Why would they do this?

[Agri]

Sailing dingy custom made by Holden Marine Central Saanich, Victoria

I'm assuming the appendage on the boat in the above ad is the daggerboard. Why would you put it on a swivel on the starboard side. If your heeled over to port won't it be useless? Am I missing something?

[scotthenry]

That is a leeboard, quite common on small sailing dinghies, including some one-designs (like the Sabot). The boats are intended to be sailed as flat as possible (by moving skipper/crew weight around), so it coming out of the water tends to not be much of an issue.

Larger vessels (look for info on "sharpies") frequently use 2 leeboards, one on each side.

[sea_hunter]

Originally Posted by Agri:910707

Sailing dingy custom made by Holden Marine Central Saanich, Victoria

I'm assuming the appendage on the boat in the above ad is the daggerboard. Why would you put it on a swivel on the starboard side. If your heeled over to port won't it be useless? Am I missing something?

It's a larboard, a traditional rig, hence the term starboard. All ships were designed this way, the port side was the docking side and did not have one. Healing over was undesirable in any event so it works just fine on ship carrying large heavy cargo.

[Agri]

And now I know.

Thanks for the info.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by scotthenry

That is a leeboard, quite common on small sailing dinghies, including some one-designs (like the Sabot). The boats are intended to be sailed as flat as possible (by moving skipper/crew weight around), so it coming out of the water tends to not be much of an issue.

Larger vessels (look for info on "sharpies") frequently use 2 leeboards, one on each side.

It saves all the problems and complexities of a centerboard trunk as well.

[ParadiseParrot]

It looks Salty at Pirate fest and you will get more Rum.

[SlowButSteady]

Ted Brewer points out that they have the advantages of being easier to maintain and inspect, difficult to jam, and leaves the cabin unobstructed by CB trunk. However, most North Americans can't seem to warm up to the look of lee boards.

[Jeff_H]

Originally Posted by sea_hunter

It's a larboard, a traditional rig, hence the term starboard. All ships were designed this way, the port side was the docking side and did not have one. Healing over was undesirable in any event so it works just fine on ship carrying large heavy cargo.

With all due respect to my estemed colleague, this is mostly inaccruate. Starboard comes from Scandinavian via Old English and originally meant steering board. This referred to a steering oar which predated rudders as we know them. These evolved so that they were typically carried on the right side of the stern since the ergonomics worked best with (majority) right handed helmsmen. Because these steering oars were vulnerable to damage when docking, boats of that era put into docks with the left side towards the dock. That was the origin of that side being called the "port" side. The word 'Larboard' is synomymous with the word 'port' as used for a side of the boat and thatterm also came from Norse by way of Old English and meant 'loading side'.

Neither term has much to do with a leeboard. As the name implied, leeboards were generally carried on the lee side of the boat. Bigger boats with leeboards generally carried one on each side and the weather board on each tack was either raised or hinged to slide outward (colloquially referred to as 'broken wing') while the leeward board did all the work.

Leeboards were very uncommon in ships of any era or commercial vessels except in very specific regional typeforms, such as the Dutch Jacht shown.

Jeff

[ParadiseParrot]

I repeat. It looks Salty at Pirate fest and you will get more Rum.

[Agri]

Thanks for the pictures slowbutsteady. I concur paradiseparrot they do look salty in the pictures. When its raised it gives the boat a bit of a steampunk flair. I also have a better explanation of why port is called port to tell people rather then just saying because it has the same amount of letters as left.