When concerned with getting the weather hull out of the water, trapping would be the way to go. Trapping would acheive a greater moment arm. But as soon as the weather hull comes up, the leeward hull goes further in creating MORE wetted surface on the lee hull. In light air the crew is typically laying on the leeward hull, creating a very small wind silhouette. When trapped, the wind sees the full length of your crews body, thus creating more resistance to forward motion -- very bad in light air. Seems petty, but if you are trying eek every bit of speed out, that might matter.


To more accurately address your post, the compression will be equal whether trapped or sitting. All the weight of your crew must be reacted by the boat somehow. Sitting on the hull, 100% is going straight into the leeward hull. If you trap out to leeward, some is going to the hull through your feet, some is going up the wire, which puts the mast in compression, which is reacted at the mast base and puts the forward cross bar in bending, which reacts at the hulls as a compressive force. If your weather hull is out of the water by now, it's all being reacted by the leeward hull. Thus 100% is still going to the leeward hull in roughly the exact same spot (since the crew should be quite far forward).


Not to mention, the slightest puff and you are the dude that teabags his crew and capsizes in 3 knts...

Hope that helps.