Ten years ago I had been on a grand total of one wooden coaster; Scooby Doo at Carowinds. I was deathly afraid of wooden coasters, because I thought they were ALL rough, old, and 'rickety.' That summer of 2000, my family went to Six Flags Over Georgia, where after much coaxing, Georgia Cyclone became my 2nd wooden coaster, or really, first "real" wooden. I wasn't absolutely in love with it, but I didn't hate it as you describe either. It was fairly rough, but from my understanding it has pretty much always been that way.
Georgia Cyclone taught me that while a lot of wooden coasters are rough to some extent, they are still fun.
Do not think ALL wooden coasters are like Georgia Cyclone, because that is far from the truth. Some are very smooth, with lots of airtime, and some are even rougher than Georgia Cyclone. Wooden rides will even variate from day to day, or from hour to hour.
Since that ride on Georgia Cyclone 10 years ago, I have been on 126 more wooden coasters (and counting!), and each one has been a unique experience. Some have even been among the best rides in the entire world. The thing about *most* good wooden coasters are they aren't at large chain parks like a Six Flags or Cedar Point, most are "off the beaten path" so to speak at places like Holiday World, Indiana Beach, Knoebels, Lake Compounce or Waldameer just to name a few.
If you want to see where some of the best wooden coasters on the planet are, a good place to start is with
this poll. Enthusiasts from all over the world cast their ballots to get some idea of what and where the best wooden coasters in the world are.
Short version: Please continue to ride more wooden coasters, they rule.
