I also make what are called ledger rigs, running ledger rigs, and pulley rigs. These three plus the Brinn rig should be enough to get you going good.
I suggest googling these to see diagrams of how they are put together. I invented two of them myself...of course later I discovered them on-line. Apparently they have been around for decades. Made me mad actually, as I had put in alot of effort designing them, and I had even named them.
The ledger rig is a good one for interchanging traces and using the same rig for different applications and species. I highly recommend that you add a clip down feature to it. This will allow stupid distance to be easily added. I make several variations of the rig, and all have this clip down feature.
I like to start with a heavy mono leader material, 100# test is good, 80# will work though. I cut a piece about three feet long and tie a swivel to one end. Then I slide on my clip down, which for this rig, is an Impact Shield from www.breakawayusa.com. Wonderful bit-o-kit here. They are nearly foolproof, and quite versatile. When ordering, obtain some Davis Crimps as well. They have a few other items that are useful, but....you have to decide for yourself. Any old ways, slide on the Impact Shield, including a bead and I want you to use one of your Davis Crimps to finish it out. Then tie on another swivel and add a clip and a sinker.
The Davis crimp has a silicone sleeve inside. You crimp it lightly, and it will slide up and down. The adjustment isn't tough to do, just remember that the line will be wet when fishing, so make adjustments on a wet line.
Near the top, form a Dropper Loop. These are great little knots BTW. You can manipulate the loops to control the length of the final loop prior to the quick cinch down move. Make this knot with a one inch long loop. Now tie up a trace. Hook at one end, swivel at the other. The length should be close to what the main rig body measures from loop to sinker. A little short is the way to go here. From here you simply put the loop through the swivel, bring the hook up and through the loop, and engage. DO NOT allow the looped line to go all the way though. Instead stop it shy and let it lash the swivel. This causes the swivel to stand straight out. Your offset comes from the fact that the swivel is stuck to the loop and the heavy mono also acts like a boom.
Now simply bring the hook down and adjust the Impact Shield to engage it. The fact that you used Davis Crimp is key here. Because it allows you to adjust the shield to the trace. You want the shield as close to the sinker as possible, but this is very difficult to manage. Tying traces all to an exact length usually requires crimping the thing. OK...I guess, but not necessary.
Now make up several different trace lines, all about the same length, the length that works for this rig. You can make light weight mono leaders and even steel leaders.
You can fish this rig for small whiting one minute, exchange traces and fish for bluefish the next. This happens to be my shark rig. I love it for sharks. Little bitty 5/0 hook with 90# test steel leader, catches them right in the gums and from there it is all over. I can pitch the thing a mile and have yet to lose a shark on it. The dropper loop is strong. For sharks, make the rig able to use an 18" trace. That is all you need.
Another...is the running ledger. Unfortunately I have had to manufacture my components for this. But basically, you can make due with a simple swivel. It is exactly the same as above, except you don't use a dropper loop. Instead, as you construct it, you slide onto the main rig body, a regular old crimp, a bead, a swivel, a bead, and a regular old crimp. Now take the swivel and slide it to near the top of the rig and fasten one of the crimps. Then slide the remaining mess altogether, and keep them tight tight, and then squeeze down the remaining crimp. This is a trapped bead system and offers standoff, but also allows the bait to twirl in the current, due to swivel, and allows the entire swivel to turn around the rig body. This eliminates most tangles.
To make it a running ledger, skip the top crimp, and now the swivel does all of this, but also can climb up the rig body, too. Lots of action, but you do lose some standoff ability, but....it isn't terrible or anything either.
The pulley rig is by far my favorite, at least lately LOL. I tie up a main rig body out of heavy mono 80# test is good. Tie on a swivel and a clip and sinker to one end. From there run the top through your pulley of choice. A big swivel will suffice, although I enjoy my bits and bobs instead. But.....after the line is passed through the swivel, you add standoff here. I suggest a bead, then perhaps a bar mixing straw cut in half, then a bead and then tie on another swivel. The two swivels at either end can be small ones, but the middle one should be big. This is because it will ride the rig body and small ones dig too easily. From here you simply make up traces to fasten to the swivel. They need to be shorter than the main rig body. I want the main rig body to come up, over and down at least six inches. This is because it has to withstand the forces of casting. A sinker, like my specialty ones, soon available, with a bait clip work for the clip down. Just bring the hook down and fasten to this bait clip attached to the sinker and cast away.
You do have to use somewhat heavy traces with this rig. Because half the stress of casting is directly on that trace. Easy to snap off. But...40# will work confortably and well. The overall length is best short to moderate, but you can make it longer of you desire. If you don't have any of the World's Greatest Surf Fishing sinkers- Hi-Flights, you might could modify some stuff and fasten yourself up something to work. Impact Shields will not withstand the cast and will slide and release prematurely. Breakaway also makes a great pulley, called the Proper Pulley, but they are not available in USA. Great thing. You could hunt around on carp fishing sites and find a Fox Pulley Bead. I hear they are OK, but sometimes the swivel fails. But...better than nothing I guess and can be found in USA.
The middle swivel is what attaches to the shock leader. The rig is cast, then the trace swivel slides up to the pulley. This squeezes the beads and the straw and this creates standoff.
I do not recommend making Brinn rigs with clips for interchanging. This kind of defeats the purpose for the rig. It is meant to be stealty and should be void of stuff. For it you want two swivels and a clip and a sinker, that's it. The traces are tied, and therefor are less visible. Put some clips there and stuff like that, and you might as well skip it. Plus they would tangle. Richard ties his with loops, then ties loops on the ends of his traces, and then connects loop to loop. I think you are far better off simply tying up a nice selection of Brinns, and instead of interchanging traces, switch out whole rigs.
I hope this helps people and doesn't just confuse. Last January Jeff Rafter asked me to assist with his classes. I regret that I didn't really tie any rigs, but rather tried to show the students that there are all kinds of rigs. There is so much to learn, and who knows, maybe you will design a new rig that someone else hasn't already done up. I only have one so far, but I do have my sinkers and my sand spikes. I have had to fashion much of my stuff, and this is because there is no real market for surf fishing stuff. Them that are into it, make their own, or they buy from friends. The club is good for this kind of thing. Hopefully, Jeff will invite me back and my boss will let me attend, and you will see clear to be present yourself. Seeing it done in real time is really so much better than trying to decipher my words. This is because most of you people don't speak proper english, and think me funny.
Good luck and try to have fun with it all. Your supposed to be having fun.