What to do about SHOES??

[schoonerdog]

So we don't want people coming aboard with their shoes on. Gets everything dirty, scuffs up the gel coat, etc etc.

But leaving them on the dock means: they get wet, they might end up overboard, etc etc.

We tried doing a "shoe box" on the finger pier -- but the shoes ended up stinking in there. And then you have a wet, cold walk in your socks from the end of the finger pier to the boat (our cockpit is wet too, no fully enclosed).

You'd think after 10+ years of living aboard we would have figured this out, but we haven't. We always took off our shoes in the cockpit, but we have had instances of visitors coming aboard with non-boat shoes (high heels and of ALL things a kid with those wheel-shoe things) and they did some damage. So we're trying to come up with a plan.

Ideas?

[David M]

Shoe Covers

The high heels, roller blades and baseball cleats will just have to be taken off.

[Sunspot Baby]

Bare feet on wet decks are slippery. We wear good non-marking shoes while on board and consider them part of our safety equipment. We encourage guests to wear similar shoes while on board Sunspot Baby.

I would rather scrub up the occasional mark than have a guest or crew member injured in a slip/fall.

Apologies in advance for this next comment: we tie up to the occasional dock queen like a Hinkley in Daytona Beach who spend all their time polishing rather than sailing. This being the "cruisers" forum it behooves us to remember, it's just a boat, not a dock queen.

George

[ShadowRWolf]

i use steel toe boots. most of them are non scuffing.

[S/V Antares]

We put our shoes next to the companionway under the dodger when in port, No shoes below. I agree with Sunspot Baby thet there are too many toe jamers on boats to leave them on the dock.

A shoe related side note: I lost a shoe ( My only pair) in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas last winter when I fell between the boat and the dock. (OK ... Yes! liquor was a mitagating factor) I humbled down and got on the cruisers net (Ch 68, 08:00) and my shoe was found By Dennis Mauk on Good News and returned few days later. Wow!

[speciald@ocens.]

I've broken toes too many times. Shoes are allowed on board as long as they have softand not black soles.

[schoonerdog]

Originally Posted by Sunspot Baby

Bare feet on wet decks are slippery. We wear good non-marking shoes while on board and consider them part of our safety equipment. We encourage guests to wear similar shoes while on board Sunspot Baby.

I would rather scrub up the occasional mark than have a guest or crew member injured in a slip/fall.

Apologies in advance for this next comment: we tie up to the occasional dock queen like a Hinkley in Daytona Beach who spend all their time polishing rather than sailing. This being the "cruisers" forum it behooves us to remember, it's just a boat, not a dock queen.

George

Ahhh, yes, I get that more than most since we have a 4-year old son and he and his friends usually live large inside and out of our floating home. It was when a boy came aboard with these wheelie shoes (which you can not tell have wheels on them until the little buggers actually roll) I thought, hey he's just wearing sneakers, no worries even if the soles are black. But then he started jumping around the way little boys are apt to do and made HOLES in our cockpit floor with the wheels hidden on the bottom on his shoes. You don't have to be a dock queen to want to avoid that.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by schoonerdog

But then he started jumping around the way little boys are apt to do and made HOLES in our cockpit floor with the wheels hidden on the bottom on his shoes. You don't have to be a dock queen to want to avoid that.

Not doubting you but that is strange. My kid has them and the wheels retract. Must not have had his landing gear folded.

As for where to stick shoes? Vented locker on deck seems to be the right answer.

[SurfNRG]

I really like Crocs. When they're new they hold quite well onto the deck. I keep a pair on board just for the boat cause once you wear the soles down they don't grip as well. I have another that I leave on the dock for walking around town, etc.. Super comfy and they don't smell like some other sandals.

[defjef]

This, once again depends on your boat, it's deck and so forth. I prefer my bare feet on deck as I feel I have a good grip and I pretty much know where to put my foot down to not jamb a toe. One other hand infrequent guest rarely venture on deck except to maybe haul the main at the mast.

