I prefer to have the "snail" close to the mast to gain most advantages with the setup, and it is easy to reach in case something needs to be fixed. If something messes up with a snuffer you have more trouble accessing it when you are out on the water.
That is not true Hakan. The snuffer itself never hangs up, how can it it ? It is only a ring and a bag. If there is trouble then it is because the sheets hook on the hull, halyards get jammed or one of the blocks jams up or gets broken. All this will cause exactly the same hassle on a boat with a snail.
I think some of the snail "advantages" are just thought up in order to differentiate it from a snuffer. You should try a well designed snuffer setup a few times. I think you will find that the differences that are indeed there are pretty small. Most likely to small to really matter and that is why the ring+bag is the most used snuffer setup on cats these days.
Wouter
