Most potential owners of custom or production yachts complicate their decisions by expecting (or trying to make) the boat of their dreams do too much. Every boat is a series of compromises since it needs to perform differently at different times. This problem intensifies dramatically as you put together a list of "gotta" requirements that may well be a series of opposites.

"I want a comfortable boat for the great circle route, but maybe someday I’ll want to cross oceans." "I want a sturdy go anywhere passage maker, but I’ve got to have shallow draft for the islands."

As you create your list try not to fall into this trap or the boat you buy will probably fall short of your true needs most of the time. Frankly, conflicting requirements are often unresolvable. The "ideal" coastal cruiser will rarely be the "ideal" offshore cruiser. I suggest analyzing what you plan to do with your boat 80% of the time. Put the elements that support those cruising goals at the top of your list. If other needs must be met occasionally, look at ways to temporarily modify the boat to be acceptable in that occasional case. Do not, however, make those characteristics the focus of your search. A boat that tries to do too many things rarely does any of them well.