Since we are moored we board via the stern and there is no way to mar the deck since it's either stepping on the sunbrella cockpit cushions or the teak grate below. Again nothing to mar in the cockpit.

When I do go along side for fuel and do step onto the sife deck, no matter what I wear or don't wear I pick up soil/dirt from the usually wet dock (wood) and leave foot prints. O my what a horror! I damp rag and they're gone.

In cool weather I do wear Sebagos or some other deck shoe. I have aboat show which has never been ashore and my regular boat shoes which are worn mostly assure. So I plead guilty to bringing the shoreside stuff on the soles of my shoes. Black soles make hard to remove scuff marks so guest are encouraged to wear sneakers and if they don't have deck shoes... they usually do.

The worst offenders are our two westies which collect sand and mud on the paws and spread it around the boat. So we have to wash it down the scuppers... Yet another fau pas of yachting. We enjoy our boat and don't make a big deal about a few washable foot prints... and usually there is some rain to wash it all away.

My street deck shoes usually live in the bottom of the cockpit bungeed to the pedestal taken inside when it rains.

I wish Sebago hadn't packed in on their spinnaker line for men.

[ssullivan]

Other than the Westies, I do the same as DefJef.

If find I can feel where I am going on my boat better with bare feet. When docking, however, I always wear shoes since you never quite know what you're going to be leaping out onto at a dock or if things are going to get difficult for some reason.

Originally Posted by defjef

This, once again depends on your boat, it's deck and so forth. I prefer my bare feet on deck as I feel I have a good grip and I pretty much know where to put my foot down to not jamb a toe. One other hand infrequent guest rarely venture on deck except to maybe haul the main at the mast.

Since we are moored we board via the stern and there is no way to mar the deck since it's either stepping on the sunbrella cockpit cushions or the teak grate below. Again nothing to mar in the cockpit.

When I do go along side for fuel and do step onto the sife deck, no matter what I wear or don't wear I pick up soil/dirt from the usually wet dock (wood) and leave foot prints. O my what a horror! I damp rag and they're gone.

In cool weather I do wear Sebagos or some other deck shoe. I have aboat show which has never been ashore and my regular boat shoes which are worn mostly assure. So I plead guilty to bringing the shoreside stuff on the soles of my shoes. Black soles make hard to remove scuff marks so guest are encouraged to wear sneakers and if they don't have deck shoes... they usually do.

The worst offenders are our two westies which collect sand and mud on the paws and spread it around the boat. So we have to wash it down the scuppers... Yet another fau pas of yachting. We enjoy our boat and don't make a big deal about a few washable foot prints... and usually there is some rain to wash it all away.

My street deck shoes usually live in the bottom of the cockpit bungeed to the pedestal taken inside when it rains.

I wish Sebago hadn't packed in on their spinnaker line for men.

[ireaney]

Originally Posted by SurfNRG

I really like Crocs. When they're new they hold quite well onto the deck. I keep a pair on board just for the boat cause once you wear the soles down they don't grip as well. I have another that I leave on the dock for walking around town, etc.. Super comfy and they don't smell like some other sandals.

I agree Crocs or similar, lightweight, anti-bacterial, non-slip when new and dry quickly if they get wet.
Why not have various sizes for guests to change into when visiting.

[neelie]

No Shoes.

As far as broken toes go - this is where "Natural Selection" comes in. It becomes either a learning or an elimination process.

[Talbot]

After two decades walking around my cat with no problems, a week on a mono, and I had bruised my toes so much I thought I had broken one.

[Joli]

Originally Posted by speciald@ocens.

I've broken toes too many times. Shoes are allowed on board as long as they have softand not black soles.

Ahh, playing kick the block to wake the crew who's supposed to be on watch? I don't like working the deck without shoes either.

Boat shoes only. Let the crew scrub black marks for a day and see if the wear black soles again.