foot pads/divider

Fossil Man · Post by **Fossil Man** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:44 am

Thinking of trying one of those raised strips of traction material ( do we have an official name for this accessory? ) between the feet / flippers to help to apply more turning force through the tail. Being a dedicated flipper wearer I will sometimes rest the arms a bit , scoot back and motor along with just the fins. Does the strip down the center of the tail preclude ever doing that ? Seems like it would cause some real unique levels of discomfort. Also whats the best positioning for strip, just between feet or further up to include calves as well. For "flipper kneelos", does the presence of a strip tend to push the flips too far off the edges of the tail into the water flow. Any good sources for this product ?

Thanks Guys, Robert

C.P.Odom · Post by **C.P.Odom** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:16 am

Ed Quinn was calling the divider an "Arch Bar". This may be a term he created or maybe Casey who uses them on his Cove pads. Casey has done quite a few of these.

I have built these into the pads I make for my son Evan, these are designed around flipperless surfing only.

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eqKneelo · Post by **eqKneelo** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:44 pm

Gigs always has them. I think you can buy them on the UK site.

They're 3" thick... sometimes he uses 2... and he gets on his boards and cuts his flippers down till there is zero drag.

If you watch Gigs surf ( he rippppppsssss) you can see how his approach is different than a lot of his World Champion peers. He throws/kicks so much pressure into that inside foot, using all that leverage from the arch bar, then transfers his force to his outside foot and catches the tail and redirects.

He seems to "launch" into a lot of turns... and I reckon it's from that tail control.

As for "comfort"... guess you just gotta try it.

They come standard on COVE PADS and are really comfortable.

Casey Patelski · Post by **Casey Patelski** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:30 pm

Yeah, at COVE PAD we call them "TAIL BLOCKS". It really works for better control in turns and when the lip comes down on your back and wants to push your feet off the tail. I swear by it. The COVE PAD has the tail block as an option at no extra charge. The Tail Block is layerd under the top pad at the tail for a smooth transition or finish. I must admit I saw this on Gigs board in a Sparrow Kneelo flick and knew I had to have it. No issues paddling or discomfort hanging off the back with the COVE PAD Tail Block. See this pic in the Boards Section of this site
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