MyPaipoBoards Forums

bgreen wrote:Based on the comments - I bought a pair. Some feedback -

1) they are like excavators and pick up small rocks & sand while wading out.

2) they seem to require a very different kick action to my churchills. I found I got more propulsion by being further back on the board.

3) they are soft & comfortable.

Bob

Are you speaking of the Duck Fins or DaFins?

Da fin -

http://www.ebodyboarding.com/site/enlarge/DaFin.jpg

DaFins and Vipers V5 - Some Observations

DaFins: Wide foot pocket, more power for catching a wave, more drag when extending legs to conform to wave. The DaFins blades tend to be depressed by the wave causing drag--this is not a factor on a open-faced, more powerful wave.

Vipers V5 Yellow Dot: Narrow foot pocket, better cruise kicking for longer paddles, captures energy from the wave when extending legs to conform to the wave. The Vipers remain neutral to the wave and capture the wave's energy--this is beneficial when in a flat section of the wave or when the planning surface benefits from being elongated.
http://mypaipoboards.org/flippers/Viper ... ephoto.jpg

Have had a pair of duckfeet for awhile...good power but a tad uncomfortable and slow to accelerate for my skill level {moderate at best}. Bought a pair of dafins this morning and took out my mat in 3 foot beach break..Dafins were just much easier to use. Caught a lot of waves and quick turn aound take offs were much more successful than with the vipers which take longer to get going. very comfortable and just made the go out much more like fun and less like work--

my 2cents

Since I have been down in Costa Rica for a week now it is fair to say that DaFins are winning the day. I've only used the Yellow Dot Vipers (5") once, because of a slight blister or attack my a small pebble. As Bob mentioned the DaFins do tend to suck the sand & small stones if you are not careful.

rodndtube wrote:Since I have been down in Costa Rica for a week now it is fair to say that DaFins are winning the day. I've only used the Yellow Dot Vipers (5") once, because of a slight blister or attack my a small pebble. As Bob mentioned the DaFins do tend to suck the sand & small stones if you are not careful.

Have you given the dafins heal straps any close inspection, mine perished ad snapped,i hope your don't suffer the same fate.

The straps have been holding up fine. I know of people using stand-up surf booties and stretching them way out, but with wet socks they have been holding up thus far.

The new duck feet are amazing. Very soft/comfortable rubber compared to the old formula. I've used mine in 2 foot slop to 12 foot nuking reef breaks on Oahu. After watching Wiamea break this past winter, with all the lifeguards running around with duck feet, I stopped looking for a better fin.

I just got a pair of duckfeet. I'm a Churchill fan but I liked these fins as much as anything else I've tried. They rubbed a bit around the ankle but otherwise were pretty comfortable and you can get a bit of traction from them.

I bought a pair of DaFins but they haven't had much use. I also have a pair of UDTs that I mostly use for kick training. In short period waves I find them too much work.

Bob

I've relied on the same old pair of "Custom" Model Duck Feet for over 25yr, and suffered off-and-on with the toe-knucks blisters and occasional calf-muscle cramps. I have a wide, size 9.5-10 shoe size, and the Duck Feet are Size Large. It always felt that my toes were being crammed into the foot pocket by the heel strap. A few months ago, I bought a pair of DaFins Size Large (9-10) after reading all the hype about the foot comfort they afforded. And, besides, my old DF were starting to show cracks on the fin ribs. The DFs were really very comfortable, but I couldn't seem to get as much thrust as I could from my DFs. Then I changed my kick style from full leg, using mostly quad muscles, to a shorter, flutter kick, using mostly calf muscles. This improved thrust, but still not as much as my old DFs. The lack of thrust with Da Fins was most noticeable on big days, when trying to paddle back outside, and when trying to paddle into larger/faster waves. Felt like I was on a treadmill, and found that arm-paddling was more productive.

So, after further research, I ordered a Size Large pair of Ally ERS4s. They're an asymmetric design, very similar to Churchies, but with better drainage (another thing I didn't like about my Duckies) When they arrived in the mail, I was disappointed to discover that I could only get my wide-ass foot half-way into the foot pocket! Sent them back to Amazon, and went to my local Sports Chalet and picked up a new pair of Duckies. I'd read that Voit had greatly improved the foot comfort of the new Custom Model, and the price at $40 was a good $15-$20 cheaper than the more trendy Vipers, DaFins, Churchies, Hydros, etc. I bought the "Extra Large" size which is Size 9-11, figuring it would accommodate my Barney Ruble feet, and offer a little extra room for socks when it gets colder.

