How big is your fluke?

[MerRachel]

Hi Mers!

I'm working on making my first tail, and purchased a monofin wave. The problem is I don't like any fluke designs I've come up with that snugly fits the monofin, I really prefer the thinner dolphin like flukes. In order to get the shape I like, I'd have to blow up my fluke design to almost 3 feet wide! I've never seen a mermaid tail in the flesh before, so my question is what's the average fluke size? Is it plausible to make it this big? Or, should I just try to cut the monofin shorter?

[Mer-Crazy]

I think the better question would be is it safe to make one that big? That is going to be a lot of materials (you didn't mention if it was fabric or silicone) so it's either going to be dangerously heavy in silicone or very draggy in fabric especially with a wave monofin, which is one of the weakest. I think the biggest fluke I've seen in a while is Raven's new Lunar Koi fluke but I couldn't tell you actual dimensions. Is this the first tail you've ever worn or just made? Because I would honestly steer clear of the idea of such a big fluke. Maybe you could cut the monofin down a bit so it's a safer size?

[MermaidDalni]

The one I'm making is 35×35 and I love the size, but I went through a gallon and a quarter of dragonskin for both the halves but I haven't tested it yet in the water

[MermaidDalni]

But also if you go to tail making questions plus there are tons of threads with the same question flukes range as much in style as size I recall 35 being on the large average size some were around 40 some more like 20

[MerRachel]

Thanks for the reply Mer-Crazy! That's a very good point, I didn't think about the weight! I'll probably start with fabric, but I'd like to quickly graduate to silicone or latex. I've never been able to see anyone else's tails in person, so it's hard to tell how others get a nice fluke shape. I haven't seen many pictures that seem to have the long & skinny shape of a monofin, so maybe most people do cut them? Or only cover the bottom half of them? Not sure haha

[MerRachel]

But also if you go to tail making questions plus there are tons of threads with the same question flukes range as much in style as size I recall 35 being on the large average size some were around 40 some more like 20

Thanks for your input, Dalni! Oh opps, I thought I did post this on the tailmaking questions thread? Also, that's so weird I did a search for fluke size and didn't find much, i guess the keyword fluke must clog up search results in a mermaid fourm!

Anyways, 35 inches is about where I'm at, so I guess some people do make it that large, interesting! I will see if i can get it to scale down some. Good luck on your tail, if you have a tailmaking thread I'd love to see!

[MermaidDalni]

Oh there are two separate forums for questions :) one is the recent questions and in the other "plus" questions they're ordered by helpfulness heres the link to the questions plus forum http://mernetwork.com/index/forumdisplay.php?84-Tailmaking-Questions-Plus

[MermaidDalni]

This is my tail making thread http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?11841-Making-my-first-silicone-tail!

[Ianthe]

Hey MerRachel, have you considered extending your monofin? It does take some technical skills to put it together, but you could give it a go for a bigger, differently shaped fluke. There is a video tutorial online, here are the links to both parts:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77BfuRGnamM
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R3Tsgrgdv8

These videos aren't owned by me!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I make my tails depending on which monofin I'll using inside. I don't cut my monofins anymore, Finis Wave was the first and only one that I cut, but never ended up using it more than twice!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

My caudal (fluke) is about 3 feet by 3 feet. It's massive. I'm pretty sure it's currently the largest fin Finfolk offers.

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11880569_883405955075657_3966063361951958230_n.jpg ?oh=68a87033f39a8ae3b6bb0c2c4a06f5ff&oe=57128AF7

[Mermaid Clara]

My fluke I'm sculpting right now is 3 feet 8 1/2 inches wide by 4 feet 2 inches long.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/30/26c4c6ec7a668437792df0cd24f34510.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Wesley]

I have one that's long and narrow, but to go wide would be ok if you're careful and a strong swimmer and with supervision! My silicone fluke is about that wide or wider


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Another thing to consider, especially if you've never swam in a tail or monofin before, is not to make the fluke so big and flowing, that you can barely float in it, let alone swim!

I know this from personal experience. When I first got my Mahina Merfin, I made a tail to fit it, with dorsal fin and heel fins, and extra fabric on the fluke edge...

What a huge mistake!! I spent more time floating at the surface catching my breath, than actual swimming!

That is why I bought and use smaller fin like the Finis Foil. I still haven't got the core strength to swim in my merfin tail. I still do take the merfin to the pool occasionally, to test my endurance.

Also, don't forget to add in drainage holes for the fluke. Some mers are 50/50 about adding drainage holes to spandex tails. I find it better to have drainage holes or fin lines as I call them. Its there so that the water and air bubbles can escape easily. If you don't have it in, it becomes harder to swim in the tail because you have air bubbles and water trapped inside the tail, and it is heavy too.

[Lily]

My fluke is HUGE. At its widest, it's about 4ft across, and the longest tips are 3ft from where they meet the body. I used up just over 1.5 gallons of silicone for the two halves (combined, not for each). It weighs a ton on land but is so pretty in the water that it's totally worth the hassle. It's definitely a fair bit of work to swim in - I hurt all over after less than an hour in the pool - but it's my dream fluke, and I dream big!

[suzanne86]

Jaffa — Is the Finis Foil your main workout fin, or do you rotate between the different monofins that you have? With the Foil, do you do mostly swims, or do you also do kicking drills?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Jaffa — Is the Finis Foil your main workout fin, or do you rotate between the different monofins that you have? With the Foil, do you do mostly swims, or do you also do kicking drills?

I don't do drills well at least I don't think they are drills...

I just go up and down the lane in the monofin. Sometimes I just do the underwater twirling trick up and down the lane.

Are they drills then?:confused:


Yes the foil is my main workout fin. I do have my other fins but am still not strong enough for the merfin, and the mirage fin hurts my feet, so am thinking of selling it.

[Merman Storm]

My Lunocet fluke is 31 inches in span, has a root chord of 10 inches, and an average chord of 7 inches. It has the shape of a dolphin fluke.