Are boats like the Tayana 37 still popular and still a good choice for
ocean crossings?

I've crawled in and out of a few boats during the past couple weeks
and it looks to me that the heavy displacment boats are just built a
lot better than the mid to light displacement ones. This is
especially true in the price range I can afford (less than $100k).

Most of the heavy displacement boats also have more storage because
the tanks are usually located in the bilge leaving the settees free
for storage. This appears to be another plus.

When comparing open ocean vessels, Is the performace between a heavy
and mid displacment boat really all that much different? If not, then
maybe I wouldn't get bored with a lower performance heavy displacment
vessel. I'm not sure about this and would like comments.

Most heavy displacement boats have bow sprits. If a boat has a 5'
bowsprit, do you add that into the total length of the boat when
computing moorage charges? It would be ashame to get charged for 42'
when the boat is only has 37' on deck and 37' of living space.

As you can see, I'm still having trouble finding a suitable boat. I
want something to liveaboard here in Alaska and in 3 years take off
and at least sail the S. Pacific if not farther.