Flipper Discussion

quadfin · Post by **quadfin** » Sun May 01, 2005 4:24 pm

Was searching for Swimfin developments in Free Diving when I ran across a couple of fins that looked interesting for kneeboarding. Maybe someone has experience with these.

www.forcefin.com

As my boards have gotten longer I have found that I am less dependent on my fins but not quite ready to go naked as I am old and lazy. The trainer fins in the Force Line look like they fit this bill in a transition fin. Anybody tried these? The plug-in blade fins are also interesting as a I snorkel, dive, kneeboard, and Free dive. Again, any experiences?

Also, I noticed an Australian "Shinfin" that fits on the front of your ankle and has adjustable straps. Looked strange and wondered about the straps being pulled down everytime you duck dived.

TOOFAST2 · Post by **TOOFAST2** » Sun May 01, 2005 6:56 pm

Hey Quad.....Yrs ago, a surf shop that I used to spent SOME time at got a few pairs of the "org. force "fins. He asked me to try them out and let him know what I thought. I tried them and I didn`t like them. To me, since I didn`d have anything over my toes, the blades seemed flop and slap the water. I didn`t feel I had any power to get myself moving forward.. I went back to the shop and told them what I thought and they where thinking that would happen. They sent them back. Remember, this is only my opinion.

alitzow · Post by **alitzow** » Sun May 01, 2005 9:24 pm

in the early to late 1980's i used to go down to mantachen bay near san blas mexico with an old buddy of mine who wasn't really a surfer,but could at least swim ok. he bought a set of fins that looked very much like these one year and couldn't catch a wave on his boogie board to save his soul. he was complaining about his fins so i tried them on-it was like kicking in bare feet.now i was and am a good swimmer-2500 yds a day still,but the down stroke,which i consider the power stroke, produced nothing.the fin just folded up.on the other hand this was more than 15 years ago and someone might have taken the original idea and worked all the bugs out.

willli · Post by **willli** » Mon May 02, 2005 4:57 am

I use force fin pros every winter. the pro is a stiffer blade. they take some getting used to, and the thrust is more about sustained speed than acceleration. I use them to motor about, hold against currents ect. they're not good for sprinting. paddling out I use my arms to sprint under oncoming sets. I also use my arms to catch waves, prefering an entry paddle in trim. they "cup" the deck, and the lack of side rails and the flexible blade help reduce the drag factor. the bungee heel strap is very useful for donning and removing fins when wearing mitts. the design eliminates toe cramps and arch cramps, very comfortable for long surfs.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon May 02, 2005 8:23 pm

Did I see a mention of the ShinFin? Beware of these! I don't know much about the Force Fin, but I did purchase a set of the ShinFins two years ago. They were only available from Australia. With shipping, they were pretty expensive but I was willing to try 'em because the unique design indicated it might be very easy to catch waves and stand up easily at any time during the ride.

Unfortunately, they proved utterly lacking in functional power for surfing. They were just so flimsy! As was mentioned earlier in these post, the key to these fins is steady kicking for sustained power. But there was none of the explosive power that I need in various situations in the water, and stronger waves woud practically rip them right off my feet.

The manufacturer was great, though, and gave me a full refund upon their return.