Greg,

The jib on these boats does make a difference in power, but should not effect pointing abilty to weather.

If you are experiencing a lot of helm - especially on 1 tack, it sounds most like 1 of the rudders was not going fully down. You can check the engagement of the rudders on the trailer and make sure they are both fully seating in the head and tucking under the same amount relative to a straight line down the transom. I have not found any difference in helm with either set up.

On the spin douse; pull the slack up in the snuffer line fully before releasing the halyard, this will at least get the spin headed for the hoop sooner. Get the wad in the snuffer before releasing the tack. Once the wad is in the snuffer you are free to manouver without fear of shrimping the spin. The lighter the air the more prone the spin becomes to going under the hull or wrapping sheets around the hoop. Keeping the excess slack in the lines back on the tramp instead of up front will help avoid this.

Matt