Originally Posted by
Piggity
J, was thinking about your question and thought of a few questions I shoulda asked before replying. Have you tried any other boards similar to that size? How are you doing on that 7'6"? What's driving the move down in size? Are you looking at that board because it's cheap or because you fondled it and love it? What about that 6'10"?
The drop down in size to a 6'4" will be a pretty big difference for paddle power and stability. Sometimes a shorter board ='s lack of paddle power on bigger days and can make for paddling in place against the current or being late on the drop and pitched into the flats, I have first hand experience in that area. The offset here is the better duck diving ability of a shorter board when done properly. If you have not ridden similar dimensions then try out a similar board and get a feel for what you want before dropping some cash. You might even be able to demo that board if you look around town