what are the best all round boards of choice for bop racing (apart from all being 12'6) wider tail concave bottom hard/soft rails, fins, I'm confused...

also what is the ideal paddle length? for bop, is there some formula? short like surf or longer re D/W, width of blade etc, also I'm need direction...thanks

In my experiences a softer rail board works best, as there is less chance on catching a rail and falling. Also I find a moderate sized square tail works the best, easy to pivot turn and to catch waves. You also want a moderate board width, if you go too narrow it will be way to tippy, to wide you'll find it a lot harder to manoeuvre .

My favourite board for bop is the Starboard BOP race, as it has all of the above in my opinion.

As for paddles everyone seems to use their D/W paddle :)

Now fins, most of the guys use a hatchet style fin, theres a few of these on the market, like JM's signature one.

I hope this helps,
Lincoln