No offense but as you say, you want a cruising boat. You first mention heavy ground tackle as you would need with a cruising boat. You're not looking for daysailing or trailering from one local to another. Plus, this isn't an offshore boat but designed to go into shallow protected anchorages and even get pulled ashore. It's not likely to spend much time in windswept open anchorages.

And lastly, it's certainly not a boat designed to live aboard. It has so few amenities that are typical in the 30' cruising boat(not much of a head or galley). I agree, it's not designed for your idea of cruising.

And frankly, I don't think it works as a cruising boat. If you add what's needed to cruise, it wouldn't work. The weight simply would destroy the best thing about this design, it's sailing ability. That sailing ability is in another class than the same sized cruising boat.

I'm thinking this design is more in mind of "camp cruising", something that's not new at all. More in line with Herreshoffs Capable cruiser idea. But with a new twist, the more youthful idea of performance sailing and the "enjoyment" of being in your environment and a less sheltered experience. Like winter camping, rock climbing, that stuff. Not my cup of tea, but when I was younger, certainly.

So while none of this is new (not even the general Sharpie hull, although this has a new performance angle), it's not compared to what I see as more the more contemporary cruising that we've all grown up in.

As it's only available new, there will be no cheaper options like we all have in our used boats here. I wonder if a slightly smaller and hence cheaper version may come out? Say around 26'?