[paul77]

Someone more knowledgeable than me please correct if i'm leading astray..

I focused on PHRF for boat selection, but remember PHRF is a race handicap.. not a cruising handicap, it takes a whole bunch of variables and gives one value.. You really got to look at those variables.

Hull speed, SA/D, and D/L are the interesting performance stats. The extra 7 feet of waterline on the beneteau 456 is the majority of advantage here.

With an MCR of 31 for the passport and an MCR of 21 for the beneteau, the boats are definitely going to feel pretty different on the open ocean. MCR is generally an indication of seakindlyness.. Have seen a rule that you want > 25 MCR to go out and do blue water.. However you might like the feel of the MCR 21 boat on the ocean, but your wife probably won't.

The CSF is > 2.0 for the beneteau, though laden this number would end up below 2.0 the weight is really not in the right spot. A CSF over 2.0 is an indication that the boat may not right itself. You want under 2.0 and lower = better.

You can either calculate these values yourself or look at one of the databases around the internet.