Fins

[Draketake]

Tombraider,

I was thinkinf of your post yesterday. There was a pile of excellent float tube and pontoon boat fins at my local Thrift Store. You may wnat to check out your local one. I had lots of different styles to choose from. I still have mine from the 80's so dont need any now but the choices were fantastic.

 

[mickey rat]

If you go with the Outcast fins I would suggest throwing away all of the straps and buckles that come with them and replacing them with NRS cam lock straps. I can post pictures of how to modify them if you like.

@iveofione
Is this the way you wove the NRS straps around the bottom of the fins and glued in place?

 

[iveofione]

@iveofione
Is this the way you wove the NRS straps around the bottom of the fins and glued in place?
View attachment 12245

Yes, use enough glue that nothing can get caught under the webbing. I apologize for not getting back to you, I sent a message but I understand that it went to the wrong place. Then I left home again and didn't have a computer. Slowly getting life back to normal here..

 

[Old Man]

Bucks Bags fins. I sold my force fins...

I just picked up a set of these at Bob Wards here in Butte. They are almost like my other ones. Time with use should help determine if that are good or not.

 

[Tombraider]

Tombraider,

I was thinkinf of your post yesterday. There was a pile of excellent float tube and pontoon boat fins at my local Thrift Store. You may wnat to check out your local one. I had lots of different styles to choose from. I still have mine from the 80's so dont need any now but the choices were fantastic.

Gawd what great idea, butt I've spent my $. I may stop in at our local shop and look.

 

[Pez Vela]

Dive fins... you can also ski behind my pontoon boat when I need to pick up slack line!

 

[Tombraider]

those look great. a fish too.

 

[Tombraider]

Tried these fins out. Not sure if the fins are the reason but. Turning and moving was tough in my fat cat. Turning way tough.

 

[Old Man]

These are my souped up Outcast flippers. I simply added extensions with barge cement and aluminum fasteners.
I wear sz 15 and the boots in the picture are sz 16 Simms Freestones.
The Outcast flippers are barely longer than my giant feet lol.
They work very well. I get great hole shot
and up on plane quickly.

View attachment 10539

Shit, if you didn't have so much turned under you'd be a lot taller.

 

[Wanative]

Shit, if you didn't have so much turned under you'd be a lot taller.

I've heard that one many's the time.
I'd rather be an inch taller and my feet be an inch shorter, I could find shoes that fit a helluva lot easier.

 

[Eastside]

Do you guys use a safety strap on those buck bags. They look good.

The Buck’s Bags fins float.

 

[Tombraider]

Thats why they stuck outa the water.

 

[clarkman]

The Buck’s Bags fins float.

do they? I've never, ahem, tested that....

 

[Eastside]

I have, unintentionally.

 

[Brian Miller]

While my Original Force Fins are still quite serviceable I've realized they no longer comfortably fit my any of boots. But the Force Fins perform much better than my $60 Outcast boot fins. And I do respectfully disagree somewhat with @iveofione from a post on that other site about Force Fins not making improvements. They now have bungie straps that weren't available when I bought mine, plus a lot of new models and enhancements that may improve performance for diving, though not so much for fishing, except perhaps the adjustable fins that came out after I had purchased the OFFs. The fact that mine have never failed and are still in good shape speaks to good design and materials. Plus I like the fact that they still sell that model, and I can still buy replacement straps and other accessories.

The FF nylon straps are simple, secure, durable and if need be, replaceable. Anyone have an opinion about the bungie straps?

I like using dive boots that are much lighter but have a smaller instep profile than my wading boots. I've read a couple of user reviews stating the Adjustable Force Fins are harder to put on and don't fit as well as OFFs; having "play" in them when kicking, even with wading boots.

I looked at the FF sizing chart

Force Fin Shoe Size Conversion Chart - Force Fins | Worlds Finest Fins for Swimming, Diving, Bellyboating

How to find the right size to fit Force Fins when barefoot, wearing over a comfort instep, or sized for booties, dry suit, waders, or boots

forcefin.com

but since the embossed size designation on my fins has apparently been worn down I spoke to the company owners about sizing over 4XL dive boots on the phone who asked me to text pics of my foot and my new dive boots in a fin. He said my current fins are an * XL * and that an * XXXL * should fit. As a returning Customer he gave me a discount code but (because USA made?) they're still very expensive.

