Every board will have it's learning curve. You just have to put your time in. No matter what it's not going to be so simple as to the flag is up....no fish.... The flag is down I have a fish. You yourself are still learning to rig and read your boards, then you bring someone else on board and they do something minor different and the board runs completely different. Imagine being a charter. Lol. Everyday it's a training day. With trolling you will catch on, sometimes the rod tells you something is different, sometimes it's the flag and sometimes it's the board. I like having all the same rods so I can see differences. I don't think you want to mix boards though it will just make it tougher to learn. I would order some trutrip 30s though. 30s are plenty deep for most of western basin Put a bait out where u can see the jet diver in the water, maybe a ft or 2 deep. Give it a jerk and it should trip, if not it's to tight. You will get it, it just takes time