Mike-

Sorry never posted a response the first time.

Your "dilemma" is EXACTLY the same as mine, and I suspect all of us who wish to sail uni but fly a chute around a (short) race course (if you were distance racing you could just use a "bag" for sure- according to Wouter he has even been able to use a bag by himself on shorter courses but if I had other boats around I couldn't or wouldn't do this).

The Inter 17R's of course address this problem (and the BIM 16 did also) by using a "pole end" snuffer but the Inter's (sail plan) was designed around this and Skip just kept piling on the sail area to get the boat to go upwind regardless of the extra windage. Weight doesn't seem to be an issue for Performance-

For us though, weight is a big issue and we are limited to sail area so "extra" windage, weight and weight placement ARE issues-

I first tried a "pole end" snuffer but found it both hard to use (retrieval- launching was easy), and the extra windage took away my "advantage" to weather- I could only point as high as the Hobie Miracle's w/ it. Marstrom has addressed this problem on their M 18 w/ the "snail"- which mounts at the rear of the pole and "winds up" the spinnaker- I've heard it works relatively well, it's CF and from Marstrom so I'm sure it's relatively light but It's bulky, it gets in the way of a jib (neither the M 18 nor 20 have jibs), and you can only drop/raise from one side unless you use twin forestays.

Stealth has addressed the problem by using a "bag" integral within the tramp w/ just a fabric opening (from what I can tell) on the port side just behind the front beam. They tell me this works and with the Stealth large, round front beam there is a "space" there to take advantage of. The Taipan (with wingmast shaped front beam) and BIM (small round front beam) do not have this "space" so you wouldn't adapt so easily to. The disadvantages to this (IMO) are the need to drop/raise on starboard tack (although Stealth says you can do from either?) and it puts the "bag" close to the port hull which could cause some water drag (potentially- just my opinion and I have never actually seen the Stealth or their system but a "bag" under the tramp on a Taipan- or BIM for sure!- would not leave much "clearance" here when on starboard upwind with the port hull laden).

Guck Inc. (one of the dealers- run by Lars Guck, currently No. 1 ranked US tornado skipper) has addressed this problem on the Tornados with a snuffer hoop that attaches to the side of the pole (they call it the "skunk") that (on the Tornados) they place just forward of the bridle. It is very lightweight (mine weighs about 4 lbs dry w/ bag as I recall- the bag is actually half this weight!) and the weight is further back. There is still some windage, but it's reduced compared to the pole end snuffer (and compared to the "snail" IMO), you can launch/retrieve either side w/ your jib, it will accomadate a self tacking jib easily (all the Tornados are going w/ self tackers currently), and it has been "proven" on the Tornados.

You can actually "mount it" anywhere on the pole- from very front to very rear- so IF you wanted to use twin forestays (ala the M 18's and "A" cats) you could mount it at the rear of the pole and there would be almost NO extra windage and still drop/raise either side OR use the stock bridle setup and commit yourself to drop/raises on starboard only (it's made to fit on the port side of the pole). It's not "integral" to the pole so your pole stays "intact" and the only "loads" it has to take are those of the spi coming in and out (pretty low- the "classic" pole end snuffers have to take the loads of the pole).

I personally went with the "skunk" for now and am going to try it just forward of the bridle (ala the Tornados) so I can retain my "standard" bridle configuration and ability to go "sloop" and drop/raise either side-

Will be trying it out as SF and will let you know the results!



Kirt