Having lived on my
Pearson 26' Renegade for 5 years w/ 3
dogs, ( they lived in the
cockpit mostly) I can relate to small. Looking at your list I see that "pocket cruiser" and earlier esthetic lines are a common thread. I'm not a fan of HC's having had two in my care in
Hawaii. I found they wallow in troughs and not really all that stable. Then again I have always stayed away from
Taiwan boats even though many are great. Case in point is my friends 25' 1957
Cheoy Lee. Also known as a Frisco Flyer these point like a retriever, take high
wind with ease and pick their line like an old schooner. Not crazy about the "Plastic Fantastic" boats for crossings the Hunters and the like (imho) aren't built to
cruise. A paper cup will go downwind but I like a
boat that handles points of sail over creature comforts. My Westsail 32' carried me from
Hawaii through the
South Pacific,
Australia, NZ and back safely but windward was not her most comforable direction. Now that I live on a cat I motorsail ( uh oh.... aka stinkpotter sailing) to make up for any lack of windward ability and enjoy the
fiberglass acreage for
solar, friends,
charter capability etc.
I would suggest for your consideration the
Pearson Vangard or Triton and certainly the
Alberg 30. They are in keeping with the list you provide whilst leaving plenty of $ out of that $80k. These three are proven world cruisers and common liveaboards yet have the lines in keeping with your selections. Easily
single handed they are one hop up in size from what I would call a "pocket cruiser".