My duckfeet are dying, need some sugestions!

[Kev]

err
cos ... we're not big and strong like you ... Nov


or
we might be old and fat
or
perhaps
... just

feeble ... weak ... and lazy

run away run away run away

[stevea]

Hi Masons ,Nov, as you know i never could stand up with or without flippers ,unfortunately i ve been wearing flippers for as long as i can remember in fact i think it was you and others of your era who pioneered the no flipper approach
I favour the smaller blade you are right ,i dont feel an appreciable lack of drive and only use them for short bursts
The fins i favoured were redbacks but i lost too many and have been using this year a brand called U S DIVER( shredders) they have adjustable straps are very comfortable and also have ankle straps to save them getting ripped from your feet and they float
Good to see your posts Nov try and catch up next trip to oz

[skansand]

blunt cut makapuus are my favorite..

id like more power on heavy current days but think the da-fins are too wide and duckfeet too long..

anyone know how Greenough got carbon fiber to stick to his UDTs?

[Nov]

err
cos ... we're not big and strong like you ... Nov


or
we might be old and fat
or
perhaps
... just

feeble ... weak ... and lazy

run away run away run away

I know you're joking, but let me put it like this; my 5'11" kneelo floats and paddles as well as a standup board made for a person my size (I'd ride a 6'5" standup), so why should I need to wear flippers? I wouldn't be if I was riding a stand up board, so why should I use them on a kneeboard (especially if they're going to drag and ruin the connection that I have with my board)? Stand up surfers manage just fine without them, as do the kneeboarders who don't wear them. They're not a necessary part of kneeboarding in any sense.

Hi Masons ,Nov, as you know i never could stand up with or without flippers ,unfortunately i ve been wearing flippers for as long as i can remember in fact i think it was you and others of your era who pioneered the no flipper approach
I favour the smaller blade you are right ,i dont feel an appreciable lack of drive and only use them for short bursts
The fins i favoured were redbacks but i lost too many and have been using this year a brand called U S DIVER( shredders) they have adjustable straps are very comfortable and also have ankle straps to save them getting ripped from your feet and they float
Good to see your posts Nov try and catch up next trip to oz

Hi Steve, this is actually Matt, not my dad.
I'll be sure to pass that onto him though.

[Doc Turbo]

My Churchills died and I switched to DaFins and they work great, and fit great. Also big sizes available to accomodate reef shoes

[Mason]

I just love this site, for how long I thought I was all alone, except for one other friend who kneeboards and maybe the occasional kneeboarder I meet in the water, which isnt often, then I discover this site and VOILLA a whole new world of kneeboarding, I never knew there was a U.S. title for kneeboarding much less a World Title, thats just awesome and so was some of the kneeboarding videos. I gotta love a place where I can exchange ideas and seek advice from guys who understand exactly what I go through. I looked up some sporting stores online and I have found my duckfeets that I know and trust and despite my apprehenshions about buying things online this one is a must 24.99 at sports authority. But that will have to wait a while cause on monday while out on the North Shore I dislocated my thumb (it hurts!) went up off the lip on a little section that closed out on me and came landing on the bottom of the wave, through prior experiences I know going off the top and landind at the bottomof the wave is not a good thing for kneeboarding ( broke a board once and tore a cartledge another time) So I half bailed on it but half tried to land it, in other words I half u know what it! My board came up at me rail first as I was coming down face first into my board, manage to put my hand up to block my board but it was coming with to much force and it dislocated my thumb and gashed my cheek too. So I have now given up on those off the top of those close out sections just to risky except for smaller waves 1-2ft maybe!

[jimithesaint]

I have a question about Da Fins- the same company makes a fin for bodyboarding called Kicks, they appear to be a cutdown and rounded blade version of DaFin
Has anyone tried this fin? I would guess the comfort and weight is similar to Da Fin, but wondered how the thrust was compared to DaFin

http://www.kicksfins.com/

Just thought I would ask

Thanks
Jimi

[austo]

Stevea, I love the redbacks but I have only ever had one pair as I didnt know where to get them from (none in West Oz) my first pair I got from some guy on ebay (unwanted gift supposedly) loved them most comfotable fin I have tryed. Lost one while duck diving took fin and fin saver right off my foot! anyway found a guy on Oz ebay who is selling them somewhere in Vic got another pair just 3 weeks ago. Cheap fin, hell comfortable.
I rate them

[SouthernTim]

Jimi:

I use Kicks exclusively when I'm sans booties. I really love the small profile, and find plenty of thrust. They are really light and fully get the job done without feeling like you are dragging a lot of weight and a lot of width around behind you. My with-booties fins are Toobs BluntCut's if that gives you an idea of what profile fin I like.

The foot pocket is exceptionally comfortable. I'm landlocked, and only get to surf 2-3 times per year. So, my feet are far from well-used when it comes to wearing fins for 6+ hours/day, which is generally the amount of water time I get when I'm on a surf trip. The Kicks are so comfortable that I can wear them barefoot for 4 days straight have have nary a single blister or hot spot. I really, really, like them.

I wear a size 13 shoe, and the XL Kicks fit great barefoot, but are too small with any kind of bootie on. I wish they made them in the XXL that they make in DaFin, but c'est la vie, eh?

Hope that helps.

T

[SouthernTim]

Hey Mason:

I've got a pair of blue/orange DuckFeet that you are welcome to if you'll pay shipping from Atlanta, GA. They are XL.

Holler back...if you're interested.

T

[FLwaves]

My with-booties fins are Toobs BluntCut's if that gives you an idea of what profile fin I like.

Hey Tim, I've been kicking with bluntcuts exclusively for over 10 years (bodyboarding). Lately I've been thinking about trying something new (probably has something to do with the new KB ) In your experience, what are the benefits of kicks over blunts...i.e. more thrust?

[mark ricketts]

matt - old dog..new tricks...also, having flippers is nice at the last few seconds as the wave rises behind and your board starts to get overtaken and that reef is getting drier by the nanosecond.

for me its also a security thing. it nice to have flippers on when your leggie breaks and you start that long lonely swim in. certainly not essential, just insurance or re-assurance!!!!

i've also been using US Divers shredders - they have an adjustable heel strap which is great when you need to wear booties. they seem a bit flexible to me and i'd also like to know how anyone stiffens up flipper blades - nothing I've got even looks like bonding to the plastic blades.

[griz]

Well Mason,being green on this sight you`ve certainly managed to choose the topic most guaranteed to draw out the emotions of most kneelos.Don`t know if you`ve noticed yet how this is morphing from an inocent informative question into a compassionate for and against flippers issue.Even the word "flippers" is an issue.I even feel Albert recognises this and is keeping surprisingly low key

[albert]

I even feel Albert recognises this and is keeping surprisingly low key

[Mason]

Thanks for the offer southern Tim, but i take an large so ive decided to order them online through the Sport Authority. And yes Griz im begining to notice this is a sensitive topic amongst us, just like my old pair of duckies about ready to die on me are. Love the passion im seeing here though. Fins are vital to my knee boarding, just as they are to those who prefer going the finless err... flipperless route!