longer fins/flippers.......

[W.G. Facenda]

The new UDT's are made of an excellent rubber that has superior flex memory. Compared to old Ducks, they snap back in place. For Kneeriding you should trim ,fair and foil them--Greenough calls them Blanks. The new rubber is really that big a difference........ I will post a pic.......

[jadams3]

John......could you elaborate on the trim, fair, and foiling process.....

I've always used my Ducks right out of the box without any modifications......I'm interested to hear how you modify your UDT's.....

Thanks.......

[KenM]

John,thanks for posting the pic. What have you found works well for cutting and/or grinding the fins? Thanks, Ken

[W.G. Facenda]

Cut to length with band saw or Hack saw blade lubricated with wd40. I use a 4inch makita grinder with 60 grit hard disc then smooth with 100 grit. Take very careful long smooth passes with the grinder . Maybe use 80 grit or 100 if you have any apprehension in your abilities. Alot of guys use dremel to customize the heel straps also. Have fun.......

[KenM]

John, great instructions!Thanks very much! Ken

[Hoppo]

THANKS MARTINMURPH, Guess I'll get the bike out and start building the calves. Sounds like the V5 yellow is the way to go.

[fooj]

Hoppo,
The V5 oranges are also a pretty good fin. IMHO the thrust and flex is better matched to the foot pocket than the V5 yellow. I definitely wear my oranges more. They may be easier on the calves, quads and hams.

[ScottMac]

..

[skansand]

makapus are classic and work great in small waves....ive seen boogs at 30'+ waimea use them and they didnt seem to have much problem getting in. I love my V7 yellow dots for bodyboarding...the blade acts as a fin and dosnt let me slide out when engaged...definitly need to further customize my ducks<<too stiff..it seams they need a few kicks before they start going..but when they do it feels like your riding doheny(weak wave in dana point).
Ill get udts when i build my spoon......

[Hoppo]

Jfooj, Thanks for the advise a while back. Got myself Viper V5 "orange" they are perfect! Plenty of thrust but easy on the calves. And easy to walk the reef in. Thanks again brah. Hoppo

[pblsurfboy]

I came from a bodyboarding background. I broke my back in 68 while in The Army and was paralyzed for 6 months. My legs still have a lot of nerve damage and are weaker than the average persons, so for me a bigger and longer blade fin works better to compensate. I use Vipers with the 7" bodysurfer blade and have been very happy with them.....I'd be willing, though, to go back to Duckfeet just for a check/comparison......but I'll stick with the long Vipers I'm pretty sure.

RON

[hannya]

A couple of things I found I need in a fin one was comfort my feet they are very wide. Known as splayed feet by doctors or luau feet here in the islands. duckfeet and udts killed my feet. The other was kicking efficiently
keeping my fins in the water where they produce the most thrust seemed to work well for me. My green churchills were stolen back in the eighties. I now use red redelys which work well enough for me. I had a black set that seemed a lot stiffer but I never went into waves that I felt I needed the extra thrust. Six foot waves are about the biggest I'll go after that it's survival for me. Ive seen people standing up with duck feet pretty amazing feat.
The shorter fins use more strokes with less muscle while the longer fins
require less strokes with more muscle. Sort of like the difference between
a high reving low torque small displacement engine and a large displacement low rev high torque engine. Hot rodders say theres no substitute for cubic inches. But isnt it about the ride.

[ShaunMurphy]

Ive been using tech twos for a while they seem to work alright
a bit heavy but they look cool.thats all that matters right ?
Just kidding. But seriously they arent very good for long distants/cruising because they have no flex and are really short, but for that quick burst of speed they are good and if u want a pair of flippers they hug really well to the face. For a while i lost the left foot of my tech two (the one time i decided not to where my fin teathers) so i was wearing some wavegrippers ( basically the cheapest set of flips u can buy ) seemed to be a good combo. I noticed though that with tech 2s if u use your legs alot for cruising then your legs will cramp alot quicker then using the wave grippers. But i use my arms more then my legs becuase my legs cramp out too fast .lol. Anyway buy T2's if u dont use your legs alot and u want to look stylish.

[Beeline2.0]

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[boards_and_fins]

Hey I am a total Kneeboarding Noob but I have been wearing fins for a long time. I find that the UDT's are hellish if they do not fit you exactly right. For me, the foot pocket is a little small and after wearing them for 30 min to an hour my feet are in horrible pain. The comment above about your calves is very true too. Best to get used to them for awhile in a pool or something before taking them out into real surf and cramping. That being said I have caught some of my best waves wearing them and know people who will never use anything else. For me Vipers are the ticket. I have a couple of V-7's and a pair of V-5 yellow dots that feel like extensions of my legs. Dont like the Orange dots as I dont feel they offer enough drive. Basically its going to come down to what feels right for you. Try to find someone like me who has a bunch of fins, borrow some and start swimming.