Make a longer board for sure! I make a lot of 7' leaders and my board is 8'+. I have counterbored the peg holes so I can move the pegs to produce different length leaderss on the same board. I started with Kat's DVD also but have tweeked her formula a bit. Butt section 40%, intermediate and tippet sections 30% each. I use tippet rings from J Stockard, a sponsor here. Have fun and don't be afriad to ask questions.