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Anytime someone mentions the Hypto Krypto, I instantly picture Craig Anderson threading a monster drop-tube combo at big Kandui circa 2015. That was the height of the Hypto Krypto trend, when you couldn’t look sideways without seeing someone riding one — those black FutureFlex rails being the distinguishing mark. Since then, Haydenshapes expanded their HK franchise to include the original, a twin pin, a soft-top, and the board I’m reviewing here: the Hypto Krypto Twin.

This high-performance keel-fin design is available in a variety of options: sprays, materials, setup, etc. I grabbed two of them, one made with FutureFlex and another made with PE (polyurethane epoxy), to see if they ride as good as they look. (Because they look beautiful.)

The dimensions on the Hypto Krypto Twins that I tested were: 5’8 x 20” x 2 1/2” @ 31.2L in FutureFlex with Futures fins; and 5’8 x 20 5/8” x 2 5/8” @ 33.8L in PE with FCS fins

Says Haydenshapes about the Hypto Krypto Twin:

“The Hypto Krypto Twin is a performance keel fin design with versatility and forgiveness, allowing an easy transition from your other boards to this shape. It features a slightly tighter swallow tail and fins set further back to set the tail into the waves and bring control and smooth rail-to-rail transition. It feels and rides very similar to the Hypto Krypto with the wide point set forward, high volume up under the chest, and concaves that are smooth and fast to surf on.”

While this is an iteration of the Hypto Krypto, there are some distinct differences between this model and the original. Overall, the outline of the HK Twin is very similar to an old-school twin-fin, only with a tighter swallow tail and the fins set further back for added control. Ideally, this tightened tail and fin placement allows one to rip the top off a wave after building up a ton of speed high-lining a section.

The HK Twin has a narrower entry, a further forward wide point, and a longer, straighter rail line than most shortboards. The longer rail helps ease the transition to performance twin after riding a thruster for so long. (A board will often feel too loose once you lose that back fin.) It runs a flat rocker, which is supposed to help maintain maximum speed while powering over flat sections. But there’s also a slight lift in the entry rocker to allow for critical surfing like a late drop or a gouging turn.

The bottom features a rolled vee in the entry into a single concave in the belly into a vee/double through the tail, theoretically making it easier for the front of the board to dig into the water as you carve through a turn — all while maintaining speed and control through the back half of the turn. Lastly, as with a lot of twin-fins, there’s some extra volume under your chest. This makes paddling into waves easier and helps with momentum through sections.

Board Review: Channel Islands Happy Everyday

Stats: 15 sessions; 95 waves; Top Speed: 32km/h (North Wall Ballina); Longest Ride: 200m (Greenmount)

Every surfer enjoys the sensation of going fast, and the HK Twin is a speed machine, and therefore can really help smooth out your surfing. After flailing around on a shortboard trying to get over dead spots, the feeling of planing over them with ease is a breath of fresh air. I prefer to surf twin-fins with a more drawn-out approach, so keel fins tend to suit me. I just love the feeling of laying down a track with extra room on the face, really allowing the rail to sink in and letting the board wrap itself around the wave. If you’re more into ripping, you could still attack a wave with keels, but you’d be better off using a more upright setup like the Akila or Christenson templates.

Material-wise, I preferred the PE option, which allowed me to cruise like an old man, over the FutureFlex, which just made me want to rip harder — it was just so full of life. So get the material you’re comfortable with, and if picking one up off the rack, aim to get it four or five inches shorter than your shortboard (or the same size as your current HK), with two or three extra liters of volume.

Overall, the ideal conditions for the HK Twin would be a 2-3-foot pointbreak on your forehand at high tide. That would be an absolute treat. But it should go in anything from waist-high to just a bit overhead, as long as conditions offer up a little more wave face. And it provides some real spark in fat, sluggish surf. Once the waves had more push, though, it started to feel a little shaky off the bottom and through carves.

The Hypto Krypto Twin is a dedicated twin-fin — meaning there’s no middle trailer fin option. Hayden recommends the Futures K2 Keel, and I tried that out along with several other Futures and FCS templates, both keels and uprights, on both models. Overall, the keels allowed me to really cruise and draw my turns out, but still allowed me to give it a nudge if a section presented itself. I preferred the Futures K2 Keel, as Hayden suggested, over the FCS Modern Keel, which felt a little too sticky. The Futures offered a nice balance of cruise and performance. With the uprights — Christenson and Akila — I felt more spark in my surfing, just looser and more excited, and I could really lean over and draw shorter turns like snaps. But they did slide out easier than the keels once the waves got bigger or pushier.

There’s a lot to love about the HK Twin. It’s a fun board to ride, providing a lot of spark and speed and versatility across conditions — all things you should be looking for in an alternative to your regular shortboard. Especially if it’s your first twin-fin, or you already own an HK and want an easy transition from that to this, it’s a good addition to the quiver. I recommend getting the keel fins, though, which make a real difference in the board’s performance. Uprights work well, but keels cover a wider variety of conditions, almost to a set-and-forget point.

Personally, though, I wouldn’t be first out of the gates to buy one of these. It’d be more like the third or fourth addition to my quiver. And right now, there’s other surfboards that fill my first and second spots.

Haydenshapes Aus Prices vary from $969 to $1169 depending on materials, etc.

Haydenshapes USA Prices vary from $745 to $875 depending on materials, etc.

Haydenshapes Europe Prices vary from €740 to €880 depending on materials, etc.

Other Board Reviews: Campbell Brothers Alpha Omega | Rusty Keg | Christensen Lane Splitter

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