My older Outcast boot fins don't fit the dive boots nearly as well as heavier wading boots. Also I've had a similar pair of fins tear out one of the adjustment strap slots so I had to cut a new slot, and have read a review of an Outcast Boot fin user who also had it happen and used a knot in the strap as an emergency fix. At least the newer Outcast Power Kicks have two straps, that @iveofione recommends be replaced or at least modified.

@Wayne Kohan you mentioned on that other site you kept the Outcast Kick Fins and sold your Force Fins.
Is there a performance difference; i.e. more effort needed to get from point A to B, hold position...
Do you wear wading boots, booties, or...
@Wanative speaking of modified, I'd love to know what material you used for, and how you shaped the "Franken Fins".

I've looked at the endless debate over Force Fins vs Omega Amphibian Flip Fins. They each have their devotees and detractors. My friend who bought my Seasoft boots has the Omega flip fins. He said they hurt his instep (when flipped up?) and thought the Seasoft boot's armored instep could reduce that. And it appears a majority of flip fin user reviews; even the positive ones, mention problems with the hinge mechanisms so it concerns me that Flipfins.com is a shell and the Omega Aquatics FB page hasn't had an entry since 2014. Due to the negative ratings about problems with the hinge mechanisms, I want to be able to talk to someone. (OK, I got an Omega phone number from a dealer CS rep.)

Selling my Original Force Fins could ease the pain of whatever I buy. I will probably list them for sale here, but would prefer someone in the local area who could try them on to ensure they fit and agree on the condition rather than wasting $, time, and effort on X shipping.

 

[Wayne Kohan]

@Wayne Kohan you mentioned on that other site you kept the Outcast Kick Fins and sold your Force Fins.
Is there a performance difference; i.e. more effort needed to get from point A to B, hold position...
Do you wear wading boots, booties, or...
@Wanative speaking of modified, I'd love to know what material you used for, and how you shaped the "Franken Fins".

I didn't feel that the Force Fins added much in propulsion power, or that I needed that power, over other fins. I had the adjustable ones that fit over boots and did not find them easy to put on, and they are heavy, weighing between 5 and 6 pounds. The Outcast Power fins is what I have now. They are pretty heavy as well, about 4 pounds. I can walk some with them as well. I do have a pair of the flip fins as well, but the flip mechanism on mine does not work well at all. It is hard to get them flipped up and even harder to get them back down. They are heavy, I haven't weighed them, and very long, they were hard to put up on the foot bar of my boat at that time. They are sitting on a shelf in my garage.

I have been hiking into several lakes, and would like to find some lighter fins really. I had a pair of the Outcast regular fins in the past and really liked those.

I have always worn boots in the past with my fins until I bought some booties this year, much easier to pack into lakes than boots. The Power Fins work well with either the boots or booties.

 

[Bruce Baker]

While my Original Force Fins are still quite serviceable I've realized they no longer comfortably fit my any of boots. But the Force Fins perform much better than my $60 Outcast boot fins. And I do respectfully disagree somewhat with @iveofione from a post on that other site about Force Fins not making improvements. They now have bungie straps that weren't available when I bought mine, plus a lot of new models and enhancements that improve may performance for diving, though not so much for fishing, except perhaps the adjustable fins that came out after I had purchased the OFFs. The fact that mine have never failed and are still in good shape speaks to good design and materials. Plus I like the fact that they still sell that model, and I can still buy replacement straps and other accessories.

The FF nylon straps are simple, secure, durable and if need be, replaceable. Anyone have an opinion about the bungie straps?

I like using dive boots that are much lighter but have a smaller instep profile than my wading boots. I've read a couple of user reviews stating the Adjustable Force Fins are harder to put on and don't fit as well as OFFs; having "play" in them when kicking, even with wading boots.

