Mat riders, body surfers, anyone using these - I have a question. I’ve been using the longer V-7s for a couple months now and love them - great balance of thrust and quickness for the beach breaks I use them in. Only thing is they are killing my toes - the tops/knuckles. I’m thinking they are probably a bit too big since I can fit a 3mm soft sole bootie in them, though I’ve only used them barefot so far. They fit snug except there’s alot of wiggle room around the toes(esp top to bottom) so on each kick there’s alot of pressure exerted on the top of my toes. I feel like I have arthritis when walking at least a couple days after using them. I’m hoping that maybe just dropping a size down will do the trick but hoping for some feedback. I really like them except for this issue. I’m a size 9 and ordered the Large which are for 9-10. Maybe the Medium for 8-9 will work out. Thanks if anyone can help.
I have custom fit mine by gluing pieces of neoprene in the areas where there is extra space. You may try that. I cut up and old 4/3 wetsuit and used those pieces.
yeah, glue in some neoprene scraps w/ Aquaseal or wear w/ the booties. Booties make a world of difference. I even wear them in tropical water w/ flippers for just that reason, to pad my tootsies.
Heeless fin socks are perfect with fins for body surfing or body boarding, they really cushion your toes and don’t hold water like booties.
I’d glue scraps to a bootie, not the fin, then cut the bootie down to where you want it.
The most comprehensive solution usually lies in a combination of fin sox(heeless and usually 2mm) and neoprene padding(wetsuit) glued to the top inside of the fin.
Cut your neoprene and install with a temporary glue like contact cement, which is waterproof, but will fail with this application
in 1-3 months of use. Its easy enough to re-do this as needed.
By trial and error over many sessions , you’ll get the right customization of layering inside the fin.
The idea is to put a 4-5" inch heel outline into the top then apply additional layers as needed in the form of about mini 2+" heel outlines starting at the toe
area. You dont want too much or too little padding. It is preferably to find some old 2mm wetsuit material for this.
After some time and when all is tranquil and perfect and your hammer toe sores have dissapeared, then rip out the pads and re-do with a permanent glue like super glue, gorilla grip(maybe), etc.
My solution has been fin sox’s, with 2 layers of 2mm wetsuit inside the fin.
Works for me.
thanks for the tips. i like the simplicity of just throwing a pair of fins on in the water, no hassle, but if it’s wrecking my feet then probably best to give some fin socks a try. i actually tried some on this weekend at a shop sale but didn’t like getting the fin on over them so i didn’t buy them. the vipers already have a layer of neoprene glued inside so i’ll try and temporarily add another layer from an old 2mm to it and see how it goes.
ps - is this the case for most fins out there?
Its what I do for duckfeet.
With Churchills I never did anything except finsox, but then again with the Churchills you coulldnt exactly
leverage the power to create a severe case of ‘hammer’ toes.
I’ve been very comfy in mine for some time., however, this past month I started getting some ankle abrasion with the Ducks even with
the fin sox. The Ying and Yang of wearing fins, it comes and goes.
ps - is this the case for most fins out there?
Yes - for me. Some people find a fin that fits perfect out of the box. That has yet to happen for me.
thanks for the tips. i like the simplicity of just throwing a pair of fins on in the water, no hassle, but if it’s wrecking my feet then probably best to give some fin socks a try. i actually tried some on this weekend at a shop sale but didn’t like getting the fin on over them so i didn’t buy them. ……
I wear thin booties year round (for several reasons) and find that fins (at least Vipers and Duckfeet) commonly go on more easily if you get either the fins or the booties (or both) wet first. So the results of your store trial may be misleading.
ps - is this the case for most fins out there?
Pretty much as others have said, if they are giving you enough push to really make a difference they’ll wear on the ol toes.
The open-heel fin socks and such are fine if you’re not in and around a lot of sand. If you are, well, sand in the padded fin or in the fin socks gives you dermabrasion on the cheap. Wears away those ol’ callouses and corns and toes quite effectively.
One of the nicer things about this part of the Atlantic ocean is that it’s relatively cool all the time and wearing lightweight boots under fins in the dead of summer isn’t uncomfortable at all. In fact, I get all my fins sized to fit over wetsuit boots. No sand problems, no worn-down-toe problems either.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Flips flipsswimfins and Force fins
http://www.forcefin.com/FF_PAGES/surfing_catalog.html
Both go over instep only and so don’t hurt your toes and tend to cramp less. I have Flips which I like a lot (noticably more power than Duckfeet, less than UDT’s) though they are a bit of a hassel in that you can’t put them on or take them off in the water. I have heard good things about Force Fins but only know one or two who use them and I never have. Flips–one size fits all with or without booties. Force Fins cost a LOT more and are more fitted to your size
i didn’t care much for the flips after a few tries in the winter w/ 7mm booties. convenient to pack and light but not a fan of the straps. maybe with barefeet or thinner booties they’d fare much better. i’d like to try the forces but they’re a bit pricey to buy and try. i contacted the seller of the vipers and he said that my feet might just be too wide for those fins as they were for him. since they’re already snug near the ankle, dropping down would probably cause cramps. adding booties to the mix and making it tighter might also cause cramps but i’ll stilll give the added neoprene and/or fin socks a try. in sort of panic mode i ordered a pair of da fins. unfortunately production continues on the 16th of july after a bad batch and they won’t ship out for another 2 weeks. still looking forward to getting them and hoping they’ll be an out of the box fin that i can simply put on. maybe i’ll get lucky. it’s nice that for the most part fins are cheaper than trying boards…