*tail
*tail
Wow! So much swimming experience! Me, I can only do the Frog Paddle and Backstroke.
Even without a tail, I sink like a rock in fresh water haha. No weight belt is needed here! Good thing I've found that treading water in a tail is much easier than without. I followed the whole fabric first idea and I can honestly say I'm glad I did. My poor fabric tail is somewhat worn at the heels and has a slight tear on the fluke. As far as the heat issue goes, that's why I keep my pirate on-hand with a spray bottle when doing dry events! Umbrellas help also (hooray sun allergies).
Seavanna, everything you said! I am so very used to cosplay/costumes/Victorian-style clothing... I am quite used to being uncomfortable to look good! A good investment is worth the joy you feel, whether it's in how you look or how you swim or how the kiddos react
...And, you know, I'm not about to just attempt to swim solo in the deep end by myself my first time in a silicone tail :P I know I'll prefer my fabric tails for swimming for a while.
Though, helping Morticia paint this neoprene tail... OMG it's so awesome I very much want one. I love how neoprene takes the paint, and painted scales and sequins can both look great together on neopreneIt can make for a super-realistic gorgeous tail as well... I'm just worried about how much MORE that will make me float, LOL!
OK. My 2 cents here...
So most dont know it but I actually had an unpainted neoprene tail for a while. Not many picutres of it. only one of me in it exsists I think. After that I got a latex tail from Mike Van Daal..just before he quit doing them. I couldnt swim in it due to some isssues. So I trained with my wave and the neoprene for a 1yr or so before Merman Jesse started making his silicone tails. So I now have had my silicone tail for almost 2yrs. It at first weighed around 50lbs. We changed the fluke the first time and it went down to 45lbs.. eneded up redoing fluke again due to some issues with the silicone and it dropped to 38lbs.
BUT thats 38lbs out of water. Yes heavy but I lug it around myself alot and have gotten used to it now. Im alot stronger now too. In the water though.. its nearly neutrally bouyant. I still wear 6lbs weighted belt when I swim with it.
Now that being said. It was still a big shock swimming in that tail the first few times. It swims so different from a plain monofin and even the neoprene tail.
I trained alot too. 4 times a week for an hour or more.
I now train in tail half of the time. I noticed an increase in my speed and breath hold, even the distance i can swim has become easier out of tail.
So.. yeah.. do go for broke right out of the gate. Work up to it. Get stronger in the right areas. Train.. train some more and then train some more.
Hope that helps a little
then there's annoying people like my baby sister, who have never swam in any tail, and put on a 50lbs silicone tail, and do tricks I couldnt dream of after years in my tail... LOL
My fishbutt is a neoprin/silicone tail and boy it heats up fast during dry events, it's nice though when I'm swimming at night or in colder water because it keeps me warm and toasty on the bottom half of my body.
"It is your choice to hide in a shell, or to be shrimply fintastic by being yourself"
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Oh and I have heard that even some pro mers like to practice in fabric tails. They're lighter and cheaper so you can practice tricks and things easier. So it stands to reason, even if you plan on getting a silicone tail or you have one payed for even, you should make/buy a fabric one.
I think I'm one of those rare cases where I got a silicone tail instead of starting out with fabric or neoprene. I definitely would not recommend it for just anyone. I had a feeling I'd be good at it because I'm very confident in the water, and I had a bunch of people watching me my first time to make sure I was okay. I took it really slow and didn't push myself, but even to this day with all my practice, there are still things I can't quite do, such as hover in the water instead of standing on the fluke.
Dry events are a whole other story as well. I did a boo at the zoo event, it was 8 hours of sitting on a rock prop in my merbellas tail. Let me tell you, the sweat was unbearable. That along with the fact that I used lotion to slide into my tail made for a really gross sticky mess. I couldn't flop my fluke for the kids because that much weight on my feet would cause cramping. In the end I took my feet out of my foot pockets and just had my tail hanging to take the stress off my muscles. Definitely not for beginners, but I'm willing to put up with the hassle and discomfort just for the realistic look and feel of it alone. And cleaning it, don't even get me started. Its such a chore! I can't just throw it in the washer like a fabric tail. That thing gets a full on baking soda bath when it gets home. And drying it is an event all its own, since I don't have a drying stand and I live in this tiny apartment.
Even if I hope to make my silicone tail soon, I'm not ready to start with it. I'm not a good swimmer yet so to make sure with it I'll use fabric for first
(Formerly known as Mermaid Claudia)
Can you use clear silicone caulking( like what you would get at Home Depot). To attatch fins to a silicone tail? Also, could you mix glitter with it to decorate scales on a silicone tail?
Yes you probably could
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Not on a silicone tail! It won't stick.
Yes it sticks. I reattached my pelvic fin with silicone caulking specified by smooth on at home depot and it has been stuck on for a year.
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More Saving. More Zombie-like Employees. That's the power of The Home Depot.
Love your friendly Service Desk associate ;P
JUST MAKE YOU SURE DON'T ACCIDENTALLY GET COLORED CAULK. It also comes in Clear
~Kaila Mermaid~
Dear Kaila, I am laughing as I am going to sleep. Thanks!
SO, I did make a fabric tail for my first tail. Looks beautiful in the sun, structurally sound. But after weeks of practicing with just the monofin...adding the fabric made it extremely heavy! Couldn`t pop it out of the water, was sluggish swimming. I`m not afraid of doing some strength training (going to make a slightly less fancy version for practice), but wow. People always mention how heavy silicone is, and obviously non-neoprene fabrics will weight more once in water. But no one ever seems to talk about or mention this? (I looked in the what to expect/first tail thread too). What was everyone elses first time in a fabric tail like? Does the drag/weight get better as muscle strength improves or is that just the way it is?
You do get used to it. It depends on how tight the fabric is as well as how many extra fins you may have etc. In my fabric tail I can only swim slow because of my fluke extensions for example. If I try to swim fast, there's a ton of drag. You get used to to pretty quickly I think, which is why nobody really talks about it.
All tails are tricky to get out of the water from the fluke. Water collects there. Even with drainage holes then you gotta lift it up just enough for them to drain lol. in my experience the best thing is to learn how to do finslaps. you can do them even with heavy flukes and it makes it all look real. I also find if I'm on my belly and put the tail up behind me, water will drain through my wait and that's a lot easier than being on my back and lifting it up
Thank you- I will stop thinking of the tail I'm going to be sewing in a few days as "just a fabric tail," since it will be my first.
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