Your question plays to the fact you do not know what shiplap is...

Authentic ship lap” is a kind of wooden board that's often used for constructing sheds, barns, and other rustic buildings. Traditional shiplap has a rabbet (or groove) cut into the top and bottom, which allows the pieces to fit together snugly, forming a tight seal.”.

The whole point of it is to keep a building weather tight. If it were staggered, as you suggest, it wouldn’t do its job. ( And, your wall would look pretty silly.)

I do understand your point of the original use of ship lap and would aim to make it look authentic and correct. Are you are suggesting to run each board to its full 16 ft length with the one seam landing 1 ft off the center of the wall or 15 ft in length with the 1 seam in the center of the wall?

Thank you for your insight into ship lap. I did a little research on line and read to stagger the joints as I had thought so that the eye isn't drawn to the one seam running up the wall.

Here's a link that might be of help. It suggests staggering your plank wall. Good luck!

Thank you, I read the article and there are additional hint and tips too. Very helpful.