Why we don't advise full silicone tails for your first tail.

[Nana]

Yeah don't start with a silicon tail. I made the mistake. A few years ago I decided. Lets learn some new way of swimming and I always wanted to be like a mermaid. Cute, beautiful, mysterious so I wanted a tail and if I gonna learn it why pick just some cheap tail? So I got myself a silicone tail. Was strange getting in, was strange getting out. I had my few moments of joy. Half a year later I dropped it cause I felt silly and childish and people just kept staring at me. Also after I got home from swimming my whole family couldn't use the bath tub cause the tail was in here with me cleaning it.
I only started it again cause a good friend told me I shouldn't get discouraged by what other people think and that he believes its pretty cool and likes to hear about my unusual hobby.
So now I'm here with a new tail (silicone again) but at least now I have a year experience and I'm determined to continue.

Really if you don't have thick scales or friends to support you chances are you just wasted 3000+ dollars on top to the broken heart for 6 months of being a mermaid with realistic tail. Taking care of the tail isn't as much of a problem if you can organize yourself and know where on the internet to look after a guide for it. (Love the internet. Best invention a human could ever come up with)

[Black Akira]

I figured I would practice first in a monofin.

Weight wouldn't bother me as I'm very active, I ride my bicycle everyday for miles which I've been doing for years now.
I've strengthened my legs considerably so relearning how to swim and practicing will help alot.

Also there is a tail maker whom I like makes realistic tails that are latex that weigh around 15 pounds.

[Mermaid Morgann]

I had a wonderful opportunity to get a silicone tail and not pay myself (found a sponsor) so I ordered a silicone tail about the same time that I ordered a fabric "practice" tail. As a cocky young swimmer who was quite literally amphibious and practically lived in the water for my entire childhood, I thought that this would be a piece of cake. Sure, the dolphin kicks were easy, and as I was training to become a free-diver, the breath holding wasn't too bad either. However, what was bad, was exactly what you guys have said; I wasn't used to using those leg muscles the same way!

I am now very grateful to have been started off in a fabric tail, because not only did it help me realize exactly how much I love being a mermaid and swimming like one, but it showed me that I had a lot of work to do before my silicone tail would come to me. The fabric tail was great for workouts to train my body into a swimming machine, and the monofin I was able to learn to swim with after some practice.

Case and point, I would've thought I was completely ready but by getting a fabric practice tail I learned that though a trained swimmer for years, I had a lot of ground to make up before getting into a silicone tail!

[Talia]

Good thing I found this thread!

I have had my fabric tail for 2 years now and was considering saving up to buy a silicone one. I don't think I am ready to do that just yet. I'm afraid I would be no good in taking care of a silicone tail by myself, and having to ship it back and forth to the States would be my ruin.

As of today, I only spent an extra 70 euros on a new monofin (the first one broke), and I also bought a new tail skin (another 70), but because I was feeling fancy, not because I really needed it. Although the first skin is becoming larger each day, and the fabric is not firm anymore. When stretched, it does not come back well. Still, it's just 70 euros for a brand new tail each 2 years...

[SeaSister]

Alright so I have a bit of a dilemma. For the past two years, ever since I've gotten into mermaiding, I've been struggling with what to do for my first tail.

For a little while I entertained the idea of making my own, but that idea was quickly scrapped since, unlike most of you guys, I'm not crafty. 1. I have no sewing machine, 2. Even I did, I can't sew for the life of me (grade 7 sewing class proved this to me), 3. The thought of working with latex or silicone in my own home without supervision sounds about as scary as someone asking me to work in a lab with radioactive elements XD

So, it comes down to buying a tail. I am (like a few people on here) a poor student still relying on my parents for certain costs like tuition. Saving up for a tail has been slow, since I don't work all the time and I don't want to take too much of the money I earn to put in my tail fund since I need most of it for other expenses (plus I would feel awful about blowing all of my paychecks on a tail while my parents are still selflessly paying for my schooling). Now, after a year of money slowly trickling into my savings account, I have $700. I feel like I'm at a bit of a cross-roads now and torn with what I want to do with this.

My first impulse is to NOT touch it at all for a while and just keep saving up for a silicone tail, for which I expect to spend somewhere between $2,500 - 3,000. In student-world, that's a lot of money and it will certainly take me a LONG time to get there (even if I work part-time while attending school and live with my parents). So I won't lie that the prospect of spending even just a couple of hundred dollars on a fabric tail makes me wince a bit, in spite of the resounding consensus that it's best to start with a fabric tail.

