Hi everyone, hope you all had a great Christmas and managed to ride a few waves.

As per my good wife's rules of "one in one out" I moved on my Naish 10x29 Nalu a few weeks ago and on the brought a new SMIK Hipster Twin 8'6"x 31'5 132 ltr, it weighs around 8kg. For reference I am around 6'3" and 95 kg, (209 pounds).





I picked it up on the 22 Dec and have had five days of good waves, which is a little lucky at this time of year around here.

The first day I was more interested in just getting a paddle to see how stable it was and how it would paddle. So I hit my local beach that was breaking knee to waist high at best, clean little runners that did not have a lot of push. The board really surprised me with its stability and more so with its paddling, it's not the fastest but tracks very well and picked up any bump going with ease. It has great glide and the wide nose popped over white water paddling out. As the tide filled in the backwash started running through the break and the board was great to wait out the back on, it was about an hour of surfing before I had a swim.

Also I wanted to play around with the placement of the trailer fin and ended up with it towards the back of the box.





The next few surfs were at my favourite beach that makes the most of any swell and I had two days of punchy over head beach break waves. Even with a lot of water moving the board was great paddling out and I never had to resort to knee paddling. It really came alive with the energy of the waves and felt right at home.

The extra length of the 8'6" and the flat rocker towards the nose gave early entry into the waves. But you have to be a little careful on late critical take offs, to quote Daniel Ricciardo you could just not "lick the stamp and send it" as the width of the nose demands a little respect on very late drops. Mind you this wave steps up quickly out of deeper water and at most breaks it should not be much of a problem, just use the glide of the board to get in early.

Once on these waves the board came alive and was easy to turn, it took me awhile to get my foot placement right. The tail was letting slip a little on the bottom turns if you had your back foot too far forward, but never let go completely.

Those large side fins are great to pump against and when you need to you can really drive the board down the line.




It really gives you a free flowing feel on the wave, but with all the grip when you need it. I was keen to try it out back hand to see how it went, and as expected it felt a little loose at first. After a few waves it became second nature and I managed a large late drop on one memorable wave.

Another day to riding smaller waves, but still plenty of fun had me thinking that my 9"1" Mini Style Lord would spend a lot of time on the rack at home such is the ability of the Hipster to ride the smallest bump.

Then yesterday I was back a the punchy beach break that was smaller but still with some push on the lefts. This was the beach I snapped my first Naish Nalu back in May, and to my dismay(sorry) I arrived home and as I put the Hipster on the rack I found this damage on the nose.






Not sure when it happened, I hope it was yesterday but it needs to be fixed so I need to find a local repairer today.

Bad things happen when you ride backhand

So the Hipster is everything I had hoped for, its that stable I could have gone down a size for sure. However the 8'6"s ability to ride the smallest bump with ease and then handle size as well makes it for me and my local conditions a great choice if I only had one board.

If you are looking for a fun all around board the Hipster should be at the top of your list.


Cheers.

Steve.

Nice one Steve, ouch about the nose!

Thanks Dave, yes I must be careful.

Nice!I have the 8.3 and love it!My missus is pretty easy on the board count so we got a couple of more ( 6 sups right now) and the Hipster is in okay waves by far the favourite.

Great review thanks Steve. Excellent summary of the hipster .... they are a fun board. My favourite on a wave without a doubt. The combo of hipster twins with a longboard nose is great if you want extra glide into a wave .... makes for a perfect all rounder if you ever get the chance to try one.

Hi Jeroen, the 8'3" would have been an option for me if I realised just how stable the Hipsters are, I can see myself downsizing in a year or two.

Thanks Mick, I have a custom 9'1" x 31 Mini Style Lord, I looked at the Hipster long board but thought it would be too close to the S.L. I am really surprised how well the 8'6" picks up and glides along on the tiniest of swells and then changes gear as the waves pick up.

The Mini Style Lord was going to stay on the rack for the rest of summer until I stuck the nose of the Hipster into the sand so it will be getting some surf time the next few weeks.

Cheers.

Steve.

Awesome review. I brought a 10 x 30 Stylelord and love it for clean surf, can be hard work in chop, I'm 92kg and only a intermediate sup rider, think I will get the 8'10 smik for those days when it's a bit more chop or when I want to stay out longer!

Hi Dave, the 8'10" should have all the stability you will need, and catch any bump coming through. Let us know how you go.

Cheers.

Steve.

