New idea!! "Spine" extension for a hyper-realistic look!

[Nacrea]

Hello fellow Merfolk! :mermaid kiss: I am looking for advice! :)

I’m trying to something new! For the past few months I've been working on engineering a tail which has a spine-like extension between the feet and the fluke. The hope is this will allow me to hide the shape of my feet and achieve a more elongated, slender & realistic looking tail. (See attached image at the bottom of the page for rough idea of what I mean.)

Has anyone made or seen anything like this before?? Please give me any anecdotes, advice, resources or tips you may have! :)

I’m especially looking for any advice on:


How best to attach the top of the “spine” extension to my feet? I’m experimenting with making different styles of foot-harness using rubber straps. I have no direction with this as of yet beyond playing around with what feels most comfortable/secure.

How best to attach the bottom of the “spine” extension to the monofin? I’m making my own monofin, so I don’t need to worry about filling any empty foot pockets. The ‘spine’ extension will be made of vertebrae-like segments threaded together, so the spine will end in threads. (see note 2) I don’t have any ideas yet on how to attach the spine to the monofin other than simply sewing/tying the threads to the fin. The monofin needs to be attached in a way that the propulsive energy of my kicks can be easily transferred down the spine and into the fluke. The fluke also needs to be able to stay securely aligned in the proper direction and be able to flex up to a 150 degree angle. (see notes 1 & 2). Any ideas on this would be most appreciated! :)

How to best incorporate drainage into this kind of tail design?


Here are my notes: :)



I’ve studied the bone structures & swimming habits of whales, dolphins and fish to understand the movement of their spines & flukes. Like most mermaid tails, all though the aesthetic details of my tail will look more like a fish, the propulsion of the tail will function instead like that that of an aquatic mammal. (My fluke will flap back and front on a vertical plane like a whale or a dolphin, rather than side-to-side on a horizontal plane like most fish) This is simply for reasons of personal aesthetic taste. :) I am hoping that simply attaching my fluke on a front-facing plane will be enough to keep it strongly aligned in the intended direction, but if anyone has advice on how to better secure its position, please let me know!



For the construction of my “spine” extender, I’ve been inspired by wooden toy snakes. (Y’know the ones that are made from a bunch of wooden segments threaded together and have a frighteningly realistic movement to them?) I’ve looked at various instructables, videos and tutorials for how these are made, and pairing that research with my initial research on the spinal movements of fish/aquatic mammals, I’ve decided that I want my fin to be able to flex no more or less than 75 degrees forward or backward. (150 degree range of motion). Because to me this looks the most realistic. Dolphins and whales seem to have a full 180 degree range of motion in the sweep of their flukes, but when their fins are on a complete 45 degree angle I find they look a bit funny. I also don’t want to risk the fin being able to bend back on an obtuse angle since a) it would look weird and unnatural, and b) it would be a big waste of swimming energy to have to pull it back from such an extreme angle with every sweep of the fin. I understand that dolphins and such, have a “ball vertebrae” at the end of their spines near their flukes to allow for that full 180 degree range of movement. I think it would be smart to replicate this idea, but I’m not sure how to incorporate that concept with the wooden-snake idea. I’m also not sure how to limit a ball vertebrae to a 150 degree movement range. Any insights, ideas or suggestions welcome!! :)



3. I intend to sculpt the “vertebrae” of the spine from lightweight plastic, so that it is strong and holds its shape, but is not heavy and does not retain any water.

4. I intend to use scrunched-up plastic stuffing as padding to fill in the areas around my ankles, etc. so that the overall tail shape is a smooth and natural contour. :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to read! I hope you're having a lovely day and that this post was interesting or inspiring in some way. :) :mermaid kiss::pearl::cthulhu:

(p.s. I work professionally as a costume designer/costumier and have always had that particular affinity for sea creatures! <3 I've only just discovered Mernetwork while researching this project though, so I'm still finding my fins here so to speak. Hence why my profile is so empty and I'm still finding my way around :) )

[Derek Broussard]

This is an awesome idea and think it has a lot of potential. The lunocet monofin was suppose to mimic a dolphin and has a spring loaded to help transfer the energy. They use bicycle shoes to attach and the fin is at the end of the spring.

I wonder if your spins can be rubber blocks with some sort of core. This would add more "bound"

*Edited sorry, I was trying to respond on my phone and there where so many typos.

[Merman Storm]

The Lunocet might be a good starting point, as it has an articulated spine already, is shaped like a dolphin fluke, and even works like a dolphin fluke. It does not have anything to shape the tail, like your rings.

Things to consider: The empty space has to be full of something. You mentioned foam. Remember that foam has to fill with water, and empty when you get out of the water. That means the air has to be able to get out, and back in.

Next, that water has mass. Yes, it is neutrally buoyant, but that mass will make the tail harder to swim in. In fact, all the extra volume you want to add for giving a clean look around your feet will add mass. Imagine pushing on a large boat. Its weight will not be an issue, but its still hard to get it moving, and once moving, hard to stop.

Finally, the mass of the water may cause some undesirable movement of the tail skin. As you swim, the area between your feet and the the fin will want to slosh about. If you start with a Lunocet, you have to insure the rings are connected to the spine in a way that keeps them centered on the spine, and the tail skin itself is attached to the rings.

Another idea: Start with a sheet of Polycarbonate or polypropylene. Cut out a shape that is the same as your tail shape, starting at the foot heels, and including the fluke. Bolt swim fin pockets to the forward end. The segment of polycarbonate between your toes and the the fluke is a "flex beam" that allows the tail to bend to the right angle for propulsion. You will have to experiment to find the thickness that give you the feel you like. My guess 3/16" to 1/4" thick will work. I have found that you need something stiff enough that 20 pounds of force on the fluke will bend it only 30 degrees.

[MermaidAiera]

Maybe this story can give you some inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9jCsbii5rs

I found a photo of the inside:
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I'm sure if you do some digging and research, you can find more information on it, since I only did a cursory search.