In this SUPboarder PRO head to head test we put 11 surf iSUPs priced between £400 and £1400 up against each other. Surf iSUPs have been on the market for afew years now, and in 2022 there are definitely more than 2 to choose from! Whether you're looking for a compact surf SUP to take on holiday with you or leave in the back of your car, or for easier storage at home, the range of surf iSUPs now available has something for everyone. Heavier riders will most likely be looking for more stable boards with more glide. And lighter riders will be looking for boards with less weight and thickness. Our head to head comparison will help you decide which board is right for YOU!
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jeroensurf@gmail.com
10 days ago
Great test! Question, you guys tested the Hipster with the pintail. In the past Reuben tested the Hipster with the swallowtail. Can you say something about how they compare/where they differ in feel/performance?
I have the swallowtail model in 8.3, but struggeled a bit with it in really fast hollow waves, so paired it with an Spitfire8.6 but if this could do both….
Thanks and glad you liked the test. I also have ridden and tested the Hipster Twin in a swallow tail before so can offer some insight. The pin tail helps with hold and tighter turning arcs on the wave. This translates into getting more vertical with turns and performing better in bigger waves. I really struggled with the swallow tail to get it working in steep waves, but the pin tail works so much better. I do find that the slightly extra width in the nose catches and doesn’t feel great in bigger, more hollow surf. If the waves are… Read more »
Salmonpincher
9 days ago
A fascinating review as always. Its been a long summer waiting for decent waves (& reviews) I’m interested in a quiver killer to fit between my 113l jp surf & 139l infinity new deal (or maybe replace both). I’m 85kg without UK wetsuits & think my sweetspot for performance & all day riding comfort is around 125l. Both my boards are 29″ wide & I don’t like the idea of being 30″+ for width for that sort of volume – which puts me off going for another board (which maybe I won’t like / or really need). I have had… Read more »
Thanks for the comment. Hard to find those sizes of boards for sure! Sunova have the Kanga GR 8’6 x 30″ x 120L. Gong have the Karmen at 8’4 x 30″ x 120L. Starboard have the Pro in 8’7 x 29.5″ x 130L. My best advice would be to order a custom SMIK. I know Scotty can do custom shapes based of the Hipster Twin or any board in the range, and then possibly get it in the next shipment to the UK. That way you can be sure to have the right size for you.
Thanks beau. I like both the idea of the starboard pro & the smik custom too – I’ll have a look at the others too
DAVIDE MESSINEO
9 days ago
Great test! Question, you guys tested the Hipster with the pintail. I’m 80kg intermediate rider and usually ride my Quatro Carve pro 8.2 120lt that feels perfect on big ocean waves during my holiday but is difficult to paddle in Italian choppy waves, so unstable for that volume. I’ve been wanting to go down in volume for a long time but changing the board for a more forgiving one. Looking at your test I ‘m sure that the Hipster Pin 7.10 would be perfect. What do you think?
The SMIK felt very stable and if you are looking to go down in volume, the 7’10 Hipster could be a great board. I think you still may find it sightly unstable when surfing in Italy because of the reduced length and volume, but not as unstable as you Carve Pro. Hope that helps and happy surfing!
I have the 7.10 hipster pin, it’s marginally more unstable than an infinity blurr v2 at 8.2, at the same width and volume, due to it being shorter. Both are manageable for me at 58 yo 83 kg, even in quite choppy conditions. Tend to ise thr V2 in bigger waves, but it takes time to adjust between the two boards, as I mainly ride the hipster.
I’m 80-85kg and recently got an 8.0 Hipster Twin because I wanted something stable but agile in all conditions. It’s a great board and feels surprisingly small and agile for its size. I would reccomend it.
Troy Cleary
9 days ago
Great review. Definitely a tight choice between the splice and hipster. The pin tail on the smik is a great improvement. Personally I ride my 8”8 and 9”3 splice as twin fins with a small Center fin ( smik hipster inspired lol ) and this really brings the splice to life. Both amazing boards, I do find the hipster a little faster and better down the line. Both are light years ahead of the crowd in my opinion. I have a custom 9”0 x 31 hipster twin pin coming to compare to my already 8”10 x32 and 9”2 x32 hipsters.
