You know there=B4s all kinds out here and it depends on what YOU want
and WHERE.

I=B4m currently sailing in the Beagle Channel. One couple we sail
alongside has a lovely steel vessel, 38=B4, they built themselves.
Cutter-rig, 18HP diesel. Sounds a little underpowered, but they=B4ve
been out for 18 years. Everything is manual except for the furling
headsails. They get everywhere they need to go and don=B4t spend all of
their time making repairs. We have two ferro-cement sailboats down here
that prove the fact that good construction can do alot. The average
=A8pleasure=A8 vessel (lots of charters down here that don=B4t count) is
probably between 45 and 55 feet. But remember, this is an extreme
environment and high-latitude vessels are a tad different from their
tropical counterparts. Modern equipment is great, but things can freeze
up down here. The lanolin-based greases solidify as our friend aboard
Sula discovered. I think most people down here in the extreme south
like modern, electric when possible, but with a good manual override.
When you want to bring in that sail or reef, you may want to do it
quickly. But if it breaks, you want to be able to handle it easily.

On a transocean passage it=B4s not much different. If you get hit in a
squall, you don`t want to spend your precious energy messing about.
Just get the sails reefed and hunker down.