difference b/t skim style surfers and regular?

we have a LF venture long board and a cwb ride wake surfer. im toying w/ the idea of getting a "skim style" surfer. can anyone tell me if they are worth the $$. looking at getting a short snappy board. like a 4'5".....

I hear the phase 5 boards are more like the skim style. Seems lots of people like them. I'm going to be buying a surfer next summer!!! Do you like your venture? I'm thinking of getting the 5'0. My friend has a CWB one that was fun as well.

I'm also going to look into Shapiro's new line of surfers as well.

The Phase 5 boards are the absolute best ride. They use their rails more than the fins for tracking and the tiny fin makes surface stuff easy. I like em because you get a little weight on the front and it will rocket up the wave back into the pocket.

TS- the venture is actually my friends that i ride w/. its super easy to ride and you can do long board tricks like sit down and ride on your butt pretty easily. or you can actually walk up and down it too, like a long board. id definitely reccamend it as a 2nd board.

is skim or surf style referred to the manufacturer of a board? : cwb, hyperlite or phase 5, triple x. like actual surf companies vs. wake companies.

or is it the the size fin and fin configuration??