Great review Steve, hope the nose is fixed and the hipster is back in the surf! I've recently picked up an 8'0 hipster and am very impressed with it. Had it out this morning in 3 - 5ft, stability was good, as others have said you do need to get forward and slightly stagger your stance. It has good glide for an 8ft board and picked up waves easily. Best of all however is the way it turns, snappy and smooth transitions... very happy!

Thanks Siege, the board is in the shop and I am on the bench with a neck injury that has kept me off work and out of the water the last two weeks

Hope we are both sorted out soon, how much do you weigh if you don't mind?

I can see myself down sizing on my next Hipster to the 8'3" or the 8' down the track. The 8'6 really surprised my with it's paddling and wave catching and it's a lot more stable than I thought it would be.

Hope to be back in the water soon, ride some waves for me in the meantime

Steve.

Hope you are back in the water soon Steve! Im 5'10 and weigh around 80kg initially I was thinking about the 8'3 however glad I went the 8ft, probably could have gone to the 7'10 however I couldn't find one for sale on the east coast plus as this is my only board I wanted to make sure that I could take it out it any conditions

Thanks mate, I had the same thoughts between the 8'6" and 8'3" I have enjoyed the 8'6" from 1 to 4 foot and it surfs great. Slowly working my way down in size, but I still want the stability to surf for hours when the waves are on. And the Hipster is great on any wave, so I can't wait to get back out there.

Steve.

Got the 8'10" and love it, heaps stable and great glide. I'm probs at upper end of beginner and spend roughly 25% of my surfing time on it and the rest on midlengths, which is why I probs haven't quite graduated to my P's yet. However the stability and surfability is all there and maskes it easy transition to and fro. Got a great 'surfing'feel which I hope to unlock further and glides like honey.Extra length makes it easier to paddle long distances. Keeper for sure

Nice Backbeach, let us know how you get on, I have been out of the water for over a month. Hopefully I get the Hipster back in the water soon

Cheers.

Steve.

DTB, Good to see your review.... nicely done!
Bummer about your neck, heal well, heal fast.... hard to sit out when you are stoked about a new board!

Thanks Rick, a month tomorrow since I popped my neck, so keen to get back out there.

Hopefully you have been out riding and have a video or two to share soon as I have pretty much cleaned the internet out of SUP surfing videos

Cheers.

Steve.

Select to expand quote

drivethebus said..
Thanks Rick, a month tomorrow since I popped my neck, so keen to get back out there.

Hopefully you have been out riding and have a video or two to share soon as I have pretty much cleaned the internet out of SUP surfing videos

Cheers.

Steve.

Hey Steve, dropped you a PM.

Select to expand quote

Slab said..

drivethebus said..
Thanks Rick, a month tomorrow since I popped my neck, so keen to get back out there.

Hopefully you have been out riding and have a video or two to share soon as I have pretty much cleaned the internet out of SUP surfing videos

Cheers.

Steve.

Hey Steve, dropped you a PM.

I replied Slab, but will add it here too incase I stuffed up sending it

Hi Steve :)

They are both great boards, and I could easily have one or the other as an only board, but life too short for that!

Stability wise, I was surprised how stable the Hipster is, looking at the outline it should not have been a surprise. Between them there is not much if any difference that I noticed with stability. Everyone is different, but I have had no real problem on either board waiting out the back for waves or for that matter paddling out. My favourite beach has a strong rip along a rock/cliff face that causes a lot of bumps and it sends them through the take off spot on large days. So stability wise it's even between the two boards.

As for riding waves again I could live with one or the other, as to which one well that would depend on the size of surf I would ride the most. Again the Hipster surprised me with how easy it catches small waves. I am talking below waist to knee high, the board never really gets going in this size but is still fun. In the smaller surf the Style Lord is just more fun, it's a longboard shape and you can easily use the full length of the board to make the most of the wave. I find it very easy to get toward the nose and it glides though flat sections too, and can catch any bump coming through.

As the surf gets waist high or up with a little push the Style Lord is fun to ride off the tail, indeed I have done possibly my best close out re-entry on the Style Lord. Also back hand I really like the rounded pin tail of the S.L. It flows nicely on my back hand, the width of the nose is my only concern as the waves get larger and more powerful. Most of the waves around here pack a punch if it's overhead, the rounded nose takes a little bit of attention to make sure you don't catch a rail on take off. I have only done that a few times so its not to hard to manage.

I have only had five or so days out on the Hipster, I injured my next at work and have been out of the water since the start of January. But in those surfs I was riding waves how I felt I have wanted to on a SUP. I have surfed all sorts of surfboards over the last forty years, the last ten or so not so frequently, my first time on a SUP was in the surf and I was catching and riding waves that first morning around three years ago.

