Normally I fall under the happy to be in the water philosophy as well. But when your trusty board has turned yellow and you bring your board to work (you work 75 feet from the beach and you leave every day when it is dark) and the few times you get out the waves have gone from fun, clean 3 foot surf to waist high wind chop; you tend to get frustrated. Especially that I could look out the hotel window and watch the waves drop out. It was all adding into the big picture of stress. Plus the multitude of other issues.
As for that awful board...I think if I lived at Lennox Head or if waves still broke in the port...It would have been fun to use. Sadly, our waves do close out and you have to be quick to get in some turns. Now with a normal board with some hidden volume, life is grand again!
So yeah, I think your next board will be a winner, Rooster and it will keep things going for you. Some extra foam can be helpful on a shortboard and with the right rails (keep them thin) you can still dig them in and snap the board around. It is why that I am still shortboarding in my 50s.