Still looking for a stable sup in the upper-8' to lower-9' range. Anyone with ideas on the Smik Hipster twin compared to the Smik Spitfire? The dims seem relatively similar and both look very stable. I don't think I'll have a chance to demo unless Smik comes to Merimbula in November. I need something that catches waves pretty easily, from 2 foot grovelers to shoulder height.[Anything bigger and this 71-year old just watches from the safety of the shore]. Any experiences or comparisons appreciated.

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CaptainJimbo said..
Still looking for a stable sup in the upper-8' to lower-9' range. Anyone with ideas on the Smik Hipster twin compared to the Smik Spitfire? The dims seem relatively similar and both look very stable. I don't think I'll have a chance to demo unless Smik comes to Merimbula in November. I need something that catches waves pretty easily, from 2 foot grovelers to shoulder height.[Anything bigger and this 71-year old just watches from the safety of the shore]. Any experiences or comparisons appreciated.

Do you think something like this is to small?
8'6 x 30 x 130L and with the wider outline it stays a little more stable than most this size.

Nice and fast on the waves and very forgiving to paddle into stuff.

Jacko - that's a very sweet looking stick mate!
What is it? I've had a look on One's website but can't see it on there?
One's answer to the Super Frank? Loving the swallow on that bugger.
Is it a one-off or in production? It's a ripper.

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MangoDingo said..
Jacko - that's a very sweet looking stick mate!
What is it? I've had a look on One's website but can't see it on there?
One's answer to the Super Frank? Loving the swallow on that bugger.
Is it a one-off or in production? It's a ripper.

It's one of the customs we do so really can be tweaked to suit just about anyone.

We do something pretty similar in the foil crossover boards as well which we are about to start doing with out all the foil fittings as the crossover boards are a super small market and the boards will go way nicer with out all the extra boxes.

Crazy fun boards, I have a 7'8 and I live it!!

The new 8'6 Jimmy Lewis Super Frank is perfect for what you want....Stable but loose when you need it to be...The Super Frank is the ultimate SUP groveller. It's meant to be ridden quite a bit shorter than your normal board and still offer plenty stability. Flat rocker with a very deep single to double concave for high speed and drive in flat and weak surf. The outline has the wide point a bit forward coming into a performance thumb tail to make the board very responsive and easy to whip around. The Super Frank comes in two widths for each length so you can choose the width and volume that best suits you.
5 Fin Box Set Up.
Comes with JL 5 fin set. (allows for thruster or quad fin set up)
Thruster set Size - 4.5"
Quad set size- Front 4.5" Back 4.0"
SIZE 8'6"x30.5"x4.4" (130L)

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CaptainJimbo said..
Still looking for a stable sup in the upper-8' to lower-9' range. Anyone with ideas on the Smik Hipster twin compared to the Smik Spitfire? The dims seem relatively similar and both look very stable. I don't think I'll have a chance to demo unless Smik comes to Merimbula in November. I need something that catches waves pretty easily, from 2 foot grovelers to shoulder height.[Anything bigger and this 71-year old just watches from the safety of the shore]. Any experiences or comparisons appreciated.

In every case, when you dig further, you find that the shorter the board, the later you have to catch the wave. One test, do you find yourself paddling furiously for waves and not catching them? A 9 footer will allow you to catch more waves than an 8 or 8 6. Especially when the waves are more than 3 feet, catching a wave later implies a bigger drop and more willingness to get washed more vigorously, more often. Bigger drops suit a more advanced supper who finds the width more of a hindrance than a help. Or, maybe, your breaks are so good you can position quite effectively with almost anything.

You might want a board to do both, to be long enough to catch waves very early, and also to have a performance tail suited for the wave types you expect to surf. For example, I do not see a long board design for mush that can compete with the specialty short fat tailed mushers once on the wave, and can also compete with a longer board design to catch soft waves early. The Super Frank, for its length, is probably wonderful.

Paul J. yep, nice looking stick but too short for me. I like cruisey waves and earlier paddle-in. My current 9'5" board is more flat-water orientated and paddles in early but is not a board to throw around much. It glides nicely on the wave but that's about it.
JL the super frank looks the goods. Maybe in something a bit longer. Hoping to see you at Merimbula later in the year.
Still hoping for a comment from someone who has experience on the Spitfire or Hipster.

