Marine Rubber Boots?

[inheryouth]

So this may not be the right forum to be posting in, I guess rubber boots can be considered sailing gear, can't they? Well, I'm new to sailing and still have a very intimidating amount to learn, I've bought my first boat and am going to live on it this winter. I've been told good quality rubber boots are extremely important seeing as how I will be spending a lot of time in them, I have no idea where to start looking or what specific brand to be looking for. Can anyone help? I'm currently in Edmonton, AB for the next few days but will be heading to Vancouver pretty soon. Hoping maybe there will be some shops in Vancouver I can look for boots at.

Thanks!

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by inheryouth

So this may not be the right forum to be posting in, I guess rubber boots can be considered sailing gear, can't they? Well, I'm new to sailing and still have a very intimidating amount to learn, I've bought my first boat and am going to live on it this winter. I've been told good quality rubber boots are extremely important seeing as how I will be spending a lot of time in them, I have no idea where to start looking or what specific brand to be looking for. Can anyone help? I'm currently in Edmonton, AB for the next few days but will be heading to Vancouver pretty soon. Hoping maybe there will be some shops in Vancouver I can look for boots at.

Thanks!

What are they for?

I would have thought that rubber boots would be for long passages in foul weather.

For living on the boat I'd suggest a nice warm pair of slippers or a good pair of hiking boots for going ashore when the weather's nasty.

For daysailing I always wear a pair of light trainers (good grip, non-marking sole obviously) but then the weather is nice here. You can buy all manner of expensive yacht shoes.

For dinghy sailing I've worn wetsuit booties but I should warn you that they are not nice inside after a long hot day. They might constitute a serious pollution hazard. Say no more. I can imagine the same problem after a long day in rubber boots.

[inheryouth]

Warm slippers are definitley on the list of things to get for living on the water for my first winter!!

I'm looking for rubber boots for sailing and being up on the deck, something with a good grip, I'm afraid of slipping. I ended up wearing my rubber boots almost every day when I was out living on my boat a few weeks ago and they aren't the greatest, bad bