Is bigger always better? According to Boating Industry magazine, boats over 46 feet were the fastest growing segment of the new-boat market last year. The reason? It appears that as builders streamline production costs, and powerful winches, bow (and even stern) thrusters, and every imaginable electronic convenience allow a crew of two to handle increasingly larger boats, a 40-foot cruising boat doesn’t seem as big, comfortable, or fast as it used to. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for smaller and mid-size coastal cruisers; rather, production and semi-custom builders are scratching the itch that every boatowner probably has—desire for a bigger boat—in a way that’s resonating with prospective buyers. This is a logical progression from the days when most boats in any given harbor were under 40 feet. Average boat size has been on the rise for years. A bigger boat isn’t necessarily better—beauty being always in the eye of the beholder—but the production and semi-custom boats that follow make a pretty good case.