Been lurking around this forum for a bit, trying to soak up as much information as I can. I think the time has come to replace old yeller

My current board is made by Progressive, and I'm fairly certain it is "The Jet", in 7'8" by ~22.5" wide by ~2 7/8" thick (measured as best I could, rounded up a touch).
http://www.progressivesurfboards.com/THE_JET.html
I am 26 years old, 5'9", 150-155 lbs (70kg), and somewhere between a competent beginner/low intermiate (I think?). My paddle ability at the moment is pretty good. I can get into waves sometimes with only 4-6 strokes.
I mostly surf beach breaks (El Porto mostly) in SoCal, but I'd like to venture to some point breaks.
I have been surfing on/off for about a year, but I have recently REALLY caught the surfing bug and surf about 2-4 times a week now. I can currently ride green waves down the line both ways (comfortable in the 2-4' range), making some turns. I had an "aha!"

In the last couple weeks I have become much more consistent, and have had a much higher success rate. I caught and rode probably 15-20 waves the other morning, ranging from 2-4 feet. Messed up my popup only twice, and missed about 4 waves, mostly due to trying to go for waves when I had only just gotten back to the lineup.
I like this Progressive board I have, but it feels like it's on its way out. It is very yellow, has cracks in many places, has started to delaminate where I push with my right hand for a pop up. On top of that I'm pretty sure it is water logged. It is heavier than it used to be, and sits lower in the water than it used to.
What I want out of my new board is to continue the progress I have made recently, make tighter and tighter turns, learn to cutback better, and do some floaters. I don't feel that my current board was holding me back in any way, but I think it's almost time to retire it.
What I'm looking at now is a Lost Crowdkiller (seems to be a similar outline to my current board), but I'm unsure of which size to get. Surf shop workers were recommending it in 6'6", but I think that might be a tougher transition. Maybe something like 7' would be better? I made the mistake of buying way too short of a used board a few months ago (CI 5'10" T-Low), and I don't want to become a bobber! I'd like to give that board another go, but I'm probably still not ready for something that's 28L! I really wish I had read through this forum before buying it.
I'm also reading a lot about this Firewire Addvance, spitfire, and dominator here, maybe like these?
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo ... 51817.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo ... 83538.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo ... 05183.html
What do you guys think? Sorry for the long-winded post. I greatly appreciate any advice!