I could use a bit of help with this addiction. Last fal Il swapped an extra kayak for a 12'2" Surtech Laird. Had a blast. I am a hard core sea kayaker but never surfed. Quickly got my sea legs and discovered taking turns on the board with my 16 year old son wasn't cutting it so I added a 10'6" Starboard Drive to the quiver. Now we had one each and started catching waves. Got pretty good on the big Laird which requires lots of moving around on the board. Found a sweet deal over the winter on a Naish Nalu 9'6" x 28. The bugger was pretty squirely at first but we quickly got used to it and i's now the prefer ride when it's clean. This brings me to my question - the Naish can be a pain in chop/on shore winds. Would like something that would be good for the marginal days with mushy east coast waves and onshore wind. My beach is south facing so the best waves are actually in the winter with a north wind. Would appreciate board suggestions. I am thinking something 9'-10' X about 30". Was thinking maybe PSH 9'6" wide ripper might be good. Thanks
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How heavy are you.. and welcome to The Breeze..

forgot to mention that Old dude 55, 5'8" 77 kg

Yup, 9'x30" should be a stable platform for you. If you get out in heavy chop, do not hesitate to go wider... 33", 34" and more

Wide with thin rails will be stable yet still lively for your weight. At 77kg you won't need the beefy rails and volume of boards made for 120kg guys (as is common for US brands).
Pointy ends means you don't have to move around much, but are more instable and have more row. For your waves, wide nose and tails will be more fun.

Here are examples, but there are definitely also other good models in most brands.
- The mini mods http://boardworkssup.com/boards/bws.php perhaps the 9'1"
- Jl Kwad I guess the 9'1"
- ... you get the idea.... 130 - 140l, 30"+ wide, wide planshape... between 8'6" and 9'6"