what type of waves does a russ short model excel at, heard it was solid in the juice but does it go in tiny mush too?
My 7'6" bonzer is not a russ short model, it seems to favor waves in the 4-6' range, does not like tiny mush 
If you havn't already , email J.P. at the surfy surfy blog ,
Never met the man , but I'm certain he'll give you honest advice.
The nice thing about a Bonzer is That the board can be any size of shape. Short , Long fat. Skinny, round egg like shape. or a narrow Spear gun. Take your pick 3 fin bonzer or 5 fin bonzer. Me I'm thinking a bonzer pig would be a fun ride But that's just me.
The surfysurfy blog (as mentioned) has lots of great bonzer shots, even bonzer longboards! I referred to it often when planning my bonzer build.
Russ short model is made for better waves but bc of its retro foil it does grovel but that is not what it is intended for.