IMHO.... 99.5% of what you hear is ALL propaganda. because its all just someones opinion.
and a boat is both a dream and a nightmare, just at different times.... if you buy right the first time, it will be a dream for a much longer periods, but if you buy without any experience in boat buying, especially when purchasing a larger boat, the nightmare periods can be freakishly long periods, and possibly without any dream time left a week after you take delivery of it.
there are some boats that are more seaworthy than others, and some of the most seaworthy ones do not have the creature comforts that most of us desire in our pleasure boats.
a family cruiser seems to need more comforts than what a singlehanded round the world boat would be equipped with, so we compromise and buy what seems like should work for us.... and sometimes it doesnt for very long... so we move up, over or down to a different boat. it can be a vicious cycle for some people
its all a matter of personal preference in what you want your boat to be for you, and than find the closest fit.... it may or may not be affordable, but then you will have to make decisions and adjustments to your "ideals" so that you can find what you want within your price range....
and some of the most comfortable boats are not seaworthy at all.... but its good to have options.
most all of us have dreams of owning a perfectly "seaworthy" boat, but then the word seaworthy is often misinterpreted.... and im not going to give my interpretation of it here as it is only an opinion that i have formed based on all I have read on the subject.
most, but definitly not all of the liveaboard/cruisers are coasters, and a seaworthy coaster is a bit different than a seaworthy "bluewater" boat.
you can google the reasons and make up your own mind, but I know for myself, as much as I would like to cut loose from the lubberly life and visit more places by boat, I would/will always be a coaster and not a bluewater sailor.... not because im scared of the deep blue sea (having worked there), but because im fairly certain that I will never be able to see all there is to see within the next several years in the several thousand mile of coastline without ever getting 50-100 miles away from it....
I think as a coaster, the hunter would work fine in most waters.
and usually, its not so much the boat as it is the operator of it.... lack of experience and poor decisions can wreck/sink even the best boat.
and on the other hand, some very skilled people have made ocean crossings and 'round-the-world trips in craft that left a lot of folks wondering how they did it and why they even attempted it.
in my case, I couldnt find a single ideal boat, because it doesnt exist, so I bought two of them. they seem to work well for my needs at this time, but im sure my needs will change sometime in the future, just as yours will also.