So the Hipster just feels right to me on a wave, that it can catch and glide along on gutless waves is handy. However when the waves give you some open face and a little power it comes alive. One my last surf, there were a few other SUP surfers out that I did not know and one of them asked me what I was riding. I told him and he said the the board seem to turn really well, nothing to do with me I suppose :)

So in summary I suppose the if where you live is mostly waist high of below surf, lacking a little power the Style Lord would be the pick. It's versatile enough to handle large days too, and is an excellent one board quiver. The Hipster can certainly ride gutless waves, but likes a little more size to get the magic happening. It's fast, loose and a lot of fun when everything links up.

I love them both and will keep them and pick and choose depending on the surf conditions of the day. But with the last six weeks out of the water, the board I am dreaming of riding is the Hipster.

Hope that helps.

Steve.

Select to expand quote

drivethebus said..

Slab said..

drivethebus said..
Thanks Rick, a month tomorrow since I popped my neck, so keen to get back out there.

Hopefully you have been out riding and have a video or two to share soon as I have pretty much cleaned the internet out of SUP surfing videos

Cheers.

Steve.

Hey Steve, dropped you a PM.

I replied Slab, but will add it here too incase I stuffed up sending it

Hi Steve :)

They are both great boards, and I could easily have one or the other as an only board, but life too short for that!

Stability wise, I was surprised how stable the Hipster is, looking at the outline it should not have been a surprise. Between them there is not much if any difference that I noticed with stability. Everyone is different, but I have had no real problem on either board waiting out the back for waves or for that matter paddling out. My favourite beach has a strong rip along a rock/cliff face that causes a lot of bumps and it sends them through the take off spot on large days. So stability wise it's even between the two boards.

As for riding waves again I could live with one or the other, as to which one well that would depend on the size of surf I would ride the most. Again the Hipster surprised me with how easy it catches small waves. I am talking below waist to knee high, the board never really gets going in this size but is still fun. In the smaller surf the Style Lord is just more fun, it's a longboard shape and you can easily use the full length of the board to make the most of the wave. I find it very easy to get toward the nose and it glides though flat sections too, and can catch any bump coming through.

As the surf gets waist high or up with a little push the Style Lord is fun to ride off the tail, indeed I have done possibly my best close out re-entry on the Style Lord. Also back hand I really like the rounded pin tail of the S.L. It flows nicely on my back hand, the width of the nose is my only concern as the waves get larger and more powerful. Most of the waves around here pack a punch if it's overhead, the rounded nose takes a little bit of attention to make sure you don't catch a rail on take off. I have only done that a few times so its not to hard to manage.

I have only had five or so days out on the Hipster, I injured my next at work and have been out of the water since the start of January. But in those surfs I was riding waves how I felt I have wanted to on a SUP. I have surfed all sorts of surfboards over the last forty years, the last ten or so not so frequently, my first time on a SUP was in the surf and I was catching and riding waves that first morning around three years ago.

So the Hipster just feels right to me on a wave, that it can catch and glide along on gutless waves is handy. However when the waves give you some open face and a little power it comes alive. One my last surf, there were a few other SUP surfers out that I did not know and one of them asked me what I was riding. I told him and he said the the board seem to turn really well, nothing to do with me I suppose :)

So in summary I suppose the if where you live is mostly waist high of below surf, lacking a little power the Style Lord would be the pick. It's versatile enough to handle large days too, and is an excellent one board quiver. The Hipster can certainly ride gutless waves, but likes a little more size to get the magic happening. It's fast, loose and a lot of fun when everything links up.

I love them both and will keep them and pick and choose depending on the surf conditions of the day. But with the last six weeks out of the water, the board I am dreaming of riding is the Hipster.

Hope that helps.

Steve.

Thanks Steve, very useful indeed. Doesn't seem to be too much in it really between these boards but maybe the hipster is better for the larger waves. Interesting that both boards pick up gutless waves well. I think you have the 8,6 Hipster..is it quite a bit slower in terms of paddling speed compared to the Style Lord? I'd probs expect that being a shorter board. I have a fair bit of paddling between peaks and a slow paddler can be a pain. Is your custom Style Lord still pretty loose and turn from the middle of the board or do you need to be right on the tail?

Hi mate, sent you a longer PM, did mention the turning from the middle of the board.

The S.L has enough V through the board to turn from the middle, but if you step back you will be rewarded with a much faster turn.

The S.L is a very versatile board, I you don't find the best waves it will still be fun, but its bottom shape and rail outline can handle a bit of power too.

Steve.