I set my 8.4 Sunova flow 2 up as a Twin, and it transformed its performance. I think in general most SUP of this genre, bit wider, less rocker, work well with twin fins, due to their wide positioning, giving them a good pivot point, making the board a lot looser etc.
Fabrizio Ferzetti
6 days ago
Congratulations for the excellent choice of products and test approach. Since I don’t understand English very well or quickly, it would be really convenient to be able to read the transcript of the test on the web page. I really appreciated the test because it concerns the search for my new quiver for an all-round board especially on Italian breaks. I am an intermediate surfer 1.75 m tall and 65 kg in weight who currently uses a Gong Zero FSP PRO 9×29.5 115 liters which I use in situations with rougher or coarser seas and a Gong MOB FSP PRO… Read more »
Hey Fabrizio , Thanks for your comment. I will send it to Beau so he can get back to you. We are going to put subtitles over the video also. So I hope this helps. Thanks for the subscription.
Hi Fabrizio! Thanks for the comment. We are looking to translate our tests into the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
For a board that will suit your weight and size, plus the conditions you ride, the 7’10 x 109L might be the better option. The 7’8 x 28″ is narrower than your Gong Mob and the Mob shape is very wide throughout the whole board which is why you find it stable. The 98L SMIK might not be very stable for you.
I hope this helps.
Christina Doviak
4 days ago
Really enjoyed this, good to see how the different tail shapes and thicknesses affected the wave riding. How did Lucy get along with the boards? I’m guessing she’s a lighter weight rider so would be curious if these were all over volumed and a bit sluggish. At 60-ish kg I think I have always over volumed myself just because of what was available on the market and my turns have suffered from it. Any chance of having a similar review session for lighter weight/female riders?
Hi Christina. I’m 67kg and yes like you often find myself riding boards with too much volume, which then feel slow and hard to manouever on the wave. The Smik however, despite being similar in volume to the other boards in test felt so much more enjoyable to ride, even for a rider of my weight.Lively and easy to turn on the wave, and yet still plenty of stability. Definitely my favourite on test by far. We will certainly try our best to ensure lighter riders are more included in future tests. If you have any questions about specific boards… Read more »
Steve Williams
4 days ago
The template of the Spice and SMIK are pretty identical ….but that’s not to say the rocker, hull features etc are the same. One board that would have been interesting to have tested is one of the smaller Jimmy Lewis Destroyers.
Hey Steve, We did almost get a Jimmy Lewis in the test, but it didn’t make it unfortunately. It sounds like a lot of readers are riding their Spice’s with a hipter fin set up and loving it.
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Great test!
Question, you guys tested the Hipster with the pintail.
In the past Reuben tested the Hipster with the swallowtail.
Can you say something about how they compare/where they differ in feel/performance?
I have the swallowtail model in 8.3, but struggeled a bit with it in really fast hollow waves, so paired it with an Spitfire8.6 but if this could do both….
Thanks and glad you liked the test. I also have ridden and tested the Hipster Twin in a swallow tail before so can offer some insight. The pin tail helps with hold and tighter turning arcs on the wave. This translates into getting more vertical with turns and performing better in bigger waves. I really struggled with the swallow tail to get it working in steep waves, but the pin tail works so much better. I do find that the slightly extra width in the nose catches and doesn’t feel great in bigger, more hollow surf. If the waves are… Read more »
A fascinating review as always. Its been a long summer waiting for decent waves (& reviews) I’m interested in a quiver killer to fit between my 113l jp surf & 139l infinity new deal (or maybe replace both). I’m 85kg without UK wetsuits & think my sweetspot for performance & all day riding comfort is around 125l. Both my boards are 29″ wide & I don’t like the idea of being 30″+ for width for that sort of volume – which puts me off going for another board (which maybe I won’t like / or really need). I have had… Read more »
Thanks for the comment. Hard to find those sizes of boards for sure! Sunova have the Kanga GR 8’6 x 30″ x 120L. Gong have the Karmen at 8’4 x 30″ x 120L. Starboard have the Pro in 8’7 x 29.5″ x 130L. My best advice would be to order a custom SMIK. I know Scotty can do custom shapes based of the Hipster Twin or any board in the range, and then possibly get it in the next shipment to the UK. That way you can be sure to have the right size for you.
Thanks beau. I like both the idea of the starboard pro & the smik custom too – I’ll have a look at the others too
Great test!
