Merbellas Thread

[Mermaid Iridessa]

Ah ok! Maybe I can ask Raven to replace/upgrade the monfin but maintain the she creature design.. Im not an ocean swimmer but i like some speed as well as the flowy look of a mermaid tail. Not sure if one exists, but maybe a monofin that is slightly more rigid than the foil but not as stiff as the competitor? So as to not completely sacrifice the flowy look but to have a bit more speed...

Boy, am I picky..

[Ariel-Starfish]

Ah ok! Maybe I can ask Raven to replace/upgrade the monfin but maintain the she creature design.. Im not an ocean swimmer but i like some speed as well as the flowy look of a mermaid tail. Not sure if one exists, but maybe a monofin that is slightly more rigid than the foil but not as stiff as the competitor? So as to not completely sacrifice the flowy look but to have a bit more speed...

Boy, am I picky..

i originally asked for a rapid in my angel fluke (streinght but stil a bit flowly) and they did not offer that. So i had to pick the foil.

Good luck on asking for altering stuff etc. But I personaly think u are gonna have to choose between a cometitor and a foil.

[Mer-Crazy]

i originally asked for a rapid in my angel fluke (streinght but stil a bit flowly) and they did not offer that. So i had to pick the foil.

Good luck on asking for altering stuff etc. But I personaly think u are gonna have to choose between a cometitor and a foil.

A Rapid is a bad choice for monofin in a silicone tail anyway because of how easily the clips can come off/ the straps can break/ they're kind of bulky. A shooter or trainer 1 or 2 are a more sensible choice. But I totally respect if Raven doesn't want to use other monofins in her tails. I mean she'd have to make prototypes and make sure they lasted in tails before offering them confidently.

[Mermaid Iridessa]

I had a look at photos of the shooter monofin next to the competitor and they seem to almost be the same but different in size. Correct me if im wrong, but judging by the pictures, the shooter looks to be more rigid than the foil becaue it is pretty wide and shorter...so a better kick? maybe that's the "middle" monofin between the foil and competitor in terms of rigidity/kick..

and judging by this video, the options im looking at are the shooter or trainer 1 or the wave (like you said, Mer-carzy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m3UIlNitRc

[Winged Mermaid]

Yes, essentially it's the middle ground. You get more kick than the foil, but you get more flow/floppiness in the fluke than the competitor.

[Mermaid Iridessa]

Yes, essentially it's the middle ground. You get more kick than the foil, but you get more flow/floppiness in the fluke than the competitor.

So out of the wave, shooter and trainer 1, the shooter would be best in keeping flowiness and slightly more kick?

[Mermaid Iridessa]

Thank you so much everyone for your input!!! really appreciate it

[AniaR]

The calypso fluke is what Raina has on her newest tail. I'd assume they would be fairly similar, though she creature looks a smidge bigger. But since they both have foil monofins the kick is less than fantastic. It's fine for pool and party work but if you're looking at open ocean or anywhere with a current then you'd want the competitor, which makes it less floaty/ flowy/ heavy.


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The she creature is a lot bigger lol. It was her biggest til she made the green one.

Kick is better with my orange one but still same issues. In videos of me with other mers you can see how it floats up behind me while competitors get more parallel.

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[AniaR]

i originally asked for a rapid in my angel fluke (streinght but stil a bit flowly) and they did not offer that. So i had to pick the foil.

Good luck on asking for altering stuff etc. But I personaly think u are gonna have to choose between a cometitor and a foil.

She can cut down a competitor so you get stiffness and some flow

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[frozenbutterflywings]

Do all calypso flukes come with a competitor monofin?


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[Ariel-Starfish]

She can cut down a competitor so you get stiffness and some flow

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Well I can't change now - my tail is nearly completed - hehe

The competitor was heavy for me (going in and out the water, fluke lifting) so I picked the foil instead for this time being. i hope this one will spare my feet from foot cramps! Lol or just not that worse.

[Mer-Crazy]

Yeah all Raven's tails come with competitor monofins unless you specifically ask for a foil.

Also Ariel I hope the foil works out for you but from what I've heard flukes are always heavier with a foil since there is more silicone.


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[frozenbutterflywings]

Thanks Mer-Crazy I thought so


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[AniaR]

Do all calypso flukes come with a competitor monofin?


