First off, as I posted a while back, I do not understand why you simply do not use v-bulletin. It's only about $15. per month, and is crazy-user friendly, and user- familiar. (eg. http://forum.calgarypuck.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34 )
That being said:
3 suggestions that I would make so far are:
1. Having only the first 3 lines of each particular post displayed, with a "Read More" link to go to that post, as well as a rollover feature that displays the full text of that post.
2. The " >> " on most, if not all, forums and searchable sites means "go the last page. (The " > " means go the next page.)
(check page bar http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=100481&page=340 )
3. When submitting a post, most have the Save or Post button to the left, and the Cancel button to the right. (I have already cancelled posts instinctively.)