The Precision 16 is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Stephen Seaton and first built in 1982.Sherwood, Richard M.: A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition, pages 74-75. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
Production The design was built by Precision Boat Works in Palmetto, Florida, United States, starting in 1982, but it is now out of production. A total of 64 examples of the type were reported as having been completed by 1994.
Design The Precision 16 is a recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with teak wood trim. It has a fractional sloop rig with aluminum spars. The double hull has a raked stem, a plumb transom and a retractable centerboard. The a transom-hung, kick-up rudder has an aluminum head that is controlled by a tiller. Both the rudder and centerboard are made from foam-cored fiberglass. The boat is open and has no foredeck, although it has two stowage compartments. It displaces and is equipped with of foam for flotation.
The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.
For sailing the design is equipped with a self-bailing cockpit. The mainsail boom has the mainsheet rigged for mid-boom sheeting.
The design has a Portsmouth Yardstick racing average handicap of 100.1 and is normally raced with a crew of two sailors.
Operational history In a 1994 review Richard Sherwood noted that the boat was only sold in Florida. He also remarked on its planing capabilities.
See also List of sailing boat types
References