16' Padilla Bay Plans PDF

This hull came about from a series of E-mails between Chuck and myself. A DWM reader had asked Chuck if I had worked up a “longer” version of the Padilla Bay that I had mentioned in one of my youtube.com/redbarnboats videos. I couldn't remember if I was referring to the 14ft version at that time or not. After a bit of “whose on first” with Chuck, I checked to see what sizes I had worked up, and 14ft was the biggest. Not to give up a challenge, I took a copy of the hull panels from the 14ft and “expanded” them to fit on two 8ft sheets of plywood with a 2” finger joint. The first model only had “panel one point” that I had to adjust, and one curve point to eliminate on the top panel to make the hull easier to loft up; and I had a finished hull to add to the growing fleet. The build plans will be coming soon.

This will be the first hull of what I am going to call the “Experienced Builder” series. By that I mean those boat builders with some experience in lofting and constructing hulls from a basic set of plans. I've found that people that have built my hulls have followed “most” of the lofting plans in the build sets. Many of the finished hulls have had a lot of “modifications” to them to suit the expectations of the builders. I can live with that choice, but I will stop adding all the other pages of drawings on the details of constructing interiors that do not seem to be built. That way I can spend more time drawing up more, and different types of hulls, than spending hours on page after page of details on how the hull goes together. You can download any of the “free study plans” at Duckworks of my other larger hulls to get information on interior building details.

So this set of plans will only have a few pages of setting up the plywood panels to get the sizes needed to loft up the hull panels on them. The actual lofting dimensions to build the hull will be on one or two pages. I may add a few pages of details from the 14ft Version of the Padilla Bay plans to “fill out” the build set so the builder will have some ideas of alternate ways of doing things. You can also download the free study plan sets of the other Padilla Bay hulls for those detailed pages on building interiors.

Since this hull is not one of my designs that are mainly used for fishing, I will include all the sailing parts in the build plan set. I will show in the basic drawings, a bow, middle, and stern seat, with a daggerboard trunk, and a normal mast partner for supporting the rig. The Pram 64 square foot Sprit sail from Neil Pryde Sails can be used with this hull; or the new larger Pram 80 sail. I would only recomend the Pram 80 sail if you live in an area with light winds; or you know when to reef the sails in rising winds. The Pram 80 may be a hand full with this narrow hull and a fresh wind. I really like setting up either sail as a gaffer, instead of going with the normal sprit rigging. I find it's easier to raise and drop the sail without the sprit pole, and it's rigging being in the way of the luff sail ties all the time. I can paddle or row away from the dock with the sail completely rigged up and laying in the cockpit, and just pull on the line that raises the sail by the luff, and the one that lifts the gaff pole, to set the sail and I'm off.

Thanks again.

Warren Messer

Red Barn Boats

Stitch and Glue and Stylish Too

Free PDF Model to print, cut and build - click HERE

Free Study Plans for 14' version - click HERE