Upgrading Board

Question
Mr. Dean, I have been sailing a 2001 Techno 283 Board. 283 cm long - 69 cm wide - 153 Volume. I want to get a newer style board. I'm 180 lbs 6 feet. I'm an intermediate sailor. Can't jibe yet but I'm getting pretty good at water starts.  What volume would you recommend? I usually sail in 12-16mph winds. I have sails from 5.8 up to 9.3. Would going down to a 130-135 be too low? I want to start sailing in higher winds to challenge myself. I have been looking at Mistral Explosions, F2 Stokes, JP Excites, and Fanatic Sharks. Any suggestions? Thank you! Doug

Answer
I sail with a friend who weighs the same as you and he uses his 125 liter (old) Seatrend almost all the time. He can waterstart and jibe effortlessly however he can easily uphaul it when necessary. So 125 liters would be good for you.    I would start to look at boards in this volume because your Techno at 152liters is too close to say 135 or 140 liters.  Call around to some of the mailorder board sellers and your local shops and ask what they have in 125 liter boards.  Also check your local Craigslist ads for used boards but don't buy a board that is more than around 5 years old.  Take note of the width of the boards after you have done your research and don't go too wide or too narrow.