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VOIT UDT Duck Feet Fins
- Thread starterultra
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
That pic bears no resemblance to the ones I wore in the early 60s. Mine were open heel, made of heavy rubber, and had thick side rails all the way out to the ends, which were square rather than rounded.
Oops. Sorry. I had not been following the thread, and then when I got the email notification of a post, I didn't realize that we were no longer talking about the subject of the thread.
I hope someone is still checking this thread. I found these http://www.gijoes.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2150435&cp&keywords=duck+feet&searchId=18156312472&parentPage=search
and I was wondering if you knew anything about them.
and I was wondering if you knew anything about them.
These aren't the original Duck Feet. The ones you linked are the new original Duck Feet. They're shorter than the old ones and primarily used for body surfing. If you're interested in the dive fin you have to find a vintage goods supplier or buy them on e-bay. There is a new and good original Duck Foot available from Greg Deetz. If you search Google (Greg Deets duck feet) you should find them. They're a bit stiff for diving but very very powerful. I prefer the older softer ones. Here's the big clue on internet searches for Duck Feet - if they're the blue / orange you have linked, they're not the dive fins. Look for solid colors.
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Are these the ones by Greg Deets that you talked about? 
They aren't the solid black you spoke of.
They aren't the solid black you spoke of.Yes. These are the ones available through Greg Deets. They're the same dimensions as the old UDT's but not as flexible. In my opinion, for diving they're too stiff. But if you're after power and quick acceleration, I doubt you can find a better fin; that is, if you have the ankles that can handle the stress. I have both the vintage and Greg's. I use the vintage for diving in kelp -- probably the best fin ever made for such conditions. If you find vintage fins, get the ones with rounded, not square, foot pockets. They have the best flex. Considering they're age, most of the vintage fins have stress cracks on the strap. Don't let this stop you from getting a pair. Glue an old innertube over the strap and they'll last a few more years. Stress cracks in the blade - bad.
John;
Although at one time the Voit Duck Foot fin was the UDT/SEAL fin, I'm fairly certain that this is no longer the case. You can double check this but I believe they have moved on to one of the more traditional open heeled adjustable fins.
I dove for years with the original Duck Foot up until the early 80's when they became difficult if not impossible to find as VOIT sold their Diving line to MARES. The last pair I owned was actually a brown color and had a gum rubber foot pocket that made them a bit more comfortable to wear. VOIT also by the way had provided the Navy with a virtually indestructible regulator known as the MR12.
A shorter more flexible version of the Duck Foot was produced for the surfing industry as an alternative to the Churchill Swim Fin. Mostly used by body surfers and boogie boarders. Big Wave body surfers occasionally used the original UDT SCUBA fins in their place.
As I understand it, a company (?) has recently obtained the original molds for the UDT Duck Foot fin and they are back on the market. Based on the picture you originally posted, it looks as if that is what you got.
In one of your earl posts you said that you bought these to help you train for the military ? If I may, can I make a suggestion ? And since you didn't ask feel free to ignore it.
If you are preparing for a shot at BUDs, I would not be concerned with fin swimming at this stage of the game. There are a number of great web sites available that can help you train for that experience. Just Google "training for BUDs". I would focus more on meeting and exceeding the minimum fitness standards for acceptance into BUDs. Should you be accepted, you'll have time to learn to swim with fins.
Good Luck
PS - I stand corrected. I guess that now they do in fact recomend pre-training swimming with fins. If you cannot find the USD Rocket Fins you can substitute SCUBA Pro Jet fins for training. Both fins require booties.
Although at one time the Voit Duck Foot fin was the UDT/SEAL fin, I'm fairly certain that this is no longer the case. You can double check this but I believe they have moved on to one of the more traditional open heeled adjustable fins.
