Need help picking a new board thats right for me please.

[pitbike110cc]

Hey everyone, im 6'1 160 lbs I just started surfing last summer I plan on starting back up in a month (im on the east coast, i usually surf hampton beach NH. or the cape in mass) I picked up surfing pretty quick, i can ride down the line and stay on the board no problem. I currently own a 7'9 bic board and its what i used to learn on. Anyway I need help picking a board thats right for me, i'll describe what im looking for.

I want a board that is good for "Agressive riding" I wanna carve and whip the board around, but I also don't want the board to be too short because I dont think im at that level yet and the waves are not that big. So I really need something that does well in small swell too. I tried riding a 6'4? I think thats what it was, and had a hard time on it. If somone could also provide me with some brand names that would be awesome too I have only bought bic boards so far, thanks.

[Dr Rev]

Hey mate, i used to ride a Bic 7'2" Minimal, and found it easy to learn on,
i now have a 7' Custard point egg and find that much more responsive !

[The Fafanator]

Try a 6.8 or something, get a nice thick board, plus it should be wide-ish.

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

The length should be between 6'4" - 6'8", width should be 19 1/4 - 19 1/2, and thickness between 2 1/2" - 2 3/4". You shouldn't have difficulty duckdiving a board with these dimensions on bigger days. If you get it in EPS or XTR epoxy your board will be lighter and easier to paddle than a standard fiberglass board in the same dimensions (but they do cost more). Lost Mayhem boards have worked out well for me in the past. I liked them a lot more than the Al Merrick boards I've ridden. Perhaps a round nose fish or hybrid fish shape before going for a standard shortboard shape. I assume you want to shortboard if you want to shred. The idea is to get the smallest board you can still catch waves on because the smaller the board, the easier it is to throw into turns. Taj Burrow is a great surfer to watch video of since he rips on small waves (on big waves too).