article was this one. "What they want is a boat that will take readily to hunkering, and all the signs indicate those boats are getting fewer in number . . . and they are mostly older designs". If it's blowing 30 knots, the last thing I'm going to do is worry if I can squeeze out another knot or two. I'm going to be in the hunkering down mode for sure. I wouldn't mind another knot or two but not at the expense of my comfort. It would be nice to have a bit more room in the aft end for storage and a bigger cockpit but the new designs seem to just take it too far. It boils down to the (your) comfort level. It's more comfortable to have more space while at anchor and, maybe, a little more speed but it's more comfortable not to be standing on your head in rough weather. It's an individual call as to which is more important to you. My vote is for full keel boat with lots of miles under that design. A design where the rudder is actually attached to something and not just sitting at the end of some pipe. A design where the boat has a decent chance for a "long line" or lobster pot float line to slide off the back if it runs into one. A keel that can't be leveraged right out of the bottom of the boat when you hit a sand bar. Notice that I said "when" and not "if". I've hit a sand bar, ran over a long line and had to hove to, all in the last three years so for me, it's not just theory. Just MHO.