Mike,
Thank you very much for the suggestions. If things do not work out with the Lotus I will absolutely look into Coiler and Donek. Although I do not know if I'm at the level to be customizing my own board. Maybe someday soon.
Steph,
That's wonderful to hear you've already rocked the Lotus and would recommend it! I'm going to do my best to demo the board before I commit (I think Out of Bounds demos the 154). I'm really happy to hear it was holding its turns well - would you recommend putting a bevel on the edge right away? How did you find the transition between turns? I have the feeling it's going to have more of a surfing feel versus that pop and I'm afraid I'm going to miss popping out of my turns.
Lets make a date to ride together this year - I'd love to watch and learn from you!
Elisa