thegreatsup forum posts in last 60 days

I guess the waves that are close to me are generally pretty gnarly, it’s not often that they’re that small.
Casso also said that he preferred the ‘up’ even in small waves and found it turned better.
My Smik went nuts in smaller stuff with the twin fins and Creek said that the Up also worked great as a twin. So I kind of leaned in that direction.
If my local beach was smaller or crumblier, I’d have gone for a hipster twin I reckon

I know someone that just brought a set of their future fins for a ghost too

Thanks for sharing Creek. The question I’d still love to know from Bert is why the ghost up has a square/squash tail instead of a pin / rounded pin if it’s made for bigger waves?

These are the Smik twins compared to the other ones I got. The more I look at the others the more I think they’ll be ok with less of a middle fin.

This is also the fin position of the spitfire being run as a quad @Colas. I don’t know much about twin fin placement vs normal, but this is so freaking loose and fun.
I also see that I can move the fcs1 fin forward or back about 1.5cm? Not sure if this would be better to move it forward or back.

these are the twin fins that I brought for the ghost up, if I get it.

Thanks Hoppo- those would’ve been awesome on that 8’0 twin I rented!
sadly we’re heading back home tomorrow so I’ve returned the board. One of those little knub fins in futures might go well with the ghost up as a twin fin, if I buy that though

For sure. I just couldn’t believe the difference in how the board felt with adding a small trailer to removing the trailer entirely.
one was too stiff, the other was too loose!


One of the days I was literally moving the trailer in the box in between waves 😆

sadly I didn’t get any photographs of my session at Keramas when the waves were bigger than any of my other pics, but a semi-pro boogie boarder from Aus was pretty impressed at me doing the waves on a sup and gave me a bunch of compliments when I got out which was nice!

Epic stuff Creek!
At the start, is it the ghost or up and assume twin fins?

So like a lot of you (I’m guessing), I went through a rut of just not being inspired by sups lately. The buzz of a dawn surf, the lack of new posts on this forum, second hand market drying up, it just lost its shine. I’m sure that many feel the same judging by the few responses and posts on the sup pages in the last year.

That was.. until… I put some hipster twin fins in my smik spitfire!
It’s given me a whole new lease on life with supping and ‘fin exploration’.
I’ve played a round with fins a lot over the years but the last two weeks have really opened my eyes again- and would strongly suggest doing the same. The same board, but with subtle changes to fins can have crazy differences.

Firstly- swapping the hipster twin fins on my spitfire was absolutely nuts. A level of looseness and pivot I have never experienced on a sup. I’ve never surfed tighter turns (once dialed in). Running a 3.5” trailer fin was the key in this combo.
Shift that little fin back in the box and it stiffened it up nicely- shift it forward about 5-6cm and it’s crazy looser. Never thought the spitfire would be a small-wave ripper, but with the hipster twins and trailer moved right forward, it rips!!

Compared to Keels (which was my first trial), it is night and day. The keels hold down the line, but don’t pivot the same at all. Same middle trailer fin.

So I went to Bali and rented an 8’0 x 28 98l twin fin sup. Heavy double concave, still a bit of volume in the tail.
Day 1 at KFC / Keramas in 1.5-2xOH. It came with stiff twin fins, no centre fin.
I added my 3.5” trailer back in the box. The board stuck some solid waves but was very stiff and hard to drive or turn. Nothing like my 8’2 smik.
Day 1.5. I drove up the coast to Kolok. Moved the centre fin up a lot as the waves were 2-3ft. It definitely helped, but still top turns a little sluggish, but started to get drive and release.

Day 2: I switched out the twin fins with the fins from the hipster. In comparison they were lighter, more flexible and more upright than the twins that came with the board. Hexcore, rather than hand foiled glass.
I surfed kolok again- the board was more lively for sure and a good blend.
Day 2.5- I went back to keramas where the waves were really wedging up on the reef and creating punchy as OH waves. A few talented locals getting the odd barrel. I moved the centre fin right back.
I paddled into the first one and the board just shot down the line, I could pump and make it around the barrel section, and continue down into the river mouth channel.
At that size, this fin combo felt on the limit for control and good for down the line, but on the edge for a turn. The board is also not a step-up or shortboard shape too remember.

Day 3- I scooter to airport rights in Jimbaran. I take off my smik fins / centre fin and put in just the straight twins it came
With. No trailer fin. The waves were punchy slightly overhead.
HOLY SMOKES, this was different again! It was soo loose, I found it hard to control on the first few waves.
Same fins that I found too stiff with the trailer fin right forward in the box, just crazy loose without it.
I had to really nurse it round for some cutbacks but then it was just soo much fun. Fast and loose. It felt like a totally different board again.

It was such a good experiment. Same board, different fins. Different (and same) waves. And totally different outcomes with small changes.

I’ve never been a fan of US fin boxes, but this trip really opened my eyes to the adjustments that can be made. A couple of times in the surf I even rolled the board over and moved the fin placement.

Pretty interesting considering they’re both ‘step up’ shapes per se, but very different volume distribution and depths of the bottom concaves / contours.
I’ve never had tr3 before, but intrigued to know how that stacks up against the biax carbon of Smik?


I think from more intrinsic feedback it’s either the ghost or twin pin pro. The twin pin looks like a bloody blast, but maybe not best for the normal conditions of my local

need some help guys, 3x equally boards have come up and I can’t decide!!
so I’ve had my 8’2 Smik spitfire for 2.5yrs now. It’s been the most trusty quiver killer I’ve ever owned. Can handle
bigger stuff, still rides smaller peaky stuff.
it wasn’t until recently where I swapped out the fins for the hipster twin fins that my spitfire brought on a crazy and dynamic new lease of life. It had my hooked on how tight and playful it could now be!


A good deal popped up on the hipster pin at 7’8 x 28 98l. But also then saw the twin pro which the shop had at 8’3 x 29 x 105l. Initially I thought the twin pin would be the go and provides difference to the spitty, but I wondered how it would go with the waves I surf which are mostly head+ and grunty like Aus. (West coast NZ). Water is often choppy, beach break and hard work.
so then I thought maybe the twin pro, as it might still be more playful and faster in smaller stuff than the spitfire, but also more agile?

Then I got offered an even better deal on the new 8’1 x28 x 98l ghost up, which I hadn’t really looked at.
After hearing creek say it was fast and loose as a twin, it grew on me. The volume and length would be a good mix and squash tail might be better and faster in smaller waves than my spitfire?
only drawback for me is the tr3 vs biax carbon of the smik which is just crazy light and strong.



What do you guys all reckon?
pics below of me surfing would like +/- the typical waves I’d surf at my local. Sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger.








Need some help- 3 equally good boards. All slightly different.

Great stuff Mickie!! Still need to shoot down and have a proper catch up with you