Not sure this will help Jimbo: I have a Spitfire and had Hipster, but a bit shorter than you are looking at ( 8'3 Spitfire and 7'10 Hipster). For me the Spitfire was the more stable of the two even though similar volume, but obviously the Hipster was pretty short and the fore-aft balance starts to come into play. I think it is right to say that overall they are both stable designs - I think that is one of the design criteria that he takes into account. From experience my Spitfire is considerably more stable than the 2017 8'8 Fanatic Prowave for example (similar volume). I reckon at the lengths you are talking about they would both be extremely stable. Hope that is some help...

How much do you weigh. I am about 87-88kg and ride an 8'3" hipster in kinda mushy surf. Luv it. Thinking the 8'10" might be a good one to think about or the 8'6". Or have Scotty make you a custom. With the hipster, you could get the stability from the width but still have the ability to carve a little real easy as you desire.

I have a 9'2" SMIK Hipster MiniMal. Stable, fast, and carves from the tail like a shortboard.

And I am 71 years young as well!

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Ishie said..
Not sure this will help Jimbo: I have a Spitfire and had Hipster, but a bit shorter than you are looking at ( 8'3 Spitfire and 7'10 Hipster). For me the Spitfire was the more stable of the two even though similar volume, but obviously the Hipster was pretty short and the fore-aft balance starts to come into play. I think it is right to say that overall they are both stable designs - I think that is one of the design criteria that he takes into account. From experience my Spitfire is considerably more stable than the 2017 8'8 Fanatic Prowave for example (similar volume). I reckon at the lengths you are talking about they would both be extremely stable. Hope that is some help...

Ta Ishie. That's just the sort of info I'm after. I was thinking Spitfire and this has helped. Cheers mate.

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ninjatuna said..
How much do you weigh. I am about 87-88kg and ride an 8'3" hipster in kinda mushy surf. Luv it. Thinking the 8'10" might be a good one to think about or the 8'6". Or have Scotty make you a custom. With the hipster, you could get the stability from the width but still have the ability to carve a little real easy as you desire.

Ninjatuna I'm about 73 kg but really want something to use in fairly small, full swell which I get a lot of at my local break. That's why I'm talking about a longer board. My shoulders don't like a lot of fast, powerful paddle-strokes. Good for about an hour and a half then start to complain. Cheers.

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cbigsup said..
I have a 9'2" SMIK Hipster MiniMal. Stable, fast, and carves from the tail like a shortboard.

And I am 71 years young as well!

cbigsup, cheers mate. Sup surfing has extended my surfing life. Shoulder problems mean my prone surfing days are over but supping still works. Thanks for the comments and info. Cheers!

Hey captjim, I have a different 8'6 x 32" custom that I have ridden unbreaking swells on. Basically farther off the beach where it jacks up like it is going to break but does not. My hipster made me even think about getting a bigger hipster for those conditions and even worse sloppy mush. A) because it would have great float with the width and B) because the the tail design with the twin would make it very maneuverable

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ninjatuna said..
Hey captjim, I have a different 8'6 x 32" custom that I have ridden unbreaking swells on. Basically farther off the beach where it jacks up like it is going to break but does not. My hipster made me even think about getting a bigger hipster for those conditions and even worse sloppy mush. A) because it would have great float with the width and B) because the the tail design with the twin would make it very maneuverable

Thanks ninjatuna..more food for thought. Now, if I could just get a demo board all the guesswork would disappear. Cheers

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CaptainJimbo said..

cbigsup said..
I have a 9'2" SMIK Hipster MiniMal. Stable, fast, and carves from the tail like a shortboard.

And I am 71 years young as well!

cbigsup, cheers mate. Sup surfing has extended my surfing life. Shoulder problems mean my prone surfing days are over but supping still works. Thanks for the comments and info. Cheers!

Yessir! First the eyes and then the knees. Multiple surgeries, no ACL, blah blah!

If you can't pop to your feet..

Prone days OVAH!

Sup brought me back as well!

Cheers Captain!

