There are many things in life that run on cyclical patterns: fashion, the seasons, hell, even life itself. We’re born helpless, toothless, and dependent on others, and if we’re lucky enough to get to a ripe old age, we’re right back there again. You know what else is cyclical? Surfboards. Take, for example, the twin fin.
In 1977, Mark Richards took the twin fin to commonplace status by winning four World Titles on it. The surfing world began its ascent to a more radical place – one where faster, harder turns and more speed on the face was possible. According to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, while Richards continued his world domination, Simon Anderson struggled with the twin fin. Although he retained his status as one of the best surfers in the world, he began looking for ways to revise the design to something more suited to his style of surfing.
That revision, of course, was the thruster. In 1981, he won the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach on his newest invention, and the twin fin lost its spot as the most popular fin setup. But now, as time has passed, people are looking backwards — and they’re looking towards twinnies.
Which is why Haydenshapes created the HK Twin. For a while, the Hypto was touted as the best selling-surfboard in the world. In the words of the Haydenshapes team, the new twin, based around the Hypto outline, is a “performance keel fin design.” The swallow tail is slightly tighter and the fins are set farther back, but it feels similar to the Hypto Kryto. The wide point is forward, with a lot of volume under the chest, and the concaves are built to be fast and smooth.
“I’d recommend riding the HK Twin 4-5 inches shorter than your shortboard with 1.5-3-liters extra in volume,” Hayden says. “Compared with your Hypto Krypto, I’d recommend the same dims and the literage is very similar.”
Find out more here.
