Cracked fin! EMERGENCY!!!!

[Princess Pearl]

Two days before my first party, my fin fun monofin has a crack in it! Because of the neoprene cover, I didn't even notice until I was swimming today and I felt it against my foot. I can't get a replacement from fin fun in time for the party. Stupid international shipping.

The crack isn't all the way through. Does anyone know of a filler or sealant I can use to hold it together? Or should I try getting a sheet of plexiglass from the hardware store and mAke a new insert? Or just baby it for the party and hop it doesn't get worse?

I am in serious panic mode right now!!!!!!


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[Spindrift]

*not familiar with the fin fun monofins. Pictures? Materials? How long does a temporary fix need to last?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ugh! Sucks that you're not down the road... I have a spare insert gathering dust next to my clothes cupboard!

Have you tried taping over with industrial waterproof tape?

The Finis Aquarius monofins has the same width as the Fin Fun tails, pretty sure they will fit. Maybe you can find one in a store near your house?

Do you know anyone with a Magictail monofin? It will fit into the Fin Fun tails too.

[Princess Pearl]

Ugh! Sucks that you're not down the road... I have a spare insert gathering dust next to my clothes cupboard!

Have you tried taping over with industrial waterproof tape?

The Finis Aquarius monofins has the same width as the Fin Fun tails, pretty sure they will fit. Maybe you can find one in a store near your house?

Do you know anyone with a Magictail monofin? It will fit into the Fin Fun tails too.

I hadn't thought of tape, thanks Jaffa! I'll pick up some gorilla tape tomorrow. That will probably last me until I can get a new insert.

[Mermaid Wesley]

GORILLA TAPE. trust me

[Princess Pearl]

I put the gorilla tape on over the crack, and I found a second crack on the other side. It just has to hold up for this one party, then I can get it replaced.

However, as a silver lining it's caused me notice I am relying on the fin too much while I swim, which is probably how I cracked it. I've been putting all my force into my kick instead of using my full body. I had a much better dolphin kick BEFORE I was swimming with the fin. Looks like I'm going to add tail-free swimming into my work outs.


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Did your fin come with a sticker on it that said "lexan polycarbonate" label? Mine did and I found out later on that they are using a thicker lexan than previous ones, as lots of people said that theirs had cracked too.

[malinghi]

You can drill a hole at the crack tip to prevent it from cracking further. the tip of a crack causes stress in the material to concentrate at that point. Drilling a hole at the end of the crack can reduce that stress. You can use it in conjunction with tape and adhesives to prevent the crack from advancing, but its just a temporary fix.

More info:
http://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-remove-part-of-a-piece-of-metal-to-make-it-stronger

It's related to what's discussed in this thread:
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?2638-VERY-IMPORTANT-How-NOT-to-cut-a-monofin-shape

[Princess Pearl]

Did your fin come with a sticker on it that said "lexan polycarbonate" label? Mine did and I found out later on that they are using a thicker lexan than previous ones, as lots of people said that theirs had cracked too.

Nope, no sticker. I guess I had one of the older ones.

And yes, it is now officially past tense.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9RuiKiCAAEDRKw.jpg

The tape held the two pieces from sliding around, and kept me from cutting my feet, but obviously wasn't enough to hold it. Nobody but me noticed, not even the kids who were squeezing it to see if I was real.

Oh well. At least it is removable and replaceable!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

The new ones are thicker and stronger. And they come with fin tip covers.

[Princess Pearl]

Wow. I just checked out the price for a sheet of lexan at Home Depot. It's THIRTY SIX DOLLARS. A new insert from Fin Fun will be $17 plus shipping. Guess which one I'm going with. I'm also picking up AptaMer's old Dol-fin monofin tomorrow, so I'll have something to keep practicing with while I wait for that to come.


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Wow. I just checked out the price for a sheet of lexan at Home Depot. It's THIRTY SIX DOLLARS. A new insert from Fin Fun will be $17 plus shipping. Guess which one I'm going with. I'm also picking up AptaMer's old Dol-fin monofin tomorrow, so I'll have something to keep practicing with while I wait for that to come.


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Yea. I bought an extra insert too as making it myself would've costed me more. And to find someone to cut it etc was hard enough!