Hi Mike,
Interesting set of questions;
1).My main is attached to the boom by the usual boltrope, but I have beefed up the outhaul from the normal internal 3:1, by adding a 2:1 whip after the deck organiser, and taking the fall to one of the now redundant camcleats for the old centre mainsheet traveller control. I can ease and flatten the foot of the main in any conditions.
2).The spinnaker stowage system is one much used by lightweight sprtboats and the like where keeping weight on the rail at all costs is deemed desirable (think J24 or Sonata). Whilst keeping weight off the foredeck/lee rail is always helpful the 275 displaces twice as much as either of the named boats so perhaps the imperative is not so pressing? A good side launch bag used just forward of the mast(where your foredeck person will be in any event fiddling wth the spinny pole) may suffice.
3).Tricky one that. I have pondered installing a track across the cockpit but a whole raft of questions keep coming up.
End of boom sheeting is clearly mechanically advantageous but that puts the track across the portside locker lid. Drop the track to the floor of the cockpit or put it across just under the vertical front part of the locker lid and is it really long enough to be effective? put it across the bridgedeck and you ruin the cosy corners of the cockpit to sit back in after racing and run the risk of decapitating or breaking the fingers of your crew exiting the cabin after repacking the spinny or while stuffing the spinny back into that nice bag suspended in the companionway!
I am inclined to stick with my ultra-simple strongpoint (Wichard)in the cockpit floor, and have a really beefy vang with loads of mechanical advantage to control the leech of the main. I have a Z-Spars rigid vang on which I have increased the "gearing" from 4:1 to 16:1, and am trying to find ways of getting upto 24:1.
4) I have one of these pods. Try googling it or just speak to your local electronics man or chandler. The front unscrews so its easy to get at the instruments.
Above all REMEMBER that although blinding boatspeed makes anyone look a tactical genius, you are likely to make far more gains by nailing the start,having a slick crew, going the right way, eliminating mistakes, and being consistent!
PS Isn't Leaway II also a rare late fixed-keel 285?
John.
275/30 "Cascada"