If a snuffer bag has that much windage that it causes a cat to run deeper then one without, what about the higher bows of the Viper versus the Blade. Would a Blade sail higher because the bows have less windage?
Welcome to the world of boat design. Every feature and descision is compromise. Big volume and high freeboard provide more wave drag and windage. Lower of these can cause beam slap and increaded wetted surface.
The list of compromises is imense. Most boats have gradualy drifted into a minor range varience where the whole thing works pretty well. Changes to stuff like this is really nit picky and of such marginal difference between plaforms as to be ridiculous. I doubt there are more than a couple sailors in the world who could actually tell a difference.
It all goes back to the ballance thing as Rolf said. Nothing you can do or change on the boat will equalize things exactly. Get it close and go sail.
If you worry about it, then it is slow no matter what. If you think it is fast then it is.
