Why an Oughtred With a Cabin?

I know I've visited this topic recently, but it's tossing around on my mind & I want to get it down in black & white. 

You have an 18ft Ness Boat, why are you buying a boat by the same designer in the same length? 

While I am impressed with the speed of the Ness Boat, & her beauty, she is very wet. A little spray comrs off the bow, some shoots up her centreboard case but under load ahe takes gulps of water over her rails when hard pressed. So under pump of any breeze 12knots or more, you're full on keeping the water out.And that's on enclosed waters, so her prospects of handling a blow at sea are pretty poor. Sure sailors have done it, & I expect a yawl rig would help keep her head up while reefing as well as offer easier sail options. That gunter main is very large & basically if there is any wind, you need to reef. At 12knots, you need a second reef. But, she moves well & one option may be adding ballast. 

Ness Boat; slender & but overpowered?

But taking her strong points of beauty & speed, & adding a deck would keep her dry. The WS also has significantly more ballast. Interestingly, the builder-owner immediately volunteered that WS is a "much bigger boat". I'm yet to understand what that means in real terms, but he does describe a very stiff hull that carries full sail comfortably towards 18 knots. 

Wee Seal: stout, heavy & sure footed?

So, based on what I'm told, & what Oughtred describes as a "cruising boat", the  prospects are that WS has a stout reputation under sail, she's definitely pretty, but I wonder whether she skips along? If not, I'm not too concerned. What I do want is a tough little boat that will keep me dry & safe in lively conditions along the coast.