I'm a bit like Seavanna - I lean more towards the cosplay elements of mermaiding and I don't plan on "going pro", although I figure that if I'm going to spend money on a mermaid costume, it needs to be a costume that I'm going to absolutely LOVE, last me a long time and feel proud wearing no matter where I am. I'm not trying to bash fabric tails, because I know that some fabric tails can look really nice, but I want to aim for realism and for that I'm definitely wanting a latex or silicone tail. I think the only fabric tail that I've liked enough to consider as a "starter" tail is the Magictail tails... but even then, I'm gnashing my teeth because the sizes are quite limited (medium is size US 4 - 8, large is 10 - 16; I land splat in between size 8-10, so it's either going to be really tight or really loose :/)

Now, another possibility would be to buy a monofin and practice with that. I'm thinking that I might buy a competitor monofin, train with it, then (when I have enough money in the bank) send it to a tail-maker so they can use it for making the tail. Do you guys think that this would work? It's definitely my preferred option for the moment, since I would still get practice doing the dolphin kick with my feet tied together but without having to make an investment in something that I view as a temporary solution.

[Slee]

I had read somewhere in one of the monofin threads that the competitor was best trained up to by learning to use a monofin of lesser mass or something. I don't know, I was worried that a rapid would be too much in a starter fin, it's been perfect. I figured, if it turned out to be too much for me, I could always sell it on ebay.

[Anahita]

People have had trouble with fiberglass monofins when they've never swam in a monofin before.... But the foil or wave/rapid aren't so pricey and people have less problems learning in them.

Something to keep in mind I think, because that way you don't lose $300USD on a monofin when you could save that money to go towards the actual tail. A foil only runs about $50USD and the wave/rapid only a bit more than that if I recall.

That's what I would suggest, because it's a much smaller chunk out of the tail fund, and you're also not left hoping your tail maker will agree to put an old used monofin in a brand new tail, and you're not stuck paying shipping and handling fees if they do agree to it.

[Slee]

The prices on swimoutlet.com right now for the rapid almost have me buying a second one so I'd feel comfortable modifying the shape on mine.

[SeaSister]

That's a good idea, Anahita! That was something else that I was sort of worrying about, whether or not a tail maker might refuse to make a tail with a used monofin. $50 sounds pretty reasonable in comparison, and it would probably be better anyways to have a brand-new monofin in the tail itself (lest the monofin cracks, like what happened in Raina's tail I believe). I love getting your guys' opinions.

[Anahita]

Yeah, it's always best for a brand new monofin in the tail. That way, in addition to lessening the risk of it cracking from previous wear, it also cuts down on the risk of the silicone not curing because of some outside contaminant. Silicone can be REALLY weird about stuff sometimes.

[Mermaid Silverlilly]

Thanks for this I am starting out with a fabric tail but with the benefits of mermaid and helping to flatten my stomach I honestly think that I will really enjoy Mermaid for many years to come!

But I am still going to save for a silicone tail down the track for sure as even though I am a beginner I am pretty certain in my mind that I want to stick around and do this so much plus it is a good way to make new crafty friends with my new hobby!

But thanks a ton I am definately starting out in a Fabric tail hoping to go silicone down the track!

[Sylvia The Siren]

Ok this is usefull. Any idea where I could go buy the materials to make one or buy one online for cheap??

[Mermaid Mystery]

the search bar is your friend

[Ashe]

Well, you're not going to find a good silicone tail for cheap
You're new to MerNwtwork, yeah? Are you new to being a mermaid as well?

[Sylvia The Siren]

Yes I am new to Mernetwork and I am saving for a silicone tail currently, and yes I am new to being a Mermaid...well my alias is a mermaid-siren hybrid but ya know XD.

[theMerFanc]

Yes I am new to Mernetwork and I am saving for a silicone tail currently, and yes I am new to being a Mermaid...well my alias is a mermaid-siren hybrid but ya know XD.

Sylvia, something you could do is checkout the classified sub-forum on this board. There are a lots of people selling their old tails for, obviously, a more afordable price then buying a new one. Although you won't get to customize your own dream tail, you will be able to get a gorgeous tail for a decent price.

[Mermaid Kelda]

^ This is good advice!

Also check out the review forum. A good option might Mertailor's partial silicone tails but he has mixed reviews so you'll have to decide yourself if you want to order from him.

[Mermaid Whisper]

I was totally thinking about getting a silicone tail for my very first one. I looked at the Basic Silicone (Mertailor) and fell in love, but now, I am reading so many horrible things about Eric AND his tails!

I suppose a fabric tail wouldn't be too bad. Some of my mermaid idols (Little Orca and Seraphina Suds!) have had fabric tails that, while unrealistic, were still made magical by the wearer.

[MermaidRaegan]

There are some really great fabric tails out there, and you don't have to sacrifice realism entirely. Obviously you won't be able to get the level of realism that many silicone tails offer, but you'd be surprised what a good paint job can do for a 'plain old fabric tail'. So I wouldn't entirely give up on getting something of the look you want. And as you said, it is very possible to rock a fabric tail and make it look like a million bucks. Plus, you can always upgrade to something super swanky later on.

[Mermaid Whisper]

"Something super swanky"...I can dig it! My mom owes me $150, which would be perfect for a tail...if she would only pay me back!