Voyaging the House- How Big is the Boat?

Happened upon a classic cruising design hauled out at Stage Harbor Marine for the winter.  It is a good example of a heavy displacement cruiser.  It is a good example of the size-of-boat discussion.  How does boat size get measured or presented?  Obviously, all 33 footers aren't the same so how do we describe the difference?

Also have pictures of similar length boats.  The point is, length over all (LOA) is not a very complete picture of a yacht's size.  Displacement is a better measure.  Length on the waterline (LWL) is another good metric since it is a rough indication of the amount of floor space available inside.  LWL is also a measure of speed potential over the long haul.  Boats with similar waterline lengths arrive at similar times when making passages.

Three views of boats showing the role of displacement in yacht "size."  Note beam and underwater volume.  The "shorter" 32 footer has more boat in the water than the longer 33 and 34 footers that follow in pictures.  The 32 is actually, a bigger boat in many regards.

Southern Cross 32

LOA 32.3, LWL 25.4, Disp 11400 lbs, SA 524 sq ft

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=6029

Aphrodite 101

LOA 32.6, LWL 26.2, Disp 6200 lbs, SA 436 sq ft

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=946

Peterson 34

LOA 33.9, LWL 28.3, Disp 10800 lbs, SA 565 sq ft

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=2005

A Southern Cross 32 is a canoe stern yacht design with a purposely small cockpit for the small crew most likely to voyage the yacht.  The Peterson 34 has much more deck space and cockpit space to accommodate a large racing crew.  An Aphrodite falls somewhere in the middle being small, a full size crew is just crowded and uncomfortable.  As a double handed sailor, the Aphrodite is very comfortable.  Being a light boat, there is little room below for more than two persons at a time.