Good point.

But the spinnaker requires that the hounds be not too low on the mast.

In my personal situation you must be aware that the top of my mainsail is cut relative full, afterall, I got one of the very first (prototype) F16 mainsails with a large head. So it isn't perfect and I have to pull it into the right shape a little more then the newer designs.

Additionally, alot of my extra load comes from the fact that a large squaretop head requires more sheet tension to set properly. Also my boat is wider then the standard Taipan and I carry a larger mainsail. When I broke the shackles I was regulary sailing it in conditions around 20 knots of wind with some 150 to 160 kg on board.

Wouter