Possible Mertailor purchase

[Traveling Merman]

Hey there I'm wondering if I can pick your brains about ordering from the mertailor? I work for Disney so money isn't really an object and I'm keen on getting a silicone tail as I won't need a dive belt as much as if I had a fabric or neoprene backed latex tail, so the main questions are:
- should I mark my sizes a bit smaller for the mertailor as I want a snug/tight fit?

- I work for Disney so I'm regularly in Florida so do you reckon Eric would be up for taking a cast of my legs? (I'd pay him extra as I'm sure it's a big time-eater)

- would you go with a fade to flesh at the waistline or would you just do block colour?

- does he offer a face to translucent silicone?

- I like tails to look as I've they've just been gutted off a fish so if there are any other tailmakers out there that are like that then let me know!

My ideal tail is like this:
(only the shading would be green not red)
8433
8434

Note: I'll disregard plain negative comments as they don't serve a purpose, constructive comments are welcome though

[Mermaid Evolet]

First of all I really like the tails Eric made, they look great but the thing is, that I heard, that there is no big Monofin inside the tail (Am I right with that?)
So do you need a tail that just looks good or do you also want to swim fast?

You should take the accurate measurements, because it will fit tight enought. Otherwise it is possible that it won't fit.

Personally I don't like it if the tail fades into the flesh but thats just my opinion. :)

Another Tailmaker who creates beautiful tails is mermaid Raven from Merbella studios! I love these too!
And with a merbella tail you can swim really fast because there is a big Monofin (competitor monofin?) inside. The design is also great.
Here is the website: https://www.facebook.com/MerBellaStudios

PS: wow you work for disney? :jawdrop:

[Traveling Merman]

No monofin?? I think there must be? Or no?

Yeah I think the fade only works if its you're exact skintone, otherwise it can look weird!

Yeah Disney is fun; I work on their ships!

[Traveling Merman]

Thanks ill check out merbellas

[AniaR]

Just a heads up. I have a silicone tail, and still need a dive belt ;) Nerine the Arctic Mermaid makes beautifully decorated weight belts so they look like part of your costume.

Eric has monofins inside, it's Mike Van Daal who doesn't- he has foot pockets.

[Traveling Merman]

Thanks, ill check her out, I was thinking if I had to I'd wear a dive belt that looked like armour? (To look more manly!)

I thought the silicone was heavy? Or does it depend on thickness of the silicone and what monofin you use?

[Ayla of Duluth]

- I like tails to look as I've they've just been gutted off a fish so if there are any other tailmakers out there that are like that then let me know!
Mermaid Raven does some of the best and most realistic paint jobs I've ever seen. Mertailor is good at painting his tails, but I think he only has a limited amount of designs. I might be wrong, but I can't recall if I've ever seen a custom paint job on one of Mertailor's tails.

[AniaR]

I thought the silicone was heavy? Or does it depend on thickness of the silicone and what monofin you use?

People will argue with me, but it's been my personal experience owning both a thin silicone tail and a much thicker silicone tail, that the more silicone the more buoyant, and if you talk to actual dive instructors they'll say that as well. One of my tails, the thinner merbellas one, I can get down without a belt, but I need a belt to STAY down. My mermaid creations one which is much thicker and weighs 30lbs more on land (my merbellas tail is thin and weight 18lbs, my mermaid creations is thick and weighs 30lbs), I can't get down at all without a belt. In theory tails are supposed to be neutrally buoyant, but I don't believe that ever really happens. If it's got neoprene in it there will be a certain level of buoyancy, and different thickness and consistency of silicone will determine it too.

That being said, if you want to consider your options for tails check out www.mermaidtails.net (http://www.mermaidtails.net) as it has the biggest index of all the tail makers. Also, if you look at the "review" section of mernetwork you can read reviews on tail makers and then look at "discussion" to read other experiences. Hopefully all of those things will help you in your decision. Best of luck.

[AniaR]

Also, I have a competitor monofin. It makes my tail less floppy, but seriously improved my swimming ability

[Traveling Merman]

Thank you so much! Ill definitely message merbellas to ask for their advice, I just really like that fluke of the mertailors! :/ I'd feel weird asking merbellas to do a similar design as its not letting them be creative it's just asking them to follow a template. But who knows they may come up with a better design! :D

[AniaR]

Thank you so much! Ill definitely message merbellas to ask for their advice, I just really like that fluke of the mertailors! :/ I'd feel weird asking merbellas to do a similar design as its not letting them be creative it's just asking them to follow a template. But who knows they may come up with a better design!

Both mertailor and merbellas do custom flukes. I'm not sure if Merbellas is taking orders at the moment, either way the best place to start with both of them would be reading their FAQs. Merbella's FAQ is here: https://www.facebook.com/MerBellaStudios/notes?ref=ts Mertailor is here: https://themertailor.com/boutique/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=8 I don't think they tend to answer a lot of question emails if the info is already out there. :)

[Mermaid Star]

Hey Traveling! I work for Disney too, but I am in the parks. :) I would go with merbellas my self. They customize things a lot more, they are Florida based and put a lot of love and energy into each tail.

[Traveling Merman]

Nice to meet a fellow Disney colleague, I travel to Florida every now and then, it'd be cool to catch up with you sometime! I'm wondering if I payed merbellas extra how she'd feel about doing a cast of my legs, I'm wanting the best tail I can get so I don't care how long it'd take! :)

[AniaR]

hmm I don't know! Doesn't hurt to ask :)

[Traveling Merman]

Ill email once I have the £££! And if any of you fancy meeting up when I'm round and about your neck of the woods, then the coffee/tea is on me! It's be cool to meet other mers!

[Mermaid Star]

Sounds like fun!