Upcoming New Fins and Fin Technologies

[TN Traveler]

John

you really need to talk with Bob Evans. He has a fin that he developed that is similar to your scoop fin but made with modern urethane materials (and the Force Fin foot pocket). He also has what he calls his OPS fin which are currently used by the Ocean Futures Society, that has similar concept, but has a longer blade, almost like a free diving fin. I believe there is a YouTube video of these.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

TN Traveler,

I have watched the video with the OPS Force Fin, and it does look interesting. I haven't talked with Bob Evans since the late 1980s, when we talked about his first versions of the Force Fins.

I dove again today, and again used that Force Fin combo that I first tried out on Wednesday. And, it does work for me. I was able to get within about five feet of a salmon today, using those fins and my Overpressure Breathing double hose regulator. I stopped and looked at this grizzled old fish, about two and a half feet long, with torn a torn tail fin for about 30 seconds. He finally recognized that I was there, and swam away rapidly upstream.

But I may be more interested in the DolFin at this point. That is also a really nice-looking fin.

SeaRat

 

[TN Traveler]

John

the OPS is just one of the blades Bob planned for the Launch Pad foot pocket system. He has a Dol-Fin type blade planned also.

Here is web page that shows the whole system

OPS - Oscillating Propulsion System

Now that Bob has relocated his production facility, hopefully this will finally reach production.

You really need to try the new Kraken DH - Ii have been diving one for several months and it really is an improvement over my RAM.

 

[danvolker]

John

the OPS is just one of the blades Bob planned for the Launch Pad foot pocket system. He has a Dol-Fin type blade planned also.

Here is web page that shows the whole system

OPS - Oscillating Propulsion System

Now that Bob has relocated his production facility, hopefully this will finally reach production.

You really need to try the new Kraken DH - Ii have been diving one for several months and it really is an improvement over my RAM.

Tenn,
Bob makes some awesome fins, but I seriously doubt he will go in the direction Ron has with the Dol-Fin....Aside from the fact that $800 to $1100 Dol-fin style fins are not going to be sold to a mass market, I am pretty sure Bob enjoys selling Classics and Pros to a much larger niche than he can sell Excellerating Force Fins to.....Force Fins needs to become relevant to MORE people, not less.

Now if Ron and Bob wanted to collaborate with something...for experimental purposes...now that would be pretty exciting!

 

[JohnnyC]

I'm excited to see Revan's bi-fin design come to fruition.

Like I said before, the Dol-fin is cool, it's just very limited in application for most scuba divers. The performance is great, just very singular in nature. If his bi-fins have similar performance, but in a fin more suited to other activities beyond swimming in a straight line all the time, then it will be a game changer. If they're inexpensive enough, or he can license them so that they're within the realm of moderation in terms of price/performance, I think they'll definitely be worth looking at. The potential problem is that they will be prohibitively expensive, and like the Force Fins, too expensive for the performance gains.

If he can get them inexpensive enough, and still maintain serious performance gains, that will be ideal, and I would certainly consider a pair.

 

[TN Traveler]

Tenn,
Bob makes some awesome fins, but I seriously doubt he will go in the direction Ron has with the Dol-Fin....Aside from the fact that $800 to $1100 Dol-fin style fins are not going to be sold to a mass market, I am pretty sure Bob enjoys selling Classics and Pros to a much larger niche than he can sell Excellerating Force Fins to.....Force Fins needs to become relevant to MORE people, not less.

Now if Ron and Bob wanted to collaborate with something...for experimental purposes...now that would be pretty exciting!

Bob has never intended for his higher end fins to be "mass market". They are like the Dol-fin, intended for a limited group of divers who appreciate the performance/advantages.

i am sure that if Revan wants to talk with Bob about teaming to produce them, he would consider it. Bob is dedicated to making a better fin for those that want them - but they will never be inexpensive.

 

[StefinSB]

He has a fin that he developed that is similar to your scoop fin but made with modern urethane materials (and the Force Fin foot pocket). e.

What exactly is a "modern urethrane"? As far as I know polyurethane is around since the mid-30s.

 

[TN Traveler]

Urethane chemistry has evolved considerably since the 30's. Changes in isocyanates and polyols allow much greater customization of the properties of the finished urethane. Just look at the differences Bob has in his fin materials from the originals to the Pros to the "Tan Delta" (higher energy return) to the nearly indestructible "Hockey Fin" material. It is now possible to adjust flex and rebound.to maximize performance for a given blade shape. Improvements in chemistry are continuous.

---------- Post added October 25th, 2015 at 03:28 PM ----------

Force Fin take on the "scoop" fin

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=190268&d=1406913716


and a Force Fin design that does what John wants with his back-to-back test F

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191373&d=1401979710

Hopefully these will be available again soon.

 

[gkrane]

Here we go again.....

 

[REVAN]

I finally got the chance to dive these the other day: TECreation | MaxAir | Gallery

I've known the developer for a few years now, and I'm even a co-inventor on one of his patents for some suggested changes I had recommended to his original design that he tried and found worked well. However, I personally have no stake in the product, or anything to gain except maybe a little notoriety for my conceptual contribution.

I've always held that the concept is valid and should work good if the concept is implemented well. After using it, I was not disappointed. These can make a very nice scuba fin for applications from beginner to advanced. My impression is that they have even better low end efficiency than the better split fins available, but they won't flop over and get overpowered and waste energy when you need high thrust and speed. Plus, they can dolphinn kick, whereas splits totally suck for that stroke and most everything except a soft flutter.

Also watching the foils open and close is pretty cool looking.

-----

PS - MaxAir fins are not available to purchase. The developer is looking for someone to manufacture it, but may opt to try to crowd fund development instead. I was using his hand made prototypes.