Here is my opinion. Like Belly Buttons - everyone has one. LOL !
There are a few other Ocean Crossing boat designs out there (Nordhavn, Diesel Duck, Selene, Kadey Krogen, etc., amongst others), that are Full Displacement Ballasted Ocean Crossing Designs -- And they all command a premium price over a typical semi-displacement or plaining hull boat like that nice & good looking North Pacific 45 you have.
I can tell you from personal experience of over 50 years of Open Ocean boating & being a Coast Guard licensed 100 ton captain for 30 years, that it is worth every penny when you life is on the line.
I was in the Farallon Patrol out of Brisbane Marina near you for a long time & we took people out to the Farallon islands & back & also transported supplies out there in all kinds of snotty weather, when no one else would go, - went out under the golden gate right into the teeth of the north Pacific right there in your back yard & I can tell you boat design make a big difference.
When the weather turns to **** & your a thousand miles to the nearest land, nothing better than a boat designed to take it.
IMHO - There is absolutely No substitute for the right design & build quality. I'll take a strong more conservative build every time over a flashy go fast design.
However, It is expensive to do that & to be honest, most people don't need that, as they are weekend boaters & go out only in relatively good weather like making runs to Catalina.
Sitting at your desk on your computer as we both are now &/or discussing it with friends over a beer in your living room there in Palo Alto, or even being out on San Francisco bay is a whole different thing than actually being out in it with your family (wife & kids, etc.) & friends along with you & them looking up to you & them trusting you & they are depending on YOUR judgement in choice of boat design to get them home safe.
Truth is, 95% of power boats are NOT designed to cross oceans & they are cheaper to build & sell for less as a result of the less rigorous conditions they are built to endure.
It is not hype that ocean crossing boats like the Kadey Krogen or Nordhavn designs are more expensive. They have to be or you don't make it !
There is no substitute for quality & the fancy stuff does not keep you alive.
We have a KK 42 & we love it. It does what we want & also does well in following seas as a result of it's stern wine glass design, huge rudder & over-sized fast acting Auto Pilot Pump & overall hull design. - but it is an 8 knot boat, & that is not what everyone wants.
We have had over a dozen different boats of all types over the last 50 years & I am sold on the ballasted full displacement hull design for my usage. But most people only do weekend trips and a Full Displacement ocean crossing boat is over kill for that usage. Plus most people want to go faster & never go out in bad weather.
Yes we cruise at 8 knots or so. But we always arrive safe & sound.
We sailed her to Hawaii & back & had no trouble getting insurance for the trip. Others here on TF also in a KK 42 have sailed them to the Marquesas, sort of in the same directions as going to Palau that you mentioned.
Ask to take your current beautiful 45 foot boat to Hawaii or the Marquesas on her own bottom & your insurance company will drop you like a hot rock. -- Their is a reason for that. They know the odds !
So that is my opinion. --
BTW - here is another opinion, My good friend, Richard Boast, who most know here on TF & his boat "Dauntless" took his Kadey-Krogen 42 (just like mine) across the Atlantic Ocean twice - once each way - also toured Scandinavia & British Isles, North Sea, France, Spain & Morocco, Canary Islands, Caribbean Sea, Panama Canal & then did the bash up the Pacific Ocean West Coast all the way to Alaska, as a testament to his Kadey Krogen Ballasted Full Displacement hull design, sea keeping & ocean crossing abilities. I can tell you he would NOT have anything else than a ballasted full displacement hull design under him for those type of trips.
There are a lot of compromises when you design a boat & something like getting better following sea handling means you have a tapered stern & smaller transom & that means less interior room in the boat for same over all length.
another thing is Better speed is often more important to most buyers as well as the lower price tag that comes with a semi-displacement design.
So you pay your money & make your choice. All boats are a compromise.
So, Good luck in your search for the perfect boat at the perfect price for you.
Thanks.
Alfa Mike