Today, I paddled out at one of my favorite belly board beach breaks. Surf was a weak 3-2, normally wouldn't have bothered, but I was anxious to try the new flips. First off, my new Customs are almost an inch longer than my old Customs. Now the old Customs are Size Large and the new are Size X Large. I wonder if others have noticed an increase in length or if sizing has changed? No problem getting them on and they fit snug, but with plenty of toe room. I noticed the increased thrust (over DaFins) immediately on the paddle out. Less struggling to get into waves, and getting into waves earlier. Back to using full leg kick. Order has been restored to my universe.

I have been using Dafins for a couple of months now and as an experiment, switched back to my old duckfeet----what a difference! While the DaFins are more comfortable and easier to use, I felt much less drag using the duckfeet. I am riding a t-belly 3 and its performance, while already really good, improved tremendously while I was wearing the duckfeet--much faster---goodby Dafins

What size of DaFin and are you selling them? I take it you are giving them away!?

they are xl's but i am not quite ready to get rid of them yet--I don't notice the drag when body or hand boarding so I will keep them

surfing on the net for new shapes and fin products I stumbled on this product http://shinfin.com
has anyone given a go at this?? and what was the feed back from using them

Some years ago someone on kneeboard forum got some. There report was that they did not provide much in the way of actual effects. Super comfortable but only a bit more speed and acceleration than barefoot kicking!

After moving to Oregon 27 years ago I switched to the largest foot size UDT's with 2mm booties for my size 13 feet. The booty soles can get shredded after one walk on a rock bottom but nothing can match the power of full size UDTs. With a strong kick from the hips they can handle getting into big surf and getting out of strong currents. If you have a smaller build cutting them shorter can help. I prefer training at the gym on machines doing leg extensions, leg curls, and the sled to build up thigh muscles in the off season. I can actually stay outside of the mob of thrusters (and inside of the long boarders) and get up to pretty good speed holding my HPD out in front of me in green water using full size UDTs.

I started off as a teenager using soft green Churchills for smaller warm water conditions but I really like the comfort and power of Vipers with bare feet for shoulder high and lower waves in warm water. Vipers are also good at a critical takeoff spot for a reef break where you only need to take two or three kicks to drop in.

I had Da Fins for awhile and they are probably my third choice nowadays and might be ideal for folks that find UDTs too big and heavy.

PaipoJim,

Have you tried Duckfeet? Were you riding a paipo board before the HPD?

Bob

bgreen wrote: Have you tried Duckfeet?

I had a pair of Voits back in high school but they hurt my bare feet so I switched to green Churchill's for the comfort. Even those wore holes all the way through my skin after a long day in the water. I still have the scars.

Were you riding a paipo board before the HPD?

Bob, I had pix of some of these on Rod's old site so I'm pretty sure you have seen them. In roughly descending chronological order.

Homebuilt Divyncell trad guitar pick spoon nose.

A homebuilt plywood kick-nose built for a Bodygun harness.

52" very thin John Mel Freeline Design foam twin-fin fishtail.

A Dale Solomonson mat.

42" Ron Romanosky slightly bat square tail twin fin.

A load of boogers going back from a hard bottom big ass Turbo to an original green 1973 Morey built from the kit.

1973 5' 4" Freeline Design tri-fin kneeboard.

1971 38" Freeline round tail tri-fin.

A 1969 Greenough type spoon built by some Aussie at a shack right across the highway from Cardiff reef.

A 1967 Newport Paipo (I would call it a bellyboard but whatever.)

A bunch of hand planes, A Hand Gun, various skim boards and serving trays etc...

40 inch? bellyboard made out of the tail of my old 10' 4" Greg Noll Slot.

Old school canvas mat replete with perimeter rope.

That's all that I can remember but I'm sure I am leaving some stuff out:

flojo wrote:I have been using Dafins for a couple of months now and as an experiment, switched back to my old duckfeet----what a difference! While the DaFins are more comfortable and easier to use, I felt much less drag using the duckfeet. I am riding a t-belly 3 and its performance, while already really good, improved tremendously while I was wearing the duckfeet--much faster---goodby Dafins

I agree that the DaFins can create more drag than many other fin designs. I part this can be mitigated by lifting the fin out of the water (more speed than a fin(s) in the water under normal riding conditions). But, when using a fin to elongate your planning surface the DaFin does create drag due to its downward curve shape. My comments relative to the Viper shape: http://mypaipoboards.org/flippers/flipp ... vs._DaFins

The new Duckfeet Custom model has a much softer foot pocket then the original. Not as soft as DaFin but way more comfortable than the original, while still maintaining good thrust. Can't have max thrust with an ultra soft foot pocket. Blade will bend at the toe under stress.