Modifying Fins?

[Spongah]

You can get them at East Coast Bodyboards or ebodyboarding.com.

I have arthritis in one of my feet, and a farked up ankle, so I hate fins. The only 2 fins I can deal with are Makapuus and Kicks. Kicks, however, are my total favorite. Rounded blade have decent thrust, foot pocket is comfy, ankle strap is low and thin. Plus I can walk in them with no issue - backwards and forwards. Good also for DK. They also don't drag like some fins do, yanno? Like if you have good shorey and are in a closeout barrel or something, you don't want something on your feet that drag...

LOVE THEM.

[Scarecrow]

I went out this morning in my Churchill Slashers, which are somewhat uncomfortable but fairly easy to walk in, and they don't aggravate my screwed up foot. I may be able to get through the summer with these, my feet seem to be growing nice calluses, but the Vipers fit comfortably over a pair of 3mm socks, so they may be my winter fins, at least.

I'm gonna start by cutting the side rails on the Vipers and if that doesn't do the trick I may just cut the blade across at an angle like the Churchills.

I'd like to try Kicks, Techs, Pods, Lagunas, and all sorts of other fins but all they sell locally is Churchills. I ordered the Vipers from ebodyboarding. They're size medium, a bit loose, but OK with fin socks and ankle pads.

thanks, y'all.

[chuck white]

I'm gonna start by cutting the side rails on the Vipers and if that doesn't do the trick I may just cut the blade across at an angle like the Churchills.

thanks, y'all.

If you cut them @ the angle of churchills there will be added pressure/stress on the long side of the flipper to your ankles. Though not as much due to the vipers being much more narrow.

[Scarecrow]

If you cut them @ the angle of churchills there will be added pressure/stress on the long side of the flipper to your ankles. Though not as much due to the vipers being much more narrow.

Do you mean that this stress on the ankles would be worse in cut-down Vipers than it is in the Churchills? Because the Churchills I've got don't bother my ankles now.

Or would you recommend maybe taking an inch or so off the tip of the blade in a straight line across the tip of the fin?

[chuck white]

Do you mean that this stress on the ankles would be worse in cut-down Vipers than it is in the Churchills? Because the Churchills I've got don't bother my ankles now.

Or would you recommend maybe taking an inch or so off the tip of the blade in a straight line across the tip of the fin?

Very little you can do to vipers without comprimising the integrity of the fin. Cutting the fin a bit shorter will not make much of a difference. Vipers were designed to have that powerful thrust. Really the only way you can make them have more flex is removing the rail blades on the top & bottom of the fin. There is a good chance that you could ruin the fins by doing so. Better off saving for a new pair of fins.

[Chris Joyner]

Very little you can do to vipers without comprimising the integrity of the fin. Cutting the fin a bit shorter will not make much of a difference. Vipers were designed to have that powerful thrust. Really the only way you can make them have more flex is removing the rail blades on the top & bottom of the fin. There is a good chance that you could ruin the fins by doing so. Better off saving for a new pair of fins.

Well spoken and so true. Remind me to try your fins next time Chuck, I am still thinking of picking up a stash of Redleys to hold on to.

[CurtFlirt732]

most reasons people cut fins are to help with DKing i find the most comfortable fins are techs cause ive got such a wide foot and redleys

[Chris Joyner]

most reasons people cut fins are to help with DKing i find the most comfortable fins are techs cause ive got such a wide foot and redleys

Yeah man, was sad to see Redley's leave the scene. I think I have rocked those for 13+ years.

[Scarecrow]

Well, I did try snipping the rails on the Vipers, it didn't seem to reduce the thrust noticeably and after 10 minutes my foot was killing me...this was a couple of weeks ago and now my foot hurts no matter what fin I wear because the Viper really strained it. The Churchills hurt it now, and I got a pair of Kicks, which I do like for the comfort, but they're also killing the weak foot.

I can't stop bodyboarding, 'cause I'm like an addict, even when the surf is tiny, like this morning I was out paddling for 18" waves, and having some fun at it, too.

So now I'm considering taking the old and kind of uncomfortable Churchills and cutting off the outside of the left fin at an angle so there'll be less thrust there at the outside of the left foot, hopefully I can continue to bodyboard while the foot recovers, then switch over to unmodified Kicks.

I gave the Vipers to Mr. Scarecrow, he seems to like them even though he has wide feet.

[Spongah]

Well, I did try snipping the rails on the Vipers, it didn't seem to reduce the thrust noticeably and after 10 minutes my foot was killing me...this was a couple of weeks ago and now my foot hurts no matter what fin I wear because the Viper really strained it. The Churchills hurt it now, and I got a pair of Kicks, which I do like for the comfort, but they're also killing the weak foot.

I can't stop bodyboarding, 'cause I'm like an addict, even when the surf is tiny, like this morning I was out paddling for 18" waves, and having some fun at it, too.

So now I'm considering taking the old and kind of uncomfortable Churchills and cutting off the outside of the left fin at an angle so there'll be less thrust there at the outside of the left foot, hopefully I can continue to bodyboard while the foot recovers, then switch over to unmodified Kicks.

I gave the Vipers to Mr. Scarecrow, he seems to like them even though he has wide feet.

Tape up your ankle?? I tape mine because I have no ligamentous support in my right ankle, plus I fractured the distal part of the fibula way back when.

= )