Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

i am currently using short/stiff blade fins (they give me short bursts of speed) but it seems like i need a longer fin like a "dive type fin" that is suited to sustained cruizing speeds maybe? anybody use the longer type fins? good points/bad points? ( i just do not have the money to buy 5 pairs of fins and expirement) so i really enjoy/need your advise to this old newbie......... thanks and get wet.......

DUCK FEET OR NEW UDT

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I find it interesting that there's more than one kneelo out there who wears a different model fin/flipper on each foot. Barry Baker being one. How they reach this conclusion is a wonder to me (which fin for which foot? Do you switch the combo for waves breaking left and waves breaking right? Or is it based on conditions - size, current, crowd?).

Obviously these kneelos are not averse to experimenting. That being, you could find a place that sells singles, and try it out. Maybe you choose to be asymmetrical, or maybe you find the fin that works in all conditions. It's always a very personal decision.

dm

good advise guys, thanks so much!!! great post beeline.........really informative.......

I surfed with Beeline last weekend...
Using only his duckfeet (arms rested on board), he out-"paddeled" everyone back into the lineup...
every time, seamingly easy.
Just like a duck...
looked like an easy glide across the water, but underneath it all, there are some fins hard at work.

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For me... I go back and forth....churchills-duckfeet.. Just up until now, I wore a different fin on oppsite feet.Not because of what Darcy said, but because I kept losing the same foot fin and had to keep buying new pairs.
But what I did fine out by doing that is I found that the right setup that I liked. A yellow/blue and a black churchill. I just bought a set of orange/blue duckfeet. When I got them home, I removed the center rib. It made the fins more flexible. I also just bought a pair of orange/black churchills. The blades are alittle more flexibleand at times I fell like I get a better thrust

I'm just getting back into kneeboarding (after a 30 year break), and I've enjoyed using my extra long dive fins...my skill level isn't at the point yet where I'd notice the performance tradeoff. I'm a runner, and the long fins sure help me to catch the wave, and afterwards, get me back out into the lineup a lot quicker and with less effort. I caught 6 waves in my heat at Steamer Lane.

thanks again all. I got some duck feet today(tried them in the pool as the waves were crap, but i could feel a big dif in swimming even without my kickboard, i was cruizing with less effort.......... cannot wait to try them tomorrow if the surf cooperates!!

How about VIPERS? Any thoughts on using 5" or 7"? Do the 5" have enough thrust? Are the 7" to long? Yellow or orange?

Good posts guys.......I've used Duck Feet for many years.....I just "retired" the pair I've worn since 1977 !!! The bottom of the foot pocket finally tore but the straps are still intact! That's great longevity and I attribute that to a great product but more importantly to washing my fins carefully in fresh water after every surf and keeping them out of the sun when possible....

My new Ducks feel just like the old ones.....comfortable right out of the box and plenty of power..... Churchills never did it for me but I've used them from time to time....

UDTs are very long and stiff and you better have those calf muscles in awesome shape or suffer the insane cramping that causes the calf muscle to clump into the size of a golf ball, curling your toes involuntarily .......

As for finding singles of different models.....get out your snorkeling gear and hit the Wedge or Makapuu/Sandy's on Oahu after a decent swell and take your pick......I always use fin tethers .........slippin' into my old Ducks felt like a pair of well-worn Rainbow sandals ......Sweet

Hoppo,
Viper V5 orange dot for 5 feet and under, yellow dot V5 for anything bigger.
I personally think the V7 are too long and floppy after trying them a few times. It feels like the foot pocket is too soft for the amount of thrust that the blade gives. Like riding a road bike in zoris.

Thanks jfooj, Think I'm going to try the 5" yellow. Being an old man I need the power.

Jadams3,

You are lucky to have gotten a good pair of Duckfeet, many of us have purchased Duckfeet in the last two years that have been hard as rock and they just flap on top of the water. If you end up with a pair of hard fins they will require a lot of grinding on the ribs to make them useful. Always take them out of the box and test them for proper flex.