Bare feet on board

[Be Free]

Originally Posted by gonesail

i will also add that i believe "flip flops" are the most dangerous shoe known to man

I tried them for a short time (as a compromise) on my boat. They are a great compromise. I could catch the sole of the shoe under a fitting, trip, and smash my toe against it at the same time.

[team karst]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Several less toes.



Yup, it was kind of a straw man argument.

Gotcha.

My daughter the horseback rider doesn’t seem to understand foot protection either. Along with that entire industry. [emoji848]

[dwedeking2]

Only wear shoes cause I have a job. Would rather be shoeless.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by gonesail

i will also add that i believe "flip flops" are the most dangerous shoe known to man

aka "chinese (*) safety boots"

* insert any asian nation

we never wear shoes onboard and as full time live-aboards in a warm climate, we have all but forgotten what shoes look like. feels really strange on those odd occasions we need to wear shoes when eg going ashore

still kick toes every now and then, but so what...bit of pain reminds you that you are alive

cheers,

[mako]

On my boats the golden rule is always no STREET shoes onboard. Bring a clean pair of anything and wear them only onboard. Hard decks and wood floor hurt my feet, so I like sandals or slippers inside, or boat shoes on deck.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by chrisr

aka "chinese (*) safety boots"
* insert any asian nation

Haha, that is funny.
I was reminded of all the YouTube videos that show Asians working in foundries with molten metal/welding/chunks and chips of hot metal, and lots of heavy machinery around them.
And it seems they're all wearing minimalist sandals.

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by gonesail

i will also add that i believe "flip flops" are the most dangerous shoe known to man

Nah, Crocs get that award.

[skipperpete]

I was waiting on a large yacht to be loaded on board a ship by a Sevenstar crew and at the appropriate moment they all arrived on the ½ acre of pristine teak deck to tie in the crane slings wearing steel toe capped work boots, I lodged a mild protest on behalf of the absent but fastidious owner but knew full well that those longshoremen were never going to pad softly around those decks in socks or bare feet hooking up huge shackles..... sometimes ya just need to go with the flow[emoji844]

[jtsailjt]

After having to wear shoes for my job I now wear them as little as possible. I much prefer being barefoot whenever in my house or on my boat. Radiant heat in the house so even during cold weather it’s comfortable. I wear Keen or Hoka sandals with covered toes outside whenever it’s above about 50F and just leave them in the dinghy when going aboard. I have a pair of canvas boat shoes onboard but they never seem to find their way onto my feet. I wore them to a fancy restaurant once. In cold weather I have a pair of LL Beans Maine Hunting Shoes that feel very secure while walking on a wet deck. No broken toes so far, touch wood.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Be Free

I tried them for a short time (as a compromise) on my boat. They are a great compromise. I could catch the sole of the shoe under a fitting, trip, and smash my toe against it at the same time.

Even as a proponent of wearing shoes on board, I will 100% agree, flip-flops are totally worse than nothing.

[jalmberg]

Originally Posted by Ziggy

I usually didn't bother to wear shoes on board while at anchor or on a mooring. Under way I always put shoes on. I normally kept my boat shoes (inexpensive sneakers, really) on board and never took them ashore. For going ashore, I kept another pair of waterproof sandals in the dinghy. I never wore the shore shoes while on board.

Exactly what I was going to say. So much easier to just say, I agree!

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

When I was young I was always instructed to wear shoes on board mainly to prevent broken toes. There are after all enough places to catch a small toe behind and... break it.

These days I still wear shoes but the other day I had a lapse and hit my toe on the traveller. It hurt and now it's blue and it reminded me how easy it is to be injured like this.

But looking at other boats, especially the more posh examples, shoes come off before stepping on board. And these are often people on a one-off charter with possibly less awareness of deck fittings.

I am curious to hear of standards/rules applied on other boats, being genuinely surprised by the number of bare feet I see.

Deck shoes or barefeet. Thats all that comes on my boat. I do carry a few white sole shoes in cases of emergency with guests. And by the way, I've broken toes even with deck shoes. Boat bites suck.

[dirk_modica]

Sailing since 40 years.

On dinghies, always used neoprene short boots

On big boats, it depends on conditions:

No wind, under engine, no swell , I mostly go barefoot

If sailing, or with lively sea conditions, or at night, I mostly use shoes.

But it is a personal choice; I deem that the rule is " use your intelligence ". A simple modern boat with few hardware, a lot of soft rigging, in light airs and calm sea in daylight may require a different attention than an old "winch farm" of the '80ies during a night race in 35 knts and 2 m swell abreast.

Always shoes obviously is the safest choice.

[parkstone bay]

[QUOTE=HeinSdL;3827968]When I was young I was always instructed to wear shoes on board mainly to prevent broken toes]
And in the boat yard! There will always be - at least, sharp stones, (even if you forget the broken glass, nails, screws, broken knife blades,) to be painful or dangerous.
On my boat, "no shoe, no sail". And definitely when under way, when the person will need to move around the boat.

[Dahveed]

Toes seem to be at risk of breaking regardless of footwear. I have broken my toe while wearing motorcycle boots. I think it was broken, but I didn't see a doctor. The only thing worse than breaking a toe is breaking a toe and paying a guy $100 to tell you it's broken and suggest you should avoid breaking it again.

On the boat I generally do not wear shoes. I put them on as soon as I step off the boat though.