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Update on silicone spray: I keep my Duck Feet in my truck most of the time, in the back under a camper shell/canopy. Out of direct sunlight but subject to heat and cold. We've had weeks of warm and extremely low humidity (5-10%) weather. Ducks are maybe 3-4 years old. They were recently used but I had rinsed them off well and they were dry. I took a couple of photos and then applied silicone spray to one of them, playing with direct spray and also spraying a rag and wiping on.

Well...they sucked the silicone spray up like a sponge takes water. I'm probably a couple of years too late to try this on this pair. The silicone didn't noticeably change the color or anything. Not worth taking "after" photos. My heel straps are in fine condition because I wrapped them in neoprene when they were new.

Once I finished the second fin I remembered a product called 303 Protectant. It's expensive. An aerospace product that has migrated into general use, water based, not petroleum like a product such as Armor All. That one might be worth checking out. Once my Ducks dry out or seem like they need attention again I'll give that a go. Amazon sells 303 and you can save some money there plus read the reviews.

Nels

Switched over to the pair of DaFins that I brought with me to PR. The Yellow Dot V5 pair were just too damn tight and cramping for some reason. Found that I did not have an extra pair of Orange Dots which I would have brought. So happy the DaFins came with me. The kick transition only took about 5 minutes so feel comfortable enough to take them out in the challenging surf situations (I am like that in new situations/conditions).

Nels,

I got a small tube of gel from a dive shop. Aquanuts brand.

yet to test it.

Bob

This might be handy is anyone in the UK needs some

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showth ... p?t=351362

Sorry didnt check that,the links broken. Ive found some 303 on ebay and its just been delivered, I got the 59ml spray as my winter fins have never seen the sun

Well I won a pair of these in a comp and not liking then or having much confidence in then I gave them to a friend as he needed new fins.

He does not surf much so i thought they might last, after about 1 surfs in 6 months, the back strap snapped again.

They have not been left in the sun (no sun in wales) abused or walked in, They have the thinnest worst heel straps of any fins i have used in 22 years!!

only other fins i have ever broke have been abused from being walked in across rocky reefs. but took years to break.

don't life guards use these?

I have been using my pair for two years... they have been exposed to cold and hot temps but I have not stretched out the heal straps much. Am always careful with that. I do use 1 to 2 mm fin socks but the foot pocket is plenty large so my feet slip in easily.

krusher74 wrote:Well I won a pair of these in a comp and not liking then or having much confidence in then I gave them to a friend as he needed new fins.

He does not surf much so i thought they might last, after about 1 surfs in 6 months, the back strap snapped again.

They have not been left in the sun (no sun in wales) abused or walked in, They have the thinnest worst heel straps of any fins i have used in 22 years!!

only other fins i have ever broke have been abused from being walked in across rocky reefs. but took years to break.

don't life guards use these?

I gave my friend every tip I could think of to make them last and they still snapped!

I saw a video of one guy wearing big booties... not surprised they snapped. Maybe a Force Fin would be better in those conditions.

rodndtube wrote:I saw a video of one guy wearing big booties... not surprised they snapped. Maybe a Force Fin would be better in those conditions.

Not heard of a force fin, is that a brand?

My friend was using these bare food and they were a good fit so no need for him to pull hard on the heel straps (and they had only been on about 10 times anyway)

I think they would be fine if that heel strap was just as big and thick as all other fins I have seen/used. I have never had a heel strap break of any of my other fins in 22years surfing.

I wonder if this happens to many other dafins?

I have heard of the heal strap issue with DaFins but all has been good with me for 2 years and for a couple of other friends.

Two of my buddies swear by Force Fins. They are not inexpensive but watch on eBay and deals can be had. They especially like being able to strap the swim fins with fin booties for extra reef protection.
http://www.forcefin.com/

rodndtube wrote:I have heard of the heal strap issue with DaFins but all has been good with me for 2 years and for a couple of other friends.

