pilot on the Starboard side. That is why the tiller is typically mounted the way it is. [/#008000]
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[#008000]There is no real reason why you can't pilot your vessel on the Port side other than comfort. However, once you get accustomed to it, you will probably find that it is much more comfortable to sit on the Starboard side of your boat and operate your motor left handed. That also frees up your right hand for things like fishing.[/#008000]
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Aside from my bassboat, I have a twelve foot Gregor with a 15hp Mercury 4-stroke. I stradle (side-dle) the seat and steer with my left hand even though I am right handed. I offset my seat when I mounted it for more comfort and leg room. I mounted my Graph and GPS on the bench in front of my seating position and find that that works well. I also mounted a seat on the next bench and it is set the opposite to balance the boat. The front bench is small so that seat is centered. All three seats swivel. Does that make sense and help at all?
This is the link to the seats I have: [url "http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276-cat21334&id=0022915016465a&navCount=1&podId=0022915&parentId=cat21334&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat21334&hasJS=true"]http://www.cabelas.com/...21334&hasJS=true[/url]

This is the swivels I used: [url "http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276-cat21336_TGP&id=0013304010424a&navCount=6&podId=0013304&parentId=cat21336&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat21336&hasJS=true"]http://www.cabelas.com/...21336&hasJS=true[/url]

This is great for your transducers: [url "http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276-cat601356&id=0000844010095a&navCount=9&podId=0000844&parentId=cat601356&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601356&hasJS=true"]http://www.cabelas.com/...01356&hasJS=true[/url]
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Thanks for all the great info. I am going to retrain myself to navigate with the left hand. I am also going to pick me up that seat at cabelas next weekend. Will that swivel bracket work with those jon boat adjustable mounts that make it so you don't have to drill into the bench? I don't want to drill because it will probably take me a while until I figure out exactly how far starboard I should put my seat.
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[inline "Hugo 007.jpg"]I never cared for the adjustable but they are okay. Might be a better way to go until you are ready to commit to the setup. Mine are actually mounted to a piece of CDX plywood that I cut to the size of the bench and wrapped in indoor/outdoor carpet. I liked that because it helps quiet the boat when moving things around. I also cut boards and wrapped them for the sections on the floor because with a V-hull it isn't flat and also aluminum is noisy and transmits that noise into the water too well when moving tackle boxes and such. I placed the seat in position and sat on it to "demo" the position before bolting. I wish I could take a pic of it for you but we have a home in Island Park, Idaho and it up there right now. The attached pic is from a trip to Scofield last fall. My buddies used it and I was in my bass boat. Might give you the idea. One thing about steering with the left is that when you pull start your motor, reaching across your body to the left with your right hand is very natural and strong and you will not have to stand which can be a lot safer .
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I have been thinking about doing the floor like that, but had not thought about the seats. Do you think that the indoor/outdoor carpet they have at the hardware stores for patios and such is the same stuff as the marine carpet? Will it work?
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Thats what I used. My boat is kept indoors or always covered and therefore never had a deterioration problem. Still like new. I also used flooring adhesive on the boards before stretching the carpet over them and stapled it on the backside. Spread the glue VERY thin so it doesn't penetrate through the carpet. And only the boards on the benches are anchored down.
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