Presents SurfCycled - All photos: Gineth Matos 

The twin fin is usually associated with wave-riding, passing sections, some curves, little lip attack, generating speed and having fun.

The possibility of combining twin-fin boards with high-performance surfing, with so much thruster in the turn, did not seem possible, but, with the Hooters, SurfCycled brought the exception that proves the rule.

This board, which was born from a conversation between two friends, one of them asked for precisely that: To be able to attack the lip (see Rodrigo above in the photo) with a twin fin.

Over time, a board that was not so in demand became one of the most sought after because it combines the best of both worlds: A good paddle that allows you to enter the wave sooner, the sensation of speed that the twin gives and the possibility of high-performance surfing.

As Marcelo explains in the interview below, Californian brands set this trend worldwide and the product that SurfCycled already had made benefited.

What is the story behind the creation of this table?
When we started Surfcycled,  Rodrigo, a resident of Playa Grande, was one of the first to support us. He ordered a twin fish from us and between one thing and another we came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be a classic fish because the guy surfs well, but he wanted a twin.

So we did something halfway between, with high performance board features but with two fins.

That board was handmade, but Rodrigo liked it so much that we digitized it to have the archive. That's how Hooters was born, which at the time had no name.

Why did you name it Hooters?
(Laughs) The truth is that all the boards have somewhat risqué names, referring to the fact that they are two large fins, just like one of the attractions of a well-known American food chain with the same name. That would be the politically correct explanation.

What would you say are the general characteristics of the table?
The board has some shortboard and some twin elements, it is an interesting design. Rodrigo has been surfing it for five years and we have been tweaking it little by little. The rocker is low, but not as low as a classic twin. The outline shows a wide center, a narrow tip and a narrow tail for a fish.

It also has a bit of rocker in the tail, which we balance with a V. The swallow is not as wide, but not as narrow as a baby swallow either.

What do you think makes her attractive?
It's a pretty interesting topic, people didn't like it. They asked for classic twins and said that this one wasn't a twin. But last year one of the most recognized board brands released a model very similar to the Hooters and gave it a lot of publicity. That made people start to be interested in a board that we made five years ago (laughs). That's how marketing works.

"Last year, one of the most recognized brands of boards released a model very similar to the Hooters and gave it a lot of publicity. That made people start to be interested in a board that we made five years ago (laughs). That's how marketing works."

Speaking about the technical part, I think they like it because it is an easy board to surf, not everyone can put their back foot completely on the third fin, so this makes it easier to generate speed without sacrificing the ability to turn, in the end it is a fun board and in not so big waves it makes many things easier.

What anecdotes can you tell about the making of this board?
Personally, I am not a big fan of twins. It was hard for me to put my foot back completely and use the third fin of the thrusters. Every time I tried twins, it seemed to me that they were missing something.

But when I made this board, like all SurfCycled models I was interested in trying it. The first impression I had was that it goes very fast,

When I went to turn I thought I was going to slide a lot, but having seen Rodrigo, I was confident. The edge worked very well, there were no problems, I was quite happy with the outline and how it flows on the wave.

So I made a similar board, but with a round tail and four fins, it's a prototype that I'm testing, but it's a small, short board, that fits

in any tube and because of the foam, the rocker and the four fins, which have a point of contact with the twin, it generates incredible speed.

There we are, in testing, we will probably launch it on the market in July after I have glued a few tubes and perfected it as much as possible.

Why do you think there has been a revolution in fish boards in recent years?
I think that with the amount of people surfing now it was necessary to generate different trends, so they have recycled a lot of old models and boards.

You have to take into account that surfing has evolved but that is for a few with special skills and time to dedicate to it, the more retro boards are safer boards, easier to get results faster, and people in general want to do just that: have fun.

Furthermore, it is not exclusive to having a good level, I saw with my own eyes a veteran at Desert Point hit incredible tubes with a twin that was all chipped.

"Also, it is not exclusive to having a good level, I saw with my own eyes a veteran in Desert Point hit incredible tubes with a twin that was all chipped up"

I think that influential brands, not us, who are hardly known, have also been very smart in releasing old models and presenting them as new. It's something like when an old artist releases a new version of an old song, they update it with new materials, a few things here and there, but the concept is the same as when an old artist releases a new version of an old song.

How do you think these boards will continue to evolve?
Who knows? I think that the boards will evolve according to the level of the new generations, and by “new” I don’t mean young people, because today surfing is a trend and “the new generations of surfing” are not only teenagers.

The commercial shape is always inspired by people's needs, and also by the brands' need to sell, so, as in fashion, things come and go. With one more colour, one less colour, one more or one less keel.

Surfing is not that mysterious and at Surfcycled we have always wanted to demystify that, you have to make it easy, have fun and that's it.