Clear Monofin

[Kae]

You're welcome Julz! Glad I could help!

[Mermaid Oshun]

Well Kae I made one of these for Yulia and I have to tell you I LOVE it. I have a $300 Finis Competitor here I'm working on for another customer and I have to say it is so similar to the competitor in feel, weight, etc. In fact, I like this a lot better than the Competitor personally because it is flatter and much easier to conceal when you place it inside the flukes. I cut it with my saw to the shape of the tail that it is sealed in and left the tips without monofin for a softer effect. I am going to make one for myself now and I actually think I will use this in most of my tails to avoid struggling to hide thick bulky bracers.

[Kae]

I'm so glad you like it! I was hoping this would be an alternative to the pricy competitor. But I also wanted it to be just as good or better quality too. I'm glad others are having success with it!

[Araxie]

Good luck with the monofin! now I'm curious, how much does lexan cost?

[Kae]

The sheet of Lexan I got from Home Depot was $67 and i could have gotten 2 out of it if I had been more careful. (not competitor size though)

[Mizuko]

I'm going to attempt a lexan monofin in a few weeks for another silicone tail, so thank you so much for posting this!!

[BayouMermaid]

I'm also working on a lexan monofin. I found a video that may help people choose short fins to use as foot pockets (if you decide to go that route). In the video, several swimmers review a number of training fins, including the finis zoomers. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3JRV4JJD28

[BayouMermaid]

I'm using the TYR burner fins for my tail. I plan on attaching them with polyzap and rivets. I'll update here when I get to test it


Here it is compared to my fluke mold:

[Gem Stone]

I did something wrong, cause my lexan snapped on me. maybe my design was wrong or something, but it didn't end well for me. however, a tail with a clear fluke sounds awesome! I'm going to try again soon.

[BayouMermaid]

Do you have a picture of it, Gem Stone?

[PearlieMae]

Wow! It snapped? I'm really surprised! Where did it snap? What were you doing at the time? Was there polyzap where it snapped? I swam with mine the other day and I did everything I could to break it, and couldn't even crease it!

I don't want to sound mean, but are you sure you got Lexan?

[Kishiko]

I'm ordering a sheet of lexan from Lowes for my new monofin. I know you said that poly zap stuff works really well, but lowes has this adhesive specifically for lexan. It's a silicone waterproof adhesive and sealant, and I was wondering if anyone has tried this or knows if it works? If not I can order the poly zap, just thought it would be easier to get it all at the same place! Thoughts?

here's the link btw: http://www.lowes.com/pd_239983-1638-...xan&facetInfo=

[BayouMermaid]

I haven't used it, so I can't say for sure. I will say that the polyzap dries hard, whereas the silicone sealant is probably going to remain flexible. I suspect that it is similar to aquarium sealant, which is great for stopping leaks, but can still be peeled away from flat surfaces. Personally, I would go with the polyzap since it has been used by a few people on here so far. Plus, polyzap says that it is for both lexan and rubber. I don't know if that sealant would stick to your foot pockets.

[Kishiko]

Thank you!

[PearlieMae]

I think that's more a sealant to seal a Lexan window into it's frame and not a glue. I've also found that the PolyZap can make two pieces of Lexan glued together kind of brittle... It might be different if you are gluing something like Finis Zoomers to the Lexan, though...the PolyZap is like superglue for polycarbonate and rubber and I've seen it work for other mers. (I think Firemaid used it to glue Zoomers to Lexan.)

[Kishiko]

How many bottles of poly zap do I need if I'm just adhering the foot pockets to the lexan?

[PearlieMae]

Probably just one...it goes a LONG way! But since I haven't used it in that capacity, maybe someone else can advise...

[BayouMermaid]

I didn't even use a whole bottle. Keep in mind, I haven't swim tested it yet. I did have my boyfriend hold the edge of the fin while I moved it up and down, and it seems to be holding so far. I bought my bottle off of amazon for around $6.30 USD.

[Kishiko]

I has questions!!!

1.) Do I have to have a plexiglass jigsaw blade? (Stupid me forget to order one :P) we have quite a flew types of blades, what else works?

2.) Are there certain dimensions that it needs to be? Right now my pattern is 18" x 30" but I'm not sure if that will be too big or not.

3.) What is the best way to cut the top area around the feet? Should it just be round or should there be a part where it cuts up and in? If that makes sense?

4.) Also what's the best way to cut the tips? Pointed or rounded?

sorry for so many questions! I don't want to mess it up lol!

[MerAnthony]

Rounded would be best. Due to that round will not cut the fabric an less chance of a crack if it happens.