Best Shoes Aboard?

[wannabesailing]

I heard from one of the people at our marina that crocs were a good shoe to wear aboard. I think crocs are kind of ugly but I am willing to wear them if they are actually a proven slip free shoe. I feel the safest on our boat when I am barefoot. Does anyone have any favorite "boat safe" shoes they can recommend? There is probably threads on this topic but I haven't found them...sorry if this is a repeat.

[MarkJ]

We are always barefoot but Nic wears Crocs (a crock rip off, not 'real' Crocs) at night when he tootsies get cold.

We both wear Crocs (see rip off note above) when going ashore in 'Lil Dink. They are great just floating around in the bottom of the dink till you need them and terrific to wear knee deep in water etc.

Some are very slippery on some types of surfaces so you do need to be aware.

[Boracay]

I was finding myself reluctant to go to the boat. It was winter, and going involved getting the dinghy across weathered hardwood planks between the rack and the beach, dragging it down to the water, wading through cold water, rowing out, climbing up the stern ladder and standing on freezing steel while I unlocked the boat.

First I tried sandals. OK in summer, even if the sand gets everywhere, but not amusing in winter. My feet felt to take forever to unfreeze. And clumbsy.

So I asked on this Forum. No dice. I thought "I can't be the first." and looked in the Whitworths Cataloge and there they were - dinghy shoes (or wet suit sneakers).

So now I wear sandals going to the boat, change to my dinghy shoes to go to the boat, then (don't laugh) I put on fur lined slippers when inside the boat. Nice and toasty.

On deck it's either bare feet for short trips or my dinghy shoes.

And no cold wood cabin sole for this cruiser. I'm going for nice warm carpet...

[Tyler Durden]

Probably not the most original answer...but the plain/old leather boat shoes (ex. Sperry, Dockers, etc.) have worked for me.

[Mermaid]

These can be found are REI amongst other places.

[Vasco]

Crocs look like sh** but I wear them nearly year round now. Real Crocs, not the Croc-offs which are made from a different type of rubber or whatever and not the same. The rip-offs have a lot softer rubber. I used to wear boat shoes with orthotics but the Crocs beat everything. I only wear the Crocs ashore as we go barefoot on the boat. Wore boat shoes the other day as I had to go down town, really weird feeling.

[roverhi]

I love my Crocs, that's all I wear, but find they suck for active sailing use. If you get them wet, your feet slip around in them to the point that they are dangerous. The soles are also not good on a wet deck. Wish they'd make a true boating shoe with non skid in-sole and out-sole. I really like th enclosed toe of the Crocs because it keeps me from banging up my toes. Seems I'm always trying to do my feet in when I wear sandals. I've got a pair of TopSider semi sandals with enclosed toe and mesh sides that I wear when I go sailing.

[stevensc]

Shimano market a couple of models of crock like shoes. they have a non skid insert on the sole, one of the models has adjustable straps and will keep in place in wet on deck conditions, the other is a slip on.
Steve

[barnakiel]

Neither crocs nor flipflops - nothing that can slip of your foot. When lazyboning why not barefoot but in any action you need a shoe that grips the wet deck and protects your foot. I use standard trainers (soft unders), if in cold then rubber boots or neoprene dinghy boots if really wet. I heard the new gore-tex rubber boots from Musto, HH or HR are cream but they are only good investment if you are going to use the lots.

b.

[wannabesailing]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! They were all great ideas!

[Waterborn]

Converse All Stars (50's Style Canvas Sneaker) Best I have found for on deck. No kidding.

[RainDog]

I concur with everyone on the crocs. I love my crocks, but they are dangerous when they get wet. I have tried most every kind of shoe for various water sports. The ones I keep coming back to are Chaco sandals (Chaco - Z/1 Pro). They are comfortable, never fall off (even in water), they grip well, don't leave marks, and durable (mine are well over 5 years old, and I am VERY hard on shoes).

Best of all, you get a really cool Zorro tan line.

[Pblais]

I heard from one of the people at our marina that crocs were a good shoe to wear aboard.

Crocs are great if you need something cheap and don't need something for extreme functionality. When nothing matters - barefoot works. If you are smart, you don't need something for extreme conditions. It's the rule. At that level looking good can matter too.

If you never need any thing more than Crocks then you must be doing things right - (like Mark and Nic). Personally, I go for the good Teva's, but I get them on eBay.

[twowheel]

I've seen these used, would like to try them just haven't had the chance yet.

Vibram Five Fingers: Discover the Barefooting Alternative

[Bash]

I wear my crocks on the boat unless we're underway, at which point the topsiders have significantly better grip on the nonskid.

Nice thing about the crocks is they keep the topsiders from wearing out whenever I'm dealing with docks or pavement.