Standard Monofin tail vs an extended tail ( H2o & Splash )

[MarkF]

In H2o, Mako, Aquamarine and the first Splash the fluke has a 10” or so extension making the feet up inside the tail. On the bottoms of their feet is a plate which a flexible rod connects to the tail a distance down. Does that work? Does anyone know if this was a good swimmer? Luno Makes a Monofin and Orca which are extended.

[Mermaid Narina]

I love how they look, plus they avoid the "heel" bump at the end of most tails. However I'm really tall so if I had an extended monofin it would be scary long haha :P

[MarkF]

I like losing the heels and knees in that design. I'm 6' and with a 36" wide trigger fish style fin and extension - I'd be about 10 to 11 feet long. In scuba gear I'm 8+ foot and diving that size sharks are intimidated by a couple people that big.

If someone said to you that you look long just tell them you are a deep water Mermaid. Coastal dolphins are half the length of a deep water dolphin, gotta be true for mermaids as well.

[Fun123joker]

i dont know seeing them swim looks unnatural to me

[Echidna]

The "short-tailed mermaid" is a recent development.
Ancient depictions feature very long, sinuous tails, sometimes snake- and sometimes even octopus-like:





stories also tell some mermaids were several hundred metres long

if you can find a way to make it work, go for it!

[mermaidgirl7]

where can you get extend tails?

[MarkF]

I'm making it!
I've made many things and designed drives systems and stuff. My tools would fill your bedroom.
For me it's a matter of deciding whats right for me. I'll make the tail fin in fiberglass and cover it with Silicone to make it flow in the water. Before I start though I need to decide long or short. I may make a fin first to try and then make the tail depending what I find, but that means I'd have to make the tail twice.
Still not sure of color though, maybe Silvers on the bottom and changing to blues on the top.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Sounds extremely cool!!! I'm so excited to see how it will turn out!
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[MarkF]

I've sent a email to Hanna Fraser to see what she thinks of the long tail.
I believe she's tried the H2o tail.

[Trident True]

if you decided to do this please, please post pics. ive tried to attempt this kind of tail. ive got a thread on here. but i had some problems with the extension. its not quiet as easy as one may think to create it. I wouldn't recommend the extension any longer than 12'' 1 foot otherwise you may have trouble moving the tail. this is just some things ive experienced with my newer design. I looked into the Luocent flipper but I thought that attaching the fluke would be quiet difficult as there would be nothing to support the middle and only the top so it would be too floppy. I was looking at attaching lexan to the mono fin to make it larger, but then you've got the risk of it snapping. I love the look of the tails as i feel they look so natural in regards to not showing your ankles and heels.

Ps if you decided you want to go with the luocent monofin you need to make sure that you can access the foot part of the suit because the shoes NEED to be thoroughly rinsed in freshwater after every swim due to them decaying. (looked into it)

does anyone know the width of the luocent monofin? I couldn't find it on the website. I know the new one measures 30'' 2.5 ft now that's big.

if you have huge success with this project you will be a LEGEND. good luck to you. from what ive head the Luno is very. very good. it gives speed. that's why i looked into it.

[Mermaid Narina]

Wow that sounds really cool! you seem to know your stuff
The only worry I would have is if the strain on your ankles could cause injuries? But I'm not sure haha

[MarkF]

In regards to the fin 33” wide, I’m making the bones in fiberglass and not actually using the Luocent. I think that would make more sense at this time because of the extension and the angle, I’m comfortable with the glass and can make the fin centered with the ankle and with the foot not being at such extreme that could also give me propulsion in both directions. A dolphin can move his fin up a few degrees where a monofin only lets you move in one direction.
In the movie Splash, Darrel’s foot couldn’t move at all. In H2o and the other Australian productions I’m not sure, I think they can move. The tails look very long in the pics though.

We have an Island, Catalina Island off the California coast which has a current that runs by it longwise There are areas that you are sweep along for miles and requires little effort, just popping up for air. You just pick your depth and watch the rock and fish passing by for miles. The boat drops you off at the top and pick you up at the bottom, so this is what I’m targeting. “Could you imagine a POD all together”
I have a few goals in the design which in diving I’ve enjoyed and want to improve like gliding. Using a standard monofin your foot is at an extreme position and while relaxed points straight down, gliding you’ll have to keep your foot pointed otherwise you stop.
That leaves us with the design- the body in alignment, fin tip, ankle, knees and hips in a line. Oh, in the artwork I haven’t added the scales because and this isn't what the fin would look like, I’m not sure if the extension 4” or 10”. Still think'en.

[MarkF]

What was your extension like? Did you create any framework in it to hold it up? What was your experience?

[Trident True]

I made my extension out of hollow silicone it was about 10'' it was sturdy but ended up being too heavy. it was about .5 to 1cm thick. that was attached to the neoprene suite. when i put on my suit i couldn't even lift my fluke. most flukes are heavy but i just couldn't see it working. I stated 12'' as most people want the longer look in the extension and 10'' may be to short but you'll be surprised on how heavy silicone really is. my newer design allows about 4 inch extension from the bottom of the toes. yes its not long, but all i want is to get this project done. its been 2 years since i started, but i Have been looking into another way on creating a extension if all goes well with the swim of my current tail then I will be using that layout to perhaps create another tail with a longer extension.

my experience is the extension is either too heavy or the fluke. i made a tail with an extension that tapered off like a cone. it was like a spring bobbing up and down. when fluke was put on i couldn't lift extension. its was quiet stiff the silicone but still a no go. so i can tell you this much. anything you use or attach the fluke to must be solid. eg rod. flippers, spring etc then of course the silicone comes over the top to hide it all

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...of-personality!!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Well with an extended tail I wouldn't expect it to be able to do much of anything out of the water.


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[Trident True]

true, but if i kept it that way i would of been kicking water. you just know when something will work and won't

[MarkF]

I agree with Mermaid Westley that the weight doesn't matter out of the water. Are you anticipating that your neoprene will add about 3-5 pound of buoyancy, how will you weight that? I've seen a clip that the H2o crew had a nylon fabric tube which lead shot was added.
To bad you couldn't have tried it, I understand what you mean though. By looking at what you've made so far your almost there and it looks good. Are you adding the straps inside to fix it to your legs? If so, I wonder if it will creep off your waist like the just Silicone ones do?
I've noticed that the movie tails don't flex much and that's good for the zippers, but the local real mermaids don't use zippers or neoprene. They use the simplest designs with nice molded scales.

[mermaidgirl7]

this is all very awesome. You should post pictures as you go.

[MarkF]

On the 1st I asked Hanna Fraser about using the H2o tail and this is from her reply,
"They are great for going straight ahead and fast..everything else is a challenge"
Thanks Hanna

Humm? I like fast, I wonder how hard turning is when she says- Challenge?

[MarkF]

Maybe it's tight turns? Loops are probably 15-20 feet and that would be tuff in a pool.