Two of my buddies swear by Force Fins. They are not inexpensive but watch on eBay and deals can be had. They especially like being able to strap the swim fins with fin booties for extra reef protection.
http://www.forcefin.com/

very interesting design, but at that price to expensive too give a try.

While living outside Tucson AZ I found a pair of Force Fins that fit me for $2, in perfect shape! Comfortable as bedroom slippers BUT much less thrust and drive than my Vipers. Ultimately ditched the comfort for the acceleration and speed.

I have not tried out the Force Fins. Nonetheless there are some real advantages: (1) walking in reef booties (instead of fin sock or flip flops) to the beach and (2) walking on a lava reef. Some places the walk to the waterside is impossible without foot wear and most fin socks quickly wear out. The sand might be blistering hot, the ground may be prickly or rocky or you might be walking on some form of reef rock. Or you need to walk on a mud ridden path. And you may not want to leave your walking shoes/sandals on the beach due to expected theft. Then there is the situations where you find yourself on the reef--can't walk with your swim fins and can't walk with bare feet. In these situations the reef booties can come in handy and the Force Fin readily accommodates them!!!

GeoffreyLevens wrote:While living outside Tucson AZ I found a pair of Force Fins that fit me for $2, in perfect shape! Comfortable as bedroom slippers BUT much less thrust and drive than my Vipers. Ultimately ditched the comfort for the acceleration and speed.

I found a pair of the standard model Force fins at the swap meet a few years back, paid 8 bucks.
Wore them twice and then sent them to the thrift store.
Flippy floopy no thrust clown shoes as far as I was concerned.
I'm sticking with my UDT's.

had some force fins they cracked on the blade no more plastic over priced fins I will stay with my UDT

mrmike wrote:had some force fins they cracked on the blade no more plastic over priced fins I will stay with my UDT

I'm certainly not trying a pair of force fins then as UDT' are the worst fins I have ever owned! lol

I got a reply back from the uk dafins distributor. I agree with their method of putting the fins on will make then last and not snap, but imo this is bandaid for a overly thin poor heal strap. I have seen both pairs I have been in contact with snap there in less than 10 uses and (yanked on in winter over thick shock/boots) every other fin i have owned hundreds of times with never a single problem.

"We are always slightly wary when people say the strap snapped when they were putting them on, as the strap is for keeping them on, not pulling them on.
Pulling them on by the strap could well snap it, even if it is in perfect condition – it just isn’t deigned for that purpose."

HOW TO PUT ON DAFIN:
1. Fins should be wet.
2. Hold fin by side rails with both hands.
3. Slide foot all the way into pocket until toes reach the end.
4. Pull strap over heel.

or just use maakapuu's. no snap wide foot pocket, long lasting.

"We are always slightly wary when people say the strap snapped when they were putting them on, as the strap is for keeping them on, not pulling them on.
Pulling them on by the strap could well snap it, even if it is in perfect condition – it just isn’t deigned for that purpose."
Kinda sad logic seems to me. Think when wave rips them off your feet (they have straps, at least partly, specifically to counteract this). This is the same force just applied from other side, as using strap to pull them on.

I have been using Force Fins since they came out except for one brief stint with Redleys. They are very comfortable and lots of power, if use the Pro Force model. The regular and Rip Force do not have enough thrust for me. If just got a new pair of ProForce fins (my third pair. I left my last pair in a parking lot at the beach. ) and they are very stiff and have tons of thrust. How long can you surf with your regular fins before your feet get tired? I have gone 4 hours in big surf and had no foot cramps etc. I had to get out, because I was tired not because my feet hurt. A new pair will last 6-10 years. How much do you spend on coffee and going out to dinner?

They recently moved their factory. So in December they said that they will start selling their Underwater Hockey fins again, which I think will be ideal for prone surfing etc.[img][/img]

The only disadvantage to the Proforce is when you are manuvering around and getting ready to catch a wave they can get in the way. Also they can drag when the wave slows down to a crawl. I am thinking about cutting an inch or so off the tips.