Minimalist boat shoe?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

Should be banned on a boat! Getting a line caught between your foot (especially a toe or toes) and the shoe can be a VERY dangerous occurrence.

That's true. Lines do seem to be able to get caught on just about anything.

I guess experience on boats helps though. Kick the thing off if it gets tangled.

I go either barefooted or with flip flops in summer.

In Winter, it's bare feet when I go forward to the mast then maybe boots in the cockpit etc

When I raced beach cats and was trapped out much of the time, it was usually some type of gym shoe. I used which ever one I had around that best stuck to or gripped the non-skid tape along the top edge of the hulls

On my fishing boats, it was bare feet or gym shoes. Be careful with those hooks and some fish!

[sailstax]

I recently bought a pair of the new seven seas shoes from Sperry. They are basically really well built water shoes. Very comfortable, very sticky and quick drying.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

True Dat! When wet you slip right out too twisting an ankle.

You have to get flip flops that fit or be used to wearing them.

If you had lived in say Florida for a few years where you might or could be in flip flops 8-9 months out of the year, you get used to gripping them with your feet so they stay on.......even the old ones you have

Then they are available with different treads etc....

Plus your feet dry out faster with flip flops or when bare.......just don't forget the suntan lotion early in the season

[hafa]

I'll chip in on the barefoot side, as the OP did not rule it out. As others have observed, it's not for everyone, especially those with plantar musculoskeletal issues.

In regards to potential injuries, learning a proper gait (ball of the foot first, commit weight if no hazards) helps to prevent injury and slipping. Also, the more time sans shoes, the higher the subconscious situational awareness in terms of location of your feet VS obstacles. Although I'm a full-time barefooter for 35+ years, injuries are very rare, both on and off the boat.

[thomm225]

Sometimes totally booted up is the way to go if it's a cool morning or you are planning to hike when you reach your anchorage in a few hours

[StuM]

Originally Posted by hafa

I'll chip in on the barefoot side, as the OP did not rule it out. As others have observed, it's not for everyone, especially those with plantar musculoskeletal issues.

In regards to potential injuries, learning a proper gait (ball of the foot first, commit weight if no hazards) helps to prevent injury and slipping. Also, the more time sans shoes, the higher the subconscious situational awareness in terms of location of your feet VS obstacles. Although I'm a full-time barefooter for 35+ years, injuries are very rare, both on and off the boat.

I've been a barefoot sailor for many years as well, but I still get caught out. Last two weekends racing on a boat I've been racing for years and I came ashore both days with a bloody foot.

[stagilmore]

I just got a pair of Vibram 5 fingers and they are very comfortable. I prefer shoeless, but those toes....

[scgilligan]

I just wear Converse All-Stars..probably don't drain and dry well..but seem sticky enough.

[mikereed100]

I've been struggling with this myself. After a lifetime of running around barefoot, I have lost the fat pads in my forefeet and find it impossible to walk on flat, hard surfaces (boats) barefoot. Most of the shoes I look at are either too fiddly to put on or too hot in the tropics or don't have enough traction. The best solution I have found was some faux crocs I got in Japan with a nice nubbly footbed. I cut the top of the toe box out, leaving the front for protection but allowing my toes to breathe. The only downside was poor traction. They have since worn out and the search continues. I like the look of the Furoshiki shoes but they look like they would be hot and sweaty in the tropics. I like the look of the Shimano deck shoe and may give them a try. They are quick and easy to put on, they stay on (unlike sandals), have toe protection and a nice, grippy sole.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by RolfP

I wear Keens, the have the front bumper, dry fast, anti smell, stick well and are more like bare feet than anything except single wrap moccasins. My rule is if you don't wear shoes you can't complain about stubbing your toe. Lots of bare feet on my boat for a while, but no problem, but they can slip.

I wear Keens almost full time, and a similar shoe by Merrill. Great products. Expensive, but worth it.

Also wear cheap Croc knock offs and sliders available here in Central America for just a few dollars.

[chris mac]

I have a real problem finding workable shoes. My feet are wide, so I'm fairly limited, merrell and keen seem to fit well.
The other problem is a fused ankle, so I need to use custom orthotics. That means socks all the time and sock tan lines:@ (bare feet grip and destroy the insole)
If any of you know of any sandals that an insole can be fitted in under some sort of liner? 👍 👍 (sorry to hijack the thread)

[sailinbob1]

Barefoot, except in winter. Then I wear Merrells light hikers. Think I wore em twice this past winter.

