I don't know what you are talking about. At least the Beneteau USA and US Jeanneau sites list all key dimensions. For example:
http://www.beneteauusa.com/sail/curr.../473_intro.php
http://www.beneteauusa.com/sail/curr.../367_intro.php
http://www.jeanneauamerica.com/models_05/sf37plans.htm
http://www.jeanneauamerica.com/model...o40_3plans.htm
Maybe what you have experienced is a European thing.
In the US the terms were somewhat different. Here we traditionally had LOA which historically never included pulpits etc, LOD (length on deck) which was a measurement from the point where the stem met the deck to the point where the transom met the deck. The 'real' size of a boat is a combination of LOA, LOD, LWL and displacement, with displacement being the perhaps a better size as a predicter of ease of handling, maintenace costs, carrying capacity etc.
Jeff