Question, you guys tested the Hipster with the pintail. I’m 80kg intermediate rider and usually ride my Quatro Carve pro 8.2 120lt that feels perfect on big ocean waves during my holiday but is difficult to paddle in Italian choppy waves, so unstable for that volume.
I’ve been wanting to go down in volume for a long time but changing the board for a more forgiving one. Looking at your test I ‘m sure that the Hipster Pin 7.10 would be perfect. What do you think?
The SMIK felt very stable and if you are looking to go down in volume, the 7’10 Hipster could be a great board. I think you still may find it sightly unstable when surfing in Italy because of the reduced length and volume, but not as unstable as you Carve Pro. Hope that helps and happy surfing!
I have the 7.10 hipster pin, it’s marginally more unstable than an infinity blurr v2 at 8.2, at the same width and volume, due to it being shorter. Both are manageable for me at 58 yo 83 kg, even in quite choppy conditions. Tend to ise thr V2 in bigger waves, but it takes time to adjust between the two boards, as I mainly ride the hipster.
I’m 80-85kg and recently got an 8.0 Hipster Twin because I wanted something stable but agile in all conditions. It’s a great board and feels surprisingly small and agile for its size. I would reccomend it.
Great review. Definitely a tight choice between the splice and hipster. The pin tail on the smik is a great improvement. Personally I ride my 8”8 and 9”3 splice as twin fins with a small Center fin ( smik hipster inspired lol ) and this really brings the splice to life. Both amazing boards, I do find the hipster a little faster and better down the line. Both are light years ahead of the crowd in my opinion. I have a custom 9”0 x 31 hipster twin pin coming to compare to my already 8”10 x32 and 9”2 x32 hipsters.
Great Comment Troy. Need to try the Spice as a twiny!
I set my 8.4 Sunova flow 2 up as a Twin, and it transformed its performance. I think in general most SUP of this genre, bit wider, less rocker, work well with twin fins, due to their wide positioning, giving them a good pivot point, making the board a lot looser etc.
Congratulations for the excellent choice of products and test approach. Since I don’t understand English very well or quickly, it would be really convenient to be able to read the transcript of the test on the web page. I really appreciated the test because it concerns the search for my new quiver for an all-round board especially on Italian breaks. I am an intermediate surfer 1.75 m tall and 65 kg in weight who currently uses a Gong Zero FSP PRO 9×29.5 115 liters which I use in situations with rougher or coarser seas and a Gong MOB FSP PRO… Read more »
Hey Fabrizio , Thanks for your comment. I will send it to Beau so he can get back to you. We are going to put subtitles over the video also. So I hope this helps. Thanks for the subscription.
Thank you for reply…
Hi Fabrizio! Thanks for the comment. We are looking to translate our tests into the future. Thanks for the suggestion.
For a board that will suit your weight and size, plus the conditions you ride, the 7’10 x 109L might be the better option. The 7’8 x 28″ is narrower than your Gong Mob and the Mob shape is very wide throughout the whole board which is why you find it stable. The 98L SMIK might not be very stable for you.
I hope this helps.
Really enjoyed this, good to see how the different tail shapes and thicknesses affected the wave riding. How did Lucy get along with the boards? I’m guessing she’s a lighter weight rider so would be curious if these were all over volumed and a bit sluggish.
At 60-ish kg I think I have always over volumed myself just because of what was available on the market and my turns have suffered from it. Any chance of having a similar review session for lighter weight/female riders?
Hi Christina. I’m 67kg and yes like you often find myself riding boards with too much volume, which then feel slow and hard to manouever on the wave. The Smik however, despite being similar in volume to the other boards in test felt so much more enjoyable to ride, even for a rider of my weight.Lively and easy to turn on the wave, and yet still plenty of stability. Definitely my favourite on test by far. We will certainly try our best to ensure lighter riders are more included in future tests. If you have any questions about specific boards… Read more »
The template of the Spice and SMIK are pretty identical ….but that’s not to say the rocker, hull features etc are the same. One board that would have been interesting to have tested is one of the smaller Jimmy Lewis Destroyers.
Hey Steve, We did almost get a Jimmy Lewis in the test, but it didn’t make it unfortunately. It sounds like a lot of readers are riding their Spice’s with a hipter fin set up and loving it.
love the intro music
Nice