Anybody have any experience with the snail snuffer system.....where can I see one, how much, etc.....Im in the US..........thanks

http://www.marstrom.com/item_show.asp?code_no=M750


http://www.sailmaker.info/tornado.html

If you read the above, you should also know that what Martin and Kristian brought to Athens was a Graham Eeles tube.

Some guys in Houston yesterday (sorry, no names, but maybe the tcdyc.com guys will know) said Goran had come over and set up 5 Marstroms with snails, maybe in Fl and the East coast. Sorry I can't be more helpful...try 1design.net as well, they're specific to the FL area.

Carla at Coconut Grove Sailing has one on her M20.

I've been using a snail snuffer system on my A-class during one season. I've used it during roughly 30 sailing days. I logged an average of 30 Nm each day and I hoisted the spi roughly 5-10 times each trip.

I've heard rumours about wear and tear on the spi. The only fact about wear and tear is from the Tornado homepage that was refered to earlier in this thread. My own experience on wear and tear is that I had no problem at all. As long as the spi doesn't get squeezed against the inside of the snail this system is much kinder to the spi than a normal snuffer.

If you have an uni rigged boat the snail is a good choice, you an mount the snail close to the mast which gives you low drag and good weight distribution. If you have a jib I would recommend a standard snuffer, bag or tube.

You can check this homepage for more details on the snail.

http://www.webbo.dyndns.org/a-cat_sailing/spi/

/hakan

I spoke with Carla's husband at the Tornado Nationals this weekend and asked him about the Snail - he said it was working very well for them and they loved the reduction in windage vs. a hoop and bag.

My only other data point was a comment from a leading F18 sailor who had raced in a portsmouth class against an A-Cat with the snail - he said the only reason he caught the A-Cat was that about half the sets or take downs seemed to screw up.

Perhaps it takes some learning but once mastered is a viable alternative to more conventional snuffer systems.

Chris.

Hakan,
Can you post a or two picture of the inside of the snail without the spin in it?

Thanks

Bill

Kristian and Martin had the snail in front of the jib, that might have added to the wear on the spi..

Id like to see some detail pictures of the inside of the snail..

inside the snail