I dunno, after seeing the pics of the waves on and through this thread (even the weak stuff I dug up at superiorsurf ), I’d say don’t over-think it. Find a good image of a longboard online that is meant for weaker surf (and by weak I mean don’t target a rockered 2+1 or thruster meant for hawiian waves) and emulate that. Personally, I really like the Takayama Model T (I like my longboards to be longboards and my shortboards to be shortboards), which I ride in everything from shin to chest high (could ride it in bigger but I prefer other boards for that territory).
Something strikes me as really off about the last outline you posted. Looks drifty in the nose and sink-y in the tail.
So UP, you’ld be Steve then. The board in my pick is one I made for this Chris. I sport a little red Hyundai.
Mike
[img_assist|nid=1055760|title=Wow|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=444|height=335]
Take a look at the distribution of the rocker and the profile in the Sakal board. That’s a nice looking board. The proper rocker and outline will help make the board paddle and turn easier.
I think that there’s a lot more rocker on longer boards that you’d think, but it is spread out and gradual so you don’t really notice it. You can slow a board down by adding belly in the bottom and rounding off the rails. You can can also stand further back or do kick stalls to slow a board down.
Purely speaking on how the boards in Hawaii are, I’d say more rocker for a longer board, but it’s gradual and not too curvy. Also keep the amount of nose and tail rocker about even, and don’t flatten it out in the tail. Let the rocker curve flow out to the end with a little kick in the tail.
For a beginner, maybe a little more rocker in the tail to help keep him from pearling.
I used to teach friends on the most effed up 1960’s log. I got it for $10 and probably still paid too much. It was a Joe Quigg from Hermosa Beach that someone had snapped the nose off. Someone, befor me, got their hands on it and destroyed it with the worst resto ever. They peeled off all the old fiberglass, screwed up the outline, filled holes with abalone shell and glassed the old fin back on (with out removing the old torn volan at the base). In the end the board lost volume, had one straight and one curved rail, an unbeveled sqaure noseand almost no rocker from the original snap, and the fin leaned to the right. I only rode it once or twice while my buddy was resting. I fucking killed on that board at the Hermosa and Huntington Piers, it was really fun for a heap. You could take the 9 ft generic specs in aku shaper, make no adjustments, butcher the shaping, hack the glassing, and still surf it just fine. Make a board, learn from your mistakes, and repeat again and again and again.
Don’t believe me? Here proof. I especially like the coffee table in the last 20 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybWV9YpUCxs
Old surfer: I’ll second that the last outline you posted looks a bit off… from my experience boards with same nose and tail widths seem to work pretty good.
as you get better and figure out your surfing and shaping you’ll find what you don’t like.
Mike: that EPS block is HILARIOUS!
I got a brother in the cities, and sister and kids about an hour west… this winter when its frozen I’m makin the trip out there… we’ll have to meet up and tell lies about waves. 
Steve, Lookin’ SICK for late Sunday into Monday for Marquette. You gotta get some pics.[img_assist|nid=1055800|title=GLCFS 12.12.10|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=1010|height=763]
the lake can be so good. I got way better waves at st. joe this year than I did the whole time I lived in San Diego. It was almost creepy. Like 1 ft. overhead and perfect glassy waves with a 3mph offshore and no texture at all. Fully shaped and powerful waves with long rides. Did I mention Only two people out and 78 deg air, 70 deg water. It was crazy when a pallet floated through the lineup, was thinking about hoping on during a ride and docking my board mid ride.
So the secret for lake boards is to look at the differences in the waves your surfing. In most conditions they are less steep with a kind of small lip at the top. So flatter rocker to keep your speed on a mushy wave with some extra tail kick to fit in the wave. Fishes ad some tail kick, longboards about the same, shortboards look at groveler shorties and add bring down the nose rocker. It helps to hide some foam under the chest too. Just like the ocean boards change alot with conditions, id argue more than the ocean because i could ride a short fish or standard shortboard almost year round in sd but around here I use alot of my quiver by necessity.
Check out my blog for examples at risensonsurfboards.blogspot.com and feel free to pm me with any questions. Also on thirdcoast forum with same username.
It was reported in the LA Times this AM that during this last storm the Great Lakes had waves up to 25 feet(!)
"By Sunday, Chicago was feeling the storm's wrath, with wind gusting to 47 mph. The weather forced the cancellation of 1,700 flights at Chicago airports and blew the roof off the Skyline Stage at Navy Pier.
At midday, a 63-mph gust was measured on Lake Michigan near Chicago. A little after 4 p.m., high water closed one lane along Lake Shore Drive.
Waves up to 25 feet crashed along the shore, eroding beaches in northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan."
Even with that big ole storm and sub zero temps a whole mess of our crew made it up to Superior. Of the 60 plus of us, almost everyone is riding boards made for the ocean and are doing just fine. Not to come off as a dick, but being new to surfing, you probably won’t notice a difference. A natural rocker will be more forgiving on the take off which is where you are going to spent the rest of the next year trying not to eat shit. Having owned an eleven foot Andres that had zero rocker on the deck, you really have to be quick to keep that nose out of the water. Watch some of the old 60s surf movies( ie Surfing Hollow Days streamed through netflix). Those guys were working way harder to do what we take for granted today. Once you are up and going you are planing off the rear of the board, but you never get that far if you get discouraged because you keep pearling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rRhPPAQ0s0
Here’s a link to a bunch of guys killing it on standard boards in the lake last weekend.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43087670@N02/
http://benmoren.com/surf/stoney_point_12_12_10/