I looked at the FF sizing chart

Force Fin Shoe Size Conversion Chart - Force Fins | Worlds Finest Fins for Swimming, Diving, Bellyboating

How to find the right size to fit Force Fins when barefoot, wearing over a comfort instep, or sized for booties, dry suit, waders, or boots

forcefin.com

but since the embossed size designation on my fins has apparently been worn down I spoke to the company owners about sizing over 4XL dive boots on the phone who asked me to text pics of my foot and my new dive boots in a fin. He said my current fins are an XL and that an XXL should fit. As a returning Customer he gave me a discount code but (because USA made?) they're still very expensive.

My older Outcast boot fins don't fit the dive boots nearly as well as heavier wading boots. Also I've had a similar pair of fins tear out one of the adjustment strap slots so I had to cut a new slot, and have read a review of an Outcast Boot fin user who also had it happen and used a knot in the strap as an emergency fix. At least the newer Outcast Power Kicks have two straps, that @iveofione recommends be replaced or at least modified.

@Wayne Kohan you mentioned on that other site you kept the Outcast Kick Fins and sold your Force Fins.
Is there a performance difference; i.e. more effort needed to get from point A to B, hold position...
Do you wear wading boots, booties, or...
@Wanative speaking of modified, I'd love to know what material you used for, and how you shaped the "Franken Fins".

I've looked at the endless debate over Force Fins vs Omega Amphibian Flip Fins. They each have their devotees and detractors. My friend who bought my Seasoft boots has the Omega flip fins. He said they hurt his instep (when flipped up?) and thought the Seasoft boot's armored instep could reduce that. And it appears a majority of flip fin user reviews; even the positive ones, mention problems with the hinge mechanisms so it concerns me that Flipfins.com is a shell and the Omega Aquatics FB page hasn't had an entry since 2014. Due to the negative ratings about problems with the hinge mechanisms, I want to be able to talk to someone. (OK, I got an Omega phone number from a dealer CS rep.)

Selling my Original Force Fins could ease the pain of whatever I buy. I will probably list them for sale here, but would prefer someone in the local area who could try them on to ensure they fit and agree on the condition rather than wasting $, time, and effort on X shipping.

Regarding bungee straps....I recommend them. It was the best move I made with my FFs and I regret not having done it sooner.

 

[Brian Miller]

Regarding bungee straps....I recommend them. It was the best move I made with my FFs and I regret not having done it sooner.

I haven't fished lakes that often over recent years but just replaced my * XL * OFFs with XXXL OFFs to fit over my (waders and) hard-soled size 13-14 dive booties. Huge difference in fit, foot comfort & relief from foot cramps, and propulsion. And on your recommendation I got the bungee option. Wow, what a difference in convenience (ease of putting on-taking off)!

Do you have any sort of safety retainer straps on your FFs with the bungees? If so how did you attach?

I'll be selling my * XLs * shortly.

 

[Bruce Baker]

I haven't fished lakes that often but just replaced my XXL OFFs with OFFs XXXL to fit over my (waders and) hard-soled size 13-14 dive booties. Huge difference in fit, foot comfort & relief from foot cramps, and propulsion. And on your recommendation I got the bungee option. Wow, what a difference in convenience (ease of putting on-taking off)!

Do you have any sort of safety retainer straps on your FFs with the bungees? If so how did you attach?

I'll be selling my XXLs shortly.

I agree with you regarding having the proper sized fins! I think my OFFs were size XL and I got foot cramps all the time. I bumped up to XXL and have yet to get a foot cramp.

I do not have any sort of safety retainer straps on my FFs with the bungees.

 

[Brian Miller]

I agree with you regarding having the proper sized fins! I think my OFFs were size XL and I got foot cramps all the time. I bumped up to XXL and have yet to get a foot cramp.

I do not have any sort of safety retainer straps on my FFs with the bungees.

I'm going to sell my * XL * OFFs. And as you've experienced, if OFFs are too small to allow the foot to be fully seated in the foot pocket, it can cause pinching on the side of the foot and foot cramps. Do you mind me asking what your street shoe size is and what type and size of boots you wear over waders to help me advise potential buyers?