It is my understanding that when Jimi first learned how to play, he simply didn't know any better and played a right handed guitar left handed. According to myth and legend, he could pretty much play any way he felt like. Oh and keep in mind that the strings themselves were upside down! Left handed guitars were quite rare in those days, so I would figure it was just easier for him to get right handed guitars - especially if he was going to burn them and stuff
Paul McCartney had no problem finding left handed guitars, the problem wasn't that they were rare, at least no rarer than they are today it was that they cost a fortune at the time and some players would rather adapt than than pay the extra, what you say is true of how Jimi started out but as
And to be fair to Jimmy, tab is written with the stings oriented that way. Who the hell thought of that... ? Not thinking people... Being a musician, highest on top I get but it would be so much easier reading tab with the strings in the same orientation on the page.
If I look at tabs I just look at them in a mirror, but my string arrangement is a mirror image of a standard right handed guitar, I would imagine Jimi would have just turn the page upside down, but having said that what he did came out of his head and probably didn't use them, I doubt he would have been bothered if other players couldn't read his tabs,