So who's the jet boat guru here now???

[76Bonneville]

I don't think I've ever seen a jet that didn't benefit from a ride plate.
Along with that the shoe can be experimented with.
I would run the straight nozzle and play with the Place Diverter to see how it feels with lift.
Rudder in my opinion is not needed at all. Helps with low speed tracking, but with tunnels you got that covered.
Just opinions here, not a guru. Just a guy who drives around in circles.

Here's a Rogers drag boat I recently picked up. A lot going on with the plates on this one.