Hey Captain. I just finished a nearly identical search to yours. I am close to your age at 68, with a somewhat bum shoulder, two new hips, and a bad back. My current boards are 1. An 8'7" X 30.25" @ 120 liter Sunova Flow, which I love the performance of it it is glassy, but too much pain climbing back onboard when the water is rough. 2. An 8'10" X 29" @ 130 liter Sunova Speeed, which is fast, catches anything, but is tippier than the Flow, and does not turn as well. 3. A 9'0" X 31.5" @ 145 liter Tabou SupaSurf which is my choppy water board, since it is stable as, but does not surf nearly as well as the Flow.
What I have been searching for was something that would surf nearly as well as the Flow, but be more stable in rough water, and maybe easier to catch waves. I also wanted it to surf better than the big Tabou. My solution was to buy a Blue Planet All Good at 8'8" X 31" @ 120 liters. Though the liters are the same as the Flow, it is one inch wider at the wide point, and three inches wider in the nose. The liters stay the same because the board is ?" thinner, which sits you lower in the water, which also helps with stability.
So far I can say that is right at the mid point of stability that I was looking for, catches waves as well as the Speeed, and turns as well as the Flow. Because of the width, it is not the fastest paddler, or the fastest board down the line. but stability, easy wave catching, and tight turning are enough to make me happy.
I know that Blue Planet opened a shop in Australia, so maybe you can check out the All Good. By the way, if you go for the slightly heavier bamboo construction, the price is fantastic, including a board bag and fins.

CaptainJimbo,
If a bum shoulder is what you're fighting having a longer and lighter board will reduce the amount if power you need to get moving and catch waves.

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obijohn said..
Hey Captain. I just finished a nearly identical search to yours. I am close to your age at 68, with a somewhat bum shoulder, two new hips, and a bad back. My current boards are 1. An 8'7" X 30.25" @ 120 liter Sunova Flow, which I love the performance of it it is glassy, but too much pain climbing back onboard when the water is rough. 2. An 8'10" X 29" @ 130 liter Sunova Speeed, which is fast, catches anything, but is tippier than the Flow, and does not turn as well. 3. A 9'0" X 31.5" @ 145 liter Tabou SupaSurf which is my choppy water board, since it is stable as, but does not surf nearly as well as the Flow.
What I have been searching for was something that would surf nearly as well as the Flow, but be more stable in rough water, and maybe easier to catch waves. I also wanted it to surf better than the big Tabou. My solution was to buy a Blue Planet All Good at 8'8" X 31" @ 120 liters. Though the liters are the same as the Flow, it is one inch wider at the wide point, and three inches wider in the nose. The liters stay the same because the board is ?" thinner, which sits you lower in the water, which also helps with stability.
So far I can say that is right at the mid point of stability that I was looking for, catches waves as well as the Speeed, and turns as well as the Flow. Because of the width, it is not the fastest paddler, or the fastest board down the line. but stability, easy wave catching, and tight turning are enough to make me happy.
I know that Blue Planet opened a shop in Australia, so maybe you can check out the All Good. By the way, if you go for the slightly heavier bamboo construction, the price is fantastic, including a board bag and fins.

obijohn, thanks for the advice. I have an 8'10" Speeed but rarely ride it, unless the conditions are perfect. It is just tippy enough to make it too much work in even slight chop and, at my age, I like to relax while I'm waiting for the next wave. It's a great board but just not for me. I take out my 9'5" x 31 McKill which is stable and relaxing but heavy and slow. That's why I'm after a compromise between the two sups. I'll definitely check out the Blue Planet All Good. Cheers

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jarvisIan said..
CaptainJimbo,
If a bum shoulder is what you're fighting having a longer and lighter board will reduce the amount if power you need to get moving and catch waves.

jarvislan, the shoulder is a rotator cuff problem that only flares up if I prone paddle or try to swim too far. On the Sup it's no problem most of the time. However, I take on board your advice. Cheers

Have a look at an 8'6 Hypernut.
Its my go to board when sloppy onshore conditions.
Can handle mush to head high conditions, catches waves well and turns well also.
Super stable all rounder.

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trehoffen said..
Have a look at an 8'6 Hypernut.
Its my go to board when sloppy onshore conditions.
Can handle mush to head high conditions, catches waves well and turns well also.
Super stable all rounder.

Thanks trehoffen. I plan to demo one soon, along with a Widepoint. Lots of choices it seems but only a demo will convince me. Cheers