I dove for years with the original Duck Foot up until the early 80's when they became difficult if not impossible to find as VOIT sold their Diving line to MARES. The last pair I owned was actually a brown color and had a gum rubber foot pocket that made them a bit more comfortable to wear. VOIT also by the way had provided the Navy with a virtually indestructible regulator known as the MR12.
A shorter more flexible version of the Duck Foot was produced for the surfing industry as an alternative to the Churchill Swim Fin. Mostly used by body surfers and boogie boarders. Big Wave body surfers occasionally used the original UDT SCUBA fins in their place.
As I understand it, a company (?) has recently obtained the original molds for the UDT Duck Foot fin and they are back on the market. Based on the picture you originally posted, it looks as if that is what you got.
In one of your earl posts you said that you bought these to help you train for the military ? If I may, can I make a suggestion ? And since you didn't ask feel free to ignore it.
If you are preparing for a shot at BUDs, I would not be concerned with fin swimming at this stage of the game. There are a number of great web sites available that can help you train for that experience. Just Google "training for BUDs". I would focus more on meeting and exceeding the minimum fitness standards for acceptance into BUDs. Should you be accepted, you'll have time to learn to swim with fins.
Good Luck
PS - I stand corrected. I guess that now they do in fact recomend pre-training swimming with fins. If you cannot find the USD Rocket Fins you can substitute SCUBA Pro Jet fins for training. Both fins require booties.
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John,
You have probably realized this by now, but the Viot UDT Duck Feet fin is rigid and takes leg power to get the most out of it and it doesn't work very well by just kicking with the ankle. I have had five different pairs of Duck Feet fins since 1979 when I attended BUD/S and I just ordered another pair. I have used them for tactical diving, recreational diving, and surface swimming. I would put them up against any other fin. I had a pair in my dive bag until I retiredin 1997 and I still use them. As for what the Teams use now, I am sure it is still a matter of preference of the individual operator. An adjustable strap fin works better when wearing boots while swimming.
You have probably realized this by now, but the Viot UDT Duck Feet fin is rigid and takes leg power to get the most out of it and it doesn't work very well by just kicking with the ankle. I have had five different pairs of Duck Feet fins since 1979 when I attended BUD/S and I just ordered another pair. I have used them for tactical diving, recreational diving, and surface swimming. I would put them up against any other fin. I had a pair in my dive bag until I retiredin 1997 and I still use them. As for what the Teams use now, I am sure it is still a matter of preference of the individual operator. An adjustable strap fin works better when wearing boots while swimming.
At first I thought this was a new thread, but now I see it has a history. I'll confess to not reading all the previous posts, but I don't think much of those fins.
When I got to Hawaii as a Marine Lt. in 1961, I bought a pair at the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange and thought they were just great, but then my basis for comparison was the smaller Churchill fins. I used them for a couple of years before going through a Navy Underwater Swimmer Course at Pearl Harbor, and we were all required to use them. I was at an advantage since my feet and legs were used to them while they were killing the other students.
But just like cars, spearguns, and refrigerators, fins have been greatly improved since the early 1960s. Enclosed heel fiberglass and carbon fiber fins are so much more efficient. Admittedly, at age 73 I'm not so strong as I was in the early 60s, but if those fins were worth a damn, my young freedive spearfishing buddies would be wearing them, as would the champion competitive freedivers, but they aren't.
When I got to Hawaii as a Marine Lt. in 1961, I bought a pair at the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange and thought they were just great, but then my basis for comparison was the smaller Churchill fins. I used them for a couple of years before going through a Navy Underwater Swimmer Course at Pearl Harbor, and we were all required to use them. I was at an advantage since my feet and legs were used to them while they were killing the other students.
But just like cars, spearguns, and refrigerators, fins have been greatly improved since the early 1960s. Enclosed heel fiberglass and carbon fiber fins are so much more efficient. Admittedly, at age 73 I'm not so strong as I was in the early 60s, but if those fins were worth a damn, my young freedive spearfishing buddies would be wearing them, as would the champion competitive freedivers, but they aren't.