Design and Construction
The Precision 165 measures 16 feet 5 inches overall, with a waterline length of 15 feet 3 inches. By using virtually no overhangs, Taylor gave the boat more usable waterline; as a result, it behaves like a longer hull than its LOA suggests.
The hull is notably broad for its length, with a beam of 7 feet 2 inches and a length-to-beam ratio of 2.29. Despite that breadth, the bow has a narrow entry angle, which the design review credits with speed to windward.
Below the hull is a squat fin keel fitted with an endplate-type bulb. All 250 pounds of lead ballast is carried on the lower third of the fin’s span, keeping the center of gravity low while improving the fin’s apparent aspect ratio. Generous fillets along the keel’s leading and trailing edges smooth its intersection with the hull.
Full flotation is built in to keep the boat afloat if it’s knocked down and fills with water.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The fractional sloop rig is deliberately simple. It has no spreaders or backstay, and a single shroud leads slightly aft from the spar. Headstay tension is handled dinghy-style through the load on the mainsail leech.
The boat carries about 159 square feet of working sail: a 101-square-foot mainsail and a 58-square-foot jib. For sailing downwind, a 129-square-foot spinnaker is available, flown from a 6-foot pole.
A Portsmouth DPN of 101.1 places the Precision 165 among quick small-boat racers. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 29.42 when light, dropping to 22.9 with two crew aboard weighing a combined 320 pounds.
Draft is only 21 inches, which simplifies launching and recovery and allows the boat to explore shallow coves that deeper-keel boats can’t enter.
Accommodations
Below deck, the Precision 165 is strictly a weekender for two. It has an 83-inch quarter berth on each side, giving two adults enough length to stretch out.
There’s no cabin trunk or standing headroom. This is a decked-over daysailer with sleeping space rather than a conventional cruising interior—an arrangement consistent with a 750-pound boat designed for trailering and ramp launching.
Verdict
The Precision 165 is a clever small boat that punches above its length. Taylor’s use of minimal overhangs and a bulb-fin keel gives this 16-footer the waterline and stability of a larger design, while the spare rig remains manageable for a short-handed pair.
Its narrow entry and low center of gravity make it lively upwind. Full flotation is also a quietly serious safety feature for a knockabout trainer or a cruiser intended for lakes and sounds.
Pros
- Waterline nearly equals LOA, helping performance
- Bulb fin and low-carried lead provide surprising stability from 250 pounds of ballast
- Simple, spreaderless rig with no backstay is easy for two people to manage
- Full flotation is built in to keep the boat afloat if knocked down and filled with water
- Shallow 21-inch draft simplifies trailering and opens up shallow-water sailing
Cons
- Minimal accommodations, with only two quarter berths and no cabin
- Light displacement limits gear capacity and rough-water margin
- Single shroud and dinghy-style headstay tension require careful rig tuning
