Collection of weird fins

sanso · May 24, 2007

Hey, have You tried with people who make all their fins themselves anyway?
How about specialfins? - it's in their name!

marginatus · May 24, 2007

thank you for your support!

the credits of the concept are to these two friends! i have some ideias to improve it but the ideia came from them!

It would probably be an expensive product if we do it alone (hand made). the foot pocket is the hard part... the blade is very easy. I'll keep you postet

thanks again

Fernando

marginatus · May 24, 2007

sanso said:
Hey, have You tried with people who make all their fins themselves anyway?
How about specialfins? - it's in their name!

I've contacted them (specialfins)... i'll wait

can you tell me some of those people or contacts?

thanks

sanso · May 24, 2007

marginatus said:
..can you tell me some of those people or contacts?
...

Sorry, can't I've never had any dealings with them. Hoping to change that soon

trux · May 24, 2007

Looking forward to see it soon. You should consider visiting your local patent office or agent and discussing it with them before you start contacting companies. Patents are expensive and time consuming matter, but sometimes some simple and less expensive steps can prevent that you get cheated by someone you proposed your idea.

Also check out the patent database. I have four patents from there in my collection too, but there are many dozens of other swimming fin patents in there. I wouldn't think it is impossible that the idea of your friends is already there - in that case, it might be even more difficult with the manufacturing.

marginatus · May 24, 2007

trux said:
Looking forward to see it soon. You should consider visiting your local patent office or agent and discussing it with them before you start contacting companies. Patents are expensive and time consuming matter, but sometimes some simple and less expensive steps can prevent that you get cheated by someone you proposed your idea.

Also check out the patent database. I have four patents from there in my collection too, but there are many dozens of other swimming fin patents in there. I wouldn't think it is impossible that the idea of your friends is already there - in that case, it might be even more difficult with the manufacturing.

thanks for the help and advice. I'll look into those.

Jorg · May 24, 2007

I always use google patents, for example here is a search for fins: fins - Google Patents

DRW · Jul 7, 2007

Are these the ultimate in weird fins?

sanso · Jul 7, 2007

WOW

A handmade custom concept mono for just 10 € !!!

Forget Hyperfins or Waterways or whatever You're playing with right now. You will want one of these!

Waterenthusiast and I just got a brand new Vogelbeck™ custom winged mono.

Let's go for the facts first:

- Weight: ~800 g
- Width of blade: 50cm
- Cost: An unbelievable 9€ and 25¢ for a hand-crafted mono with a sandwich material design. (Yes, we also wonder how the guy came up with that price.. )

We ordered a medium stiffness and got a unique fin that has a hard - almost crispy - outer layer around a squishy inner for more flex.

The final product looked and felt extremely convincing when we picked it up - sadly only after our early morning dive today - but we can't wait and will try it out right away.

Will post pictures ASAP!

marginatus · Jul 7, 2007

@Sanso
where can we get info on that fin?

sanso · Jul 8, 2007

marginatus said:
@Sanso
where can we get info on that fin?

I don't know if Vogelbeck has a website, but I'll see what I canfind out. Otherwise I know the guy well enough to convey inquiries.

Here's what we know so far:

The fin's performance was about as expected - which is good - but even after the first use the wear and tear was very noticeable. This should possibly be improved.

The footpockets are very squishy, even if there is some noticeable wear there as well.

Hold on, I'll see if I can find the pictures. ...

Ol Dirty Diver · Jul 10, 2007

Remember Ted Ciamillo's interesting "biomimetic propulsion" design?

Check this out.

sanso · Jul 10, 2007

Okay, here we go with feedback from the manufacturer:

It seems that there was some misunderstanding around the Vogelbeck™ Custom Mono.

1. The wear and tear is intended behaviour, not a design flaw
2. Sandwich-style material doesn't mean it's built in layers, but that it's for making sandwiches!

More pictures here

marginatus · Jul 10, 2007

Even for two, it has to be a big "training session" to "wear out" one of those

sanso · Jul 10, 2007

marginatus said:
Even for two, it has to be a big "training session" to "wear out" one of those

Yeah, we got four people as backup on Sunday and the thing still stayed with us - in part(s)

trux · Jul 10, 2007

DRW said:
Are these the ultimate in weird fins? View attachment 14333

Excellent! Unlike the other similar contributions, these do not even look like photoshoped, but I cannot imagine that someone really took the time and created a batch of such high-heels for real. Where did you find them?

So we have now a whole collection of stiletto fins:

To Sanso: excellent one! I'll need to digest it first though!

DRW · Jul 10, 2007

>Where did you find them?<

Try Googling with "High Tide Heels" and you’ll find lots of results, particularly ones on fashion blogs. The footwear has many potential buyers, but nobody can figure out who designed or made the fins. One conclusion is that the fins are a Dadaist product, created by an art student, celebrating the superiority of form over function in an absurd world. Somebody has noticed that the reflected image of the car in the picture suggests a vehicle with Belgian plates. They then surmise that the picture itself must have been taken in Belgium. The design of the fins does indeed suggest something other than the fanciful Photoshop stiletto fin creations you mention. The High Tide Heel fins start with what look like normal full-foot open toed rubber fins, with just two unusual features, the stiletto heels and the bend in the blade. The foot pockets even have a name on the top of the foot pocket like normal fins do, but the name is too blurry to read.

Rai · Jul 12, 2007

Hi all, for those who want to search patent databases, I would recommend:
esp@cenet — Home page

The Google database is still limited to documents available to the USPTO (US patent applications and US patents), whereas Espacenet provides global patent data coverage. Of course you might prefer the familiar Google-type search, but the pros use Espacenet or commercially available services.

As a European patent attorney - trainee I might be able to answer some specific questions. At least I would recommend to contact a local patent attorney before putting too much details on your innovative fin design on the internet.

Ciao, Rai

Jorg said:
I always use google patents, for example here is a search for fins: fins - Google Patents

marginatus · Mar 7, 2008

i think that these qualify for the thread:

From trygons (trygons.com)

Lockedin · Mar 31, 2008

I checked, but didn't see these. Churchill fins may not be all that weird, but they are extremely popular with boogie boarders. As you can see, they are asymmetrical, and made of very thick rubber. The result is an extremely snappy blade that accelerates extremely fast, and makes catching waves insanely easy. They have a very low top speed, and require HUGE effort to really make them move; hence the popularity amongst boogie boarders, and knee boarders. Again, not that weird, but I thought worth a mention, due to their niche market.

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