Sailing Shoes ?

[RobD527]

I've been powerboating for 30yrs and after a few trips on my first sailboat I was thinking wow theres alot of stuff to stub your toes on this boat and the flip flops almost put me on my arse a couple times

What kind of shoes do you wear ?

[zeehag]

i sail barefoot. always have since very young, before the invention of boating and sailing shoes and apparel. i found there are no true nonskid shoes and staying on boat is more important than dealing with a minor injury such as a broken toe. tape that to next one over and continue on. or ignore it.

[48d north]

Keen H2o sandals. They were designed by a sailor who was tired of stubbing his toes. Can be worn with wool socks for those of us in the frozen north or bare when we venture south.

Melinda
sv Raven

[Terra Nova]

My everyday footwear is tennies. I work on boats and find that tennies are comfortable and provide good traction on deck, even for an afternoon sail. For racing and deliveries, or when bad weather might be anticipated, I wear sailing boots.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by 48d north

Keen H2o sandals. They were designed by a sailor who was tired of stubbing his toes. Can be worn with wool socks for those of us in the frozen north or bare when we venture south.

Melinda
sv Raven

How are they for making black marks on the deck?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

How are they for making black marks on the deck?

The TEVA sandals I wear have black rubber soles and are non-marking and identified as such on the sandal sole. This rubber compound is used on TEVA brand sandals. It is wise to check with each brand, as many cheap rubber sandals may not use non-marking rubber. Caveat Emptor.

[sailormed]

I have heard a lot of good about Crocs. NOT the well known ones all plastic, but a Croc sole and a type of boatshoe leather upper part. Leather is open in different places to let incoming water out. I have NOT tried these personally sofar.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by sailormed

I have heard a lot of good about Crocs. NOT the well known ones all plastic, but a Croc sole and a type of boatshoe leather upper part. Leather is open in different places to let incoming water out. I have NOT tried these personally sofar.

I have this style of Croc that I wear when I'm working on the interior of super yachts. They're mostly good, and I've seen several yachts using the ones you described as the 'work shoe' for the crew, though I'm not able to find them on the Croc website. They still wear nice dress shoes for trips

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

The TEVA sandals I wear have black rubber soles and are non-marking and identified as such on the sandal sole. This rubber compound is used on TEVA brand sandals. It is wise to check with each brand, as many cheap rubber sandals may not use non-marking rubber. Caveat Emptor.

I have some psychological hangup with actual open toed sandals. I like to have my toes protected, even when I'm in my own home, or on the beach, or whatever. It's not my only mental quirk, but it's the only one I care to discuss here

But I like this model of Teva. I need to find a local store to try on a pair!

edit: Oh these are great too!

[LoudMusic]

I've been in search of good sailboat sneakers for a while. I've never been much for sandals, definitely not open toes. I recently bought a new pair of the classic Keen protected toe sandals as I'd worn out my old ones.

I also don't particularly like the traditional "boat shoe", Sperry Top Sider, which seems to come in unlimited configurations these days. At a glance I think I might like the Sperry Sea Kite, but I'm also finicky about shoe fit, and some other Sperry sneakers I tried on in a store were terribly proportioned for my feet. I haven't found Sea Kites anywhere to try on.

Does anyone have recommendations specifically on boat sneakers?

[Cheechako]

Never flip flops. They are dangerous when wet.
Barefoot: I have broke my little toe twice! It's painful as hell for a few days. Once it was broke out 90 degrees to my foot! They catch on cleats etc.
-There are plenty of lightweight almost non existent shoes out there.
-My favorite pair was some racquet ball shoes with gummy tan soles and porous weave tops. Light and very grippy.
-BEWARE of many "deck shoes" advertised, they can be very slippery actually. ie: Docksiders.
-NOT black soles, they mark up the boat terribly.

[KeelMe]

I don't board my yacht without my Edward Green Dukes. The leather soles won't mark the gelcoat and they grip wonderfully to our conditioned teak deck.

[John_Trusty]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

...
-BEWARE of many "deck shoes" advertised, they can be very slippery actually. ie: Docksiders....

I only wear Sperry products if I want to go swimming! They're great right out of the box, and look nautical, but six-months in and they're as bad as leather-soled dress shoes for slipping.

For me, either Teva or other 'fisherman' style closed-tow sandals for warm stuff, or sea boots for colder. I don't have room for a closet-full of specialty shoes.

[nwdiver]

Originally Posted by 48d north

Keen H2o sandals. They were designed by a sailor who was tired of stubbing his toes. Can be worn with wool socks for those of us in the frozen north or bare when we venture south.

Melinda
sv Raven

Yes Keens until I have to wear boots........

[catsketcher]

Sailed for 40 years and never broken a toe with the great bare feet. Fab grip.

I sail where it is pretty warm and am happy to jump in the water at a moments notice. Really don't like seaboots, dangerous things if you end up in the water, but I don't get that cold.

For me safety is not just about staying on deck, but also doing everything you need to do for a safe sail, quick jump up the mast steps in an anchorage, quick jog aft (I have a cat so I have wide decks) when pulling the kite up, quick push off the sand bar when trying to negotiate a channel used by small runabouts, all better in bare feet.

For most situations bare feet suit me best - but my boat has few deck fittings as she was built simple. Then again I rarely wear shoes, unless I am at work.

Cheers

Phil