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No. Mine Is a foil. You can get whatever monofin in whatever fluke you want within their options

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[Merley]

Just gonna interject here, I love the competitor in my tail. I mostly use it for ocean swimming and it cuts through some rough waters like nothing. So in the pool it's even faster and more effective. As much as I love the look of flowy tails, I'd much rather get more out of my kicks with a competitor than sacrifice speed and the ability to move overall for a pretty flow. But that's just me. Maybe something to think about it. As far as heaviness it concerned, Mer-Crazy has a good point about other fins that don't have the competitor's stiffness requiring more silicone to make up for that, and silicone is definitely heavier than the monofin. Even when I picked up some Finfolk tails I was amazed at how heavy they were because of the bigger flukes, which required more silicone. If you use your tail enough, you'll build the right muscles in your legs, feet, and even arms from hauling it around all the time, so weight in that respect shouldn't be that much of an issue. I'm very pro-competitor if you can't tell.

[Mermaid Iridessa]

Is there a thread on here that talks about emailing Raven (ready to order) and how to maybe organize things when sending the first email? Just so I can draft I ahead of time and know what info to put in besides the obvious: what items, color(s) and the amount that you are ready with..

[Mermaid Iridessa]

Hmm, it seems that the competitor would be a better choice since it makes the tail lighter and gives a better kick..

I can't wait for the day I am ready to order my tail!!! Before I created my account here, I have been following different threads..but tbh, nothing beats the merbellas thread purely because of Raven's artistry and dream-like creations that builds the excitement even more. As I read through the progress of somebody's order, I find myself Hyper-excited for that person and you can see it in every comment on here!

One day..one day..

[polyhymnia113]

Ah ok! Maybe I can ask Raven to replace/upgrade the monfin but maintain the she creature design.. Im not an ocean swimmer but i like some speed as well as the flowy look of a mermaid tail. Not sure if one exists, but maybe a monofin that is slightly more rigid than the foil but not as stiff as the competitor? So as to not completely sacrifice the flowy look but to have a bit more speed...

Boy, am I picky..

I have the she-creature fluke (and yes she did allow it as a custom order when I asked but it was a hefty extra charge) with a competitor in it. I wanted the flowy look but didn't want to sacrifice speed and strength so I had her just cut the competitor fin back a considerable amount to allow the tips to still be all flowy and it looks great in the water (there's a brief video on my FB 'mermaid caprica'). I dont have the floatiness problem at all but on land my tail weoghs roughly 36 pounds and lifting the huge fluke is a bit of a chore / rough on the ankles for sure, so that's something to consider. I have no trouble whatsoever with it in the water manuevering, but when I lost some weight and it got a tad big I did feel a bit of a drag in the water just from the giant fluke and the tail not being tight. Probably the biggest consideration of warning I'd give is that for this particular fluke if you plan to travel with it, it is quite a chore. The edges will only fold in so much and I had to get a suitcase that's essentially the size I could climb into.

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[Mermaid Iridessa]

I have the she-creature fluke (and yes she did allow it as a custom order when I asked but it was a hefty extra charge) with a competitor in it. I wanted the flowy look but didn't want to sacrifice speed and strength so I had her just cut the competitor fin back a considerable amount to allow the tips to still be all flowy and it looks great in the water (there's a brief video on my FB 'mermaid caprica'). I dont have the floatiness problem at all but on land my tail weoghs roughly 36 pounds and lifting the huge fluke is a bit of a chore / rough on the ankles for sure, so that's something to consider. I have no trouble whatsoever with it in the water manuevering, but when I lost some weight and it got a tad big I did feel a bit of a drag in the water just from the giant fluke and the tail not being tight. Probably the biggest consideration of warning I'd give is that for this particular fluke if you plan to travel with it, it is quite a chore. The edges will only fold in so much and I had to get a suitcase that's essentially the size I could climb into.

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This helps so much!! i guess the floating issue varies from person to person's buoyancy, but if you dont mind me asking, just so i can have a more accuracte cost/budget number, how much was the extra charge for the custom order of the fluke?

Thank you!!

P.s. I had a look at that video and the flow is perfection!!!

[AniaR]

This helps so much!! i guess the floating issue varies from person to person's buoyancy, but if you dont mind me asking, just so i can have a more accuracte cost/budget number, how much was the extra charge for the custom order of the fluke?

Thank you!!

well in her case it's because she has a competitor in it. So mine with a foil has far more silicone than hers.