Question for dive center owners/managers

[Sloeber]

Hi,
im opening a new dive center in the near future and have a question for you. In your experience what is the best means for bulk storage of fins. I've worked in locations where there are stored upright which naturally leading to bending or warping. I've also worked where they are laid in shelving horizontally which of course doesn't drain. I've also worked in other places where they are just tossed into a large bin collectively - what a pain.

So as is the case for many of us square footage is tight. I'm considering either building a cubby of sorts arranged by size and laying on a roughly 45 degree angle to promote drainage and limit warping. I'm also considering hanging them by the straps from pegs on a wall. I'm wondering if I'm perhaps not considering a possible better solution.

Many thanks,
Henry

 

[bradells]

Of you go cubbies/shelf, vertical on their sides. But you still have to account for that water sitting on the shelf.

I usually see them hanging by the straps.


BRad

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Full foot fins, if any, on inc;lined shelves, about 20 degrees. fins with straps hang on the wall by the straps over double pegs.

 

[Mustard Dave]

Why do you need to own or manage a dive centre to express an opinion? In my opinion (as a diver and the proud owner of a pair of fins) is don't stand them up on their ends as they will settle into a bent position. Either hang them by the straps or store them flat.

 

[Sloeber]

Why do you need to own or manage a dive centre to express an opinion? In my opinion (as a diver and the proud owner of a pair of fins) is don't stand them up on their ends as they will settle into a bent position. Either hang them by the straps or store them flat.

Generally speaking the recreational diver doesn't own or need to properly store fins in bulk quantities of 50+ pairs of fins. Yes, I know hang them or lay them flat, but I don't think that was my question. The question was more directed at ways to store bulk quantities of fins. Thanks.

 

[RJP]

I'm also considering hanging them by the straps from pegs on a wall.

This will result in the lowest floor-space to fin ratio. (Unless you can store them in or under something else that is already taking up space.)

I would also suggest strap fins vs full-foot; adjustable straps means you will need to stock fewer sizes.

 

[ScubaRose]

Can't really find a picture, so I'll try to explain. Build a (wooden, 'cause it's easiest) rack with horizontal parallel beams on the top with a couple of cm's between them. This way you can hang a pair of fins inside, fintips down, so they get stuck between the beams at the footpocket. This prevents them from bending (because the tips are not touching the floor) and it works for both full foot and open heel fins. They drain too (as long as there's a drainage hole in the foot pocket, but you'd have that same problem if you're hanging them form hooks).

Does this make sense?

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

We have a very small kit room (about 4m deep by 3m wide) comparatively to the amount of kit we have (getting on for 20 sets of shop gear, plus staff gear), so need to be clever with our storage techniques. For fins however, we use horizontal fin racks as we've found its the most effective way to store them without and bending/warping. Our shop fins are adjustables, meaning there are only 4-5 sizes to play with, which makes bulk storage easier.

In terms of the fins not draining, that's not really an issue for us as we have separate drying racks outside for when dive trips return. So aside from a bit of residual damp on our wetsuits, all of our kit is pretty much dry when it goes in - we're in the tropics so things dry pretty quick! We have a constant fan and expel air system to help with any overnight drying and to stop everything smelling too musty.