[svrecess]

Hah, so you are the judge for this wager? Apologies but I still disagree with you.. and I am firmly against orthotics through my own experience. It's the poor movement habits that we have to overcome, and it's not easy or as simple as going barefoot for a while followed by knowingly doing the same damn things that caused the problem. A horse only does what a horse does, and it doesn't have and has not built for itself the kinds of distractions that we have created. So that's not a perfect analogy.

I also found myself behind a desk and in a chair often, as I started out in the engineering world too. I am a believer in ongoing maintenance, of myofascial massage, for example, and I believe it is a necessary aide to correct soft tissue problems, along with a variety of movement practices to reinforce good biomechanics. I don't think it's simple, as here I am once again at a keyboard, screwing up my body and environmental awareness (ie, paying attention to gravity, since that is the main thing that dictates how much tension and in what muscles are needed for any given purpose) and not practicing intentional breathing and efficient movement.. We carry too much tension as a result of our unnatural habits, and it takes being constantly aware to solve. Of course we make our own compromises as we see fit.

That's good that you can walk. But can you jump from one wet rock to a sandy, angled one two feet lower while carrying something? Can you sit/squat on one foot with that knee brought to your chest and then get up off that one leg without using your other limbs? and do the same with the other side? If not, then you have lost mobility that needs work. If we moved mindfully all the time, then we would still be able to do that. Instead, we have built conveniences and have social and selfish distractions that led to a loss of this mindfulness. I'm not saying we are lazy, but our new lifestyle habits compete with the ones that are most conducive to efficient movement. You have to choose to be mindful and reduce the distractions.. it's a compromise, although most people just chalk up their deficiencies to aging. As you can see, I think that is only a very minor part of the explanation.

Originally Posted by thinwater

You will loose the wager. I ran barefoot every summer, and was barefoot all day in the house, until I got to a certain size or age, and then the feet flattened out and that was that. My wife has arches that reach to the sky, mine have always been flat on the ground. By highschool I could barely walk any distance barefoot, even on sand. And then I started with orthotics (I'm engineer and have learned I am better off to build my own). I can easily walk until my lags give out now, because the mechanics have been restored. And no amount of "you should have gone barefoot" lecture will make any sense, because I did go barefoot. That was just as likely, based on the evidence, the problem.

A horse has a foot that was built for running. Ours is patchwork at best. We also expect them to last 3 times as long as they were evolved for. Some may do that distance barefoot, but I'm guessing it is a very small percentage.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by stagilmore

I just got a pair of Vibram 5 fingers and they are very comfortable. I prefer shoeless, but those toes....

Rant Alert

Ellen, one of my previous sailing companions use to say I had more shoes than the Russian Army and wondered why I was barefoot most of the time.

My go to shoe, mostly due to cold weather is a pair of Vibrams, but since I have 3 different pairs (one specifically for when I am paddling my SUP or yack) you never know which pair. Also have a good pair of boots (which is what you see most racers wearing in the AC) for when it is more than Florida cold. Also have some Sebago shoes I wear when Ellen made me dress up for guests on the boat (I did say she was a previous companion).

But the biggest thing is I have two classes of shoes; those I only wear on the boat and those I only wear on land. I never wear my land shoes on the boat. I do keep a pair of Crocks in my inflatable and step bare foot from the boat into the inflatable and put on the Crocks at the dock.

There are plenty of options for boat shoes and while some may have application specific advantages many of them are interchangeable. The reason I like the Vibrams is not just the sole which grips well but I can also grip the deck with my toes like if I was barefoot. They do dry quickly and work well in other water applications like lobster hunting in shallow water with a tickle stick. But I do think they are an acquired taste.

But I think it is important to repeat that what ever shoe you choose as a boat shoe remember it is a boat shoe that should only be worn on a boat. Keep your land shoes in the inflatable, on the sugar scoop, or wherever and switch to them when you are on the land.

[ranger58sb]

Can't say mine are minimalist, but...

Teva sandals (with Velcro adjustments and then clips on the main strap) or Rockport boat shoes for when I'm likely to be walking in water.

Sebago slip-ons for mostly dry boating.

Those largely selected for wide sizes, and with a permanent foot injury to deal with. Haven't been able to wear anything by Sperry in years. I need EEE or EEEE is even better, and Sperry wide sizes seem to be about a B... to the point where I can't even insert a foot all the way into a Sperry two sizes larger than what I wear.

-Chris