Alright so I live on the gulf coast of Florida, and would love to get a surfboard. The waves are not usally very big (chest high or so), but there have been more lately due to cold fronts. I'm 6'1 170. I was thinking maybe a 6'6 shortboard, that was really wide and thick. What do you think?
Get a hybrid. It has the handling of a short board and the buoyancy of a long board. Best of both worlds.