i am interested in trying a 1:2 spin halyard set up. Imagine only having to pull half as much line. That would speed things up.

Yes, but I think that is a reciprocal arrangement: 1:2 up = 2:1 down.

My thinking is 1:1 and reduce drag as much as possible.

I'd like to see the snails developed a bit further.

Works really well for the first 9/10th of the uphaul and then the spinny starts to fill, the last 1/10th is just a pain and 3 out of 10 hoists you can't complete without going dead down wind, don't ask me how I know.

good info. thanks for posting it! I'll skip trying it. have enough maintenance to do otherwise since I never have time to do it.

Will a modern spi furl well? When I looked at this way back furling was an issue. Perhaps there have been developments, or do we still have to compromise on luff shape and shoulder to make it furl?

I like the snails, but would that really be faster than a regular snuffer?

Good question on the shape, it would be worth a chat with a sail maker. I agree with you on the snail you're still hoisting and retreving the kite, as far as I can see it could only have more friction. There would be a slight windage advantage but I suspect it would be offset by the friction and the reported ware on the sail inflicted by the early models.

I 'know', well, sort of know.. that a regular spi will furl poorly due to the shape of the luff and shoulder. But I was thinking perhaps we got some new furling gear that would be able to handle this better?

I definately would like some option for uni's to set and douse spis as fast or faster than the sloops!

I hoist my spinny just as fast uni as sloop, the problem is, when I'm uni I can't steer at the same time. We need to figure out a way to set the spinny with one hand, quickly, while steering with other...

what if there were a way to put a spinlock or some type of cleat on the snuffer line so you could at least pull it down with one hand? If you pull the snuffer line with the current set up then you need positive control of it all the time so it doesn't go crazy. if you had that cleat then you could pull, let go, reach further up and pull again. Clearly not as efficient and fast as doing it 2 handed but might be worth a try. I'd be willing to try it, but where would I put the cleat?

well, now that I think about it, we do this when we raise the spin and you still need both hands for that.
oh well...

My tackline cleat is mounted under the front beam and is released by a ring that the halyard runs through.

This is cool if your cruising on your 60 foot shitter. But far from perfect. To coin a phrase (dont ask me how i know.)

The single line system works very well for us. Can set the kite just as quick if not quicker than the 2 line f18s. Cant expect much better than that. 1 line would be the best option for 1 up uni in my opinion.

Check out this review of 3 single handers in Y&Y UK, thing to look for is not the cat but the RS700, read the 'off the wind' system. You'll see it has a 'pump' system to raise the spin one handed. Anyone at a UK club seen this up close? A friend of mine had a 700 when I last lived in UK, but I never bothered to check this system out.

http://www.shadowsailing.org.uk/documents/TrapezeSinglehanderGroupTest.pdf

See page 24 and 25 of the owners manual to get some pictures of how the system works:

http://www.rssailing.com.au/pdf/rs700ownersmanual.pdf

My concern would be how quick you could get the spin down with the halyard under enough bungy tension to make the system work. It's tempting to try it out, in my case I think I can get a lot better at the two line system before I start changing things too much.

I prefer two line oover one line as the split drop gives you steering window without the risk of running over the kite and you can set up for the hoist before you round the mark.

How would gybing the spi be done with this system? And can the spi be furled on both tacks?

Using a "pump" system allows for single handed setting and retrieving, so you can actually keep a hand on the helm as well.

Bungee tension dont have to be really high. Just enough to take up and slack in the system.

I'm changing my single line spin halyard to a two line system. How far up the mast should I mount the cleat?

you want to pull it up when you are standing up or sitting down?

Kneeling.

then put it on your mast where kneeling works