ORIGINAL: E-snake

Hi,
I have a few questions:
1. what is the advantage onf an inline rudder compared to a.... not inline

An inline rudder allows equal left and right turns, an offset rudder (to the right) can be shorter, has less drag and the boat is faster, left hand turns are wide, but not impossible.

2. What are the advantages of a step monohull compared to a true mono?

A stepped hull has less drag and is faster when using a medium power motor, with brushless power the difference fades, as the hull only rides on the last few inches of the hull. Stepped hulls can be a handfull, setting them up for good cornering.

3. What are the advanteges of a jet drive ofver a hydrodrive and vice-versa/

A jet has incredible acceleration, the surface piercing drive is faster (much faster).

4. Is an ABS hull really so bad compared to fiberglass? Durability wise, will it last? Because for the extra hundred or so for fiberglass, it better be worth it.

I ran my epoxy hull into a wall a few weeks ago, the top and bottom halfs got split open some three inches and the nose was broken off.
It took me two days to repair the damage and tomorrow we race again.
Had this been an ABS hull, it would have been a total loss, as the hull would have disintegrated upon impact and would have sunk, even with the nose hanging open, I was able to steer the epoxy hull back to shore.
( Send me an PM with your emailadress if you want to see pics of the damage and subsequent repair.)

So, yes, epoxy hulls are much stronger; designwise, aka boat handling, there's no difference, most epoxy hulls have an ABS ancestor.

P.S.: If you decide to get one, forget polyester, it's too heavy when sufficiently strong, get an epoxy-resin built one, light and virtually indestructable. (www.mhzusa.com)

Thanks
Ethan