Capt. JG wrote:

While I generally agree, I think you can substitute "heavily built
boat over 40 ft in length" with a good quality boat over 30 feet.

I second that. Bigger is more comfortable when you don't have to do
anything like handle sails or dock. Once your butt leaves the seat, bigger
is more strain, more work, more expense, higher probability of hurting
yourself.

I love my 32 footer. The ease of doing everything makes up for a bit more
motion when I'm just hanging on. Less room in port but, how much do you
need?

Maintenance cost and effort go up roughly with the surface area which goes
up roughly with the square of the length. Volume goes up with the cube and
inevitibly gets filled up with stuff that also breaks down and needs to be
worked on.

Keep it simple, keep it inexpensive, and go to really interesting places.

--
Roger Long