My first tail had a fin with foot pockets a little small for me, and tended to squeeze my feet. I then got a waterways fin, and its foot pockets were so small I could not get my feet in them at all, even though I ordered their largest pockets. I decided I had to get something that would fit, and found the Lunocet fin. It uses shoes that you buy separately, which meant I could get some that I was sure would fit.
Here is the complete fin.
The fin consists of three main parts. The center spine, cycling shoes that bolt onto the tabs at the front of the spine, and flukes that bolt onto the rear.
Cycling shoes are designed to bolt onto cleats that then lock into pedals. With the Lunocet, you just bolt them directly to the fin. You buy them at a cycling store, so you can try them on before you buy, making sure they fit.
The flukes each contain an aluminum spar, about which is molded rubber. They slide into slots on the center spine. Note that the flukes have an airfoil cross section. This helps make the Lunocet a very powerful and efficient fin. It also opens up the option of making and attaching other fluke shapes. One Lunocet could be used for several tails, each a different style.
I sewed my own skin for this fin. It was my first time making a skin. I made it closed ended, which made it hard to put on over the very wide Lunocet. I found the easiest way to get the fin in the tail is to assemble it inside the skin.
The complete tail. In this photo, the shoes are right side up, and you can see where the toes are. You can also see some black marks. Those are actually places where the print has worn off the spandex. Less than an hour on this tail, and already I need to make a new one.
Swimming: The tail is very powerful and fast. Once up to speed, it feels like you are being pushed along by magic. I have not had enough time or experience to talk about maneuverability. The shoes can be a bit problematic, you cannot just slip your feet out. You need to reach down to them and undo a Velcro strap.
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