Longboarder to more aggressive short(er) board?

[shabooyablue]

I'm 6'3" and 175 lbs. Surfing a McTavish 9'2", 22"1/2, 3" Stylist squash tail, 2+1 fins, for 3 1/2 years, 3-5 days a week. Strong paddler. Puerto Rican waves, 2 to 8 feet, but looking to get into faster/bigger waves. Surfed a 6'6", (maybe) 20", 2.75" pintail hybrid, glassed on thruster set-up this morning. Loved it! Want more! Medium level turns and responsiveness, sludgy take offs due to the board, felt like the pintail held me back, no problem paddling in. Also surfed longer longboards, 7'6" hybrid, 6'0" short board (tons of rocker, not enjoyable).

Questions:
1) Tail type? If I'm looking for both stability in the take off and aggression in the turns, what tail satisfies both needs?

2)Width? 2.75" was almost too girthy, but I don't want a potato chip, either. What's the happy medium?

3) Length? Don't wanna go too short, but want to stay aggressive.

4) Fins? Looking for speed, stability, and strong turns. Only surfed 2+1 set-up, and thruster. Is a quad gonna give me what I want?

5) Fish, Hybrid, or shortboard? With the aggressiveness that I'm asking for, should I just go for the short board? I'm used to being able to paddle into almost any wave that I want; and am willing to be frustrated for awhile, but don't want to just catch 2 or 3 waves in a session. Also, looking to also be able to catch the 2-5 footers on the smaller days, if the face is steep enough.

6) Tuflite, Surf-Tech, Fiberglass? I know this area is personal preference, but float vs. weight vs. paddle vs. durability in this short a board is new to me.

Need: Duck diving capability.

Initial shopping: 7S Super Fish, Channel Islands Dumpster Diver, Channel Islands Biscuit and/or Gravy.

I know I'm asking for the world in a board here, but you guys know and have surfed the world in comparison to me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. All invited to reply.

[billie_morini]

Q. Know what happens when a longboarder goes short?
A. He nose walks right off the board.

[tony g]

I would ride a few more boards before you buy, and try to dial in what you are looking for.