Boards are not all similar, maybe once you get into a true surf style board them become more similar in some ways.... Doomswell is true surf style board and much thicker than most non-custom boards. They are fast buoyant boards in my experience. I started as a beginner on a Liquid Force skim style board but found it hard to stay in wave cause it did not support my 205lbs well and I was a noob, so I did not know how to carve and pump to stay in the pocket. I got a Doomswell Neo and it made a huge difference due to buoyancy and design...once I got better, I could easily surf my original skim style from one end of lake to the other. It takes some experience and time tho
Neo and Nubstep are almost identical...except the Nubstep is pointed at front and the Neo is cut flat at front so you can ride it reverse a little easier and its maybe a little more aggressive board in my humble opinion cause you can dig the front edge easier. Either would do find for you. 4' 8" Neo is my primary board and I love it but I have ridden a Nubstep and honestly cannot tell much of a difference, they feel the same to me. Go with 4' 8"...or 4' 10" for your weight. Doomswell does not have a "hybrid" board, I don't know why they call it that by you would think that hybrid means its half surf...half skim and that is not at all the case. Maybe they say hybrid for some other reason, but can assure you, its as thick as any surf style board out there and its as far from skim as it gets. Doomswell is probably the best board you will get for the money....other boards similar quality are more expensive...tough to spend that much unless you can demo and know you will love it.
I have seen plenty of "good looking waves" that are crap cause they have zero push, its just a mound of water basically (if you are not getting a curl, or some kind of sharper lip....there is no "push". Sounds to me like you do not have enough ballast but then again, I don't know how the hull was shaped on the early style VLX, if its not a deep V hull, its not gonna be great for surfing unless you slam it with ballast and 1500lbs will not be enough, especially if only 900 is in rear. The flip side of that is you can have a small wave with great push and surf it for hours, looks are very deceiving on tow boat waves.
If that is what you are working with and dont have the option to add weight...play with it. Pull all weight to rear, more to center, etc. You may even want to slightly list to the side you are surfing, even with a suck gate...I have seen that make a difference with the push.
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