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Dateline September 2005: I wrote to Vipers, Inc., via email about one year ago about a problem
experienced with the larger sized fins (XL). Back in March 2005, I
mentioned this problem to Oahu waverider, **** ******, during a visit to
the Island, who said he would pass along this concern to Vipers, Inc.
The problem persists: the foot pocket of the XL fin is too small (too
narrow and not enough height), causing the foot to cramp.
Buddies showed up at recent
gathering in Cape Hatteras, one with XL Yellow Dots and the other with
XL Orange Dots. The Yellow Dots were simply too stiff, so I suggested
my friend to try out my XL Orange Dots... he loved them but commented
that after about 45 minutes the foot pocket started to cramp him. My
other buddy brought XL Orange Dots with him from Oregon, used them for
the first time, and expressed his love of them, "Finally a great fin!"
But he did say his arches were a bit cramped... and this in the warm
Atlantic waters of Cape Hatteras in September. Yes, I agreed - that's a
problem for me in cold water when I have to scale up to the XL-sized
fins. For some reason my warm water Viper L Orange Dots are fine, but
the XL Orange Dots cramp when I add just 3mm of socks (5mm really
kills!), so I keep using my really old, dry rotting Churchills.
Rod Rodgers Dateline Sept 2005, Viper Inc, responds: Dear Rod, Thank you for your mail. I understand the situation and the problem that you and your friends are encountering. Unfortunately, the process to manufacture a larger fin is not possible for us. Another brand that has offers a model with an extremely large foot pocket is Manta. Dateline October 2005. Faced with a cold water fin problem I try on several fin types during a visit to Virginia Beach and its many surf shops. The Tech2's fit nicely and have some flex in the blade. A few days later I place an order with ebodyboarding.com for a pair of Tech2 XL fins. They arrive within a week just as a nice overhead swell fills into our DelMarVa shores. We suit up and walk down to the beach, me with Tech2s in-hand, eager to try them out. After slipping them on I hit the surf and... proceed to go no where. I am not making any noticable forward movement and the inside whitewater is simply ragging me. No thrust at all! I turn and ride some whitewater in, run back to the car, shaking my head in frustration and disgust to fellow waveriders, some who are very puzzled by my being rejected by the sea. I grab my XL Vipers 5" Flex Orange Dot, and remove 3mm of wetsuit socks leaving me with 2mm of socks (the water isn't that cold but I was trying out the new fins). Back at the beach it is on with the flippers and I paddle right out to the line-up and enjoy the surf for about 1-1/2 hours before my foot cramps cause my calf to cramp and terminate my surf session. Dateline November 2005. I need winter quality fins! Another order is placed with ebodyboarding.com, prompted by their special on Churchill Slashers. Desperation is setting in. Splurging, an order is also placed for the Techs model which have garnered many favorable comments. Cross my fingers and waiting. I am desperate! Dateline November 2005. Since hearing from you I have talked to a number of fellow kneeboarders and bodyboarders. There is a wide consensus that the Vipers' narrow foot pocket is a seriously limiting factor in riders using your fins and for you to broaden your market base. As you may already know the bodyboarding and kneeboarding (and bodysurfing) communities communicate widely by word of mouth rather than through a print or television mediums. Apparently, scores upon scores of people in these communities are summarily disregarding Vipers because of their reputation to be ill-fitting. When asked most people will say they are too tight and lead to cramping, but otherwise like the fin's performance in the water. Vipers are currently tailored to people with narrow feet. The narrowness of the template probably does not scale to large feet very well, nor to cold water users who need a larger fin for the extra 3mm to 7mm surrounding their feet. The foot pockets scale in length but apparently not in width (not sure about pocket height). Is there something that can be done to introduce a larger girth by a couple of units. What are the Vipers scaled on, a B or a C? AAAA (The narrowest) AAA AA A B C D E EE EEE EEEE (The widest) vr/Rod Dateline November 2005. Dear Rod, There is nothing that can be done. I do not know what they are scaled on. |