strength ponderings
One more comment about the original question concerning "bigger, stronger"....
You can go bigger, but "stronger" is an engineering quantification and the EY boats will meet than standard as well as any upper-echilon production boat.
I know a cruising couple that lived and cruised for ten years on a Valiant 40. Two Atlantic crossings, all around the UK, and some time in the Med. After returning to the West coast thru the Canal, they sold their boat and bought a retirement house near Puget Sound. We helped them, inexpertly I should confess, while they did a load of upgrades before leaving Portland. The basic structure was sound, but numerous interior changes were made, the traveler relocated, and just a list of adds/changes were made to prepare it for continuous sea duty.
I was aboard for the initial delivery trip down the WA coast and we bounced off a small log in the dark in the Straits. Really gets your attention! No harm. Over the decades I have whacked small logs with the Olson and one very large one in '14 with no damage at all.
These are strong boats -- and I would judge that most any boat from that "upper quality tier" would be roughly equal. That might be Ericson (and Olson), Cascade, Valiant, PSC, Sabre, CS Yachts, Hinterhoeler, some C&C, Yamaha, Jason, and.... well... you get the idea. :nerd:
A diligent owner can strengthen almost ANY hull to make it safe, but the cheaper the product you start with, the more money and material and design work will be needed to bring it up to standard.
Beyond the hull structure, there is the vital hull-to-deck joint. This is a huge 'plus' for the EY-built boats. Their main line of boats have this all-important juncture glassed over with roving on the inside. The Olson's have a full-overlap thru-bolted joint. You will not find this on lower-price production boats --- too labor intensive.
To borrow a line from the aged knight to Indy, "choose wisely" !
:0
Advice dispensed all too commonly, and worth maybe $.02, max.
Regards,
Loren