Makapuu Fins Too Floppy/Bendy

PM livesurfish, he'll want to be in this conversation.

 

Dude I've heard that about the new Mak's...they're being produced in a different factory or something and lack the stiffness they used to have...I hear ya on the trying different fins on...Narragansett Surf and Skate carries Vipers I'm pretty sure...

 

I have a really weird pair of fins called H20 Wavegripper. very soft pocket, very stiff blade. They are lower end fins, but very functional, I use them to bodysurf all the time ebodyboarding.com has them

also dafin is known to be good too

 

I just had the same problem and I need new fins because they dont fit over my winter socks so now I know not to get makapuus and to get another pair of hydros

 

I've had both Maks and DaFins and greatly prefer the DaFins. Just a better overall fin as far as comfortability, thrust, stiffness, and price go.

 

I have used the L and XL Makapuus a lot. The XL are a bit floppier but I think it is balanced thrustwise with the L because the surface area is much greater. The XL is floppy and big, they even can get a bend in them that will not straighten out which is very different than the board like stiffness of the L. They just take a little getting used to but they are good fins, just different.

Again it is perfectly normal, that is just how the XL is.

 

I was a Churchill guy for many years, but Vipers were a game changer. But I use them for bodysurfing only... not bodyboarding.

 

I still favor my hydros

 

epictetus, if you make the rods and insert them take pics and let us know step by step how it goes, seems like a 5 dollar solution to a 1 dollar problem, but creativity and DIY spirit are great.

 

No problem, happy to see my Churchill knowledge of sizes finally was a help. It was strange for me too at first, then I found I needed to use my entire leg and keep my knees straight to get thrust. I found I actually got more thrust from the XL's due to the large surface area. They are floppy though and hard to walk in. The best pair I ever had was a lime green and black colored pair, they were perfectly rigid. The blue and grey pairs always seemed to be floppier. I have never used XL's for bodyboarding but I would imagine the biggest problem would be steering and using the fins as a rudder. There might be some spray on adhesives that you could spray over the fin surface area that would harden them up a bit, rather than trying to add rods. Maybe some stiff hair gel? I am not sure. Maybe If you sprayed them and then stacked some heavy stuff on top to keep them flat?

One thing is for sure your legs might be a little sore from using the XL because they are different, but they will strengthen. Every year when I switched from XL to L or vice-versa I would be sore for about a week.

I worked as an ocean survey swimmer for a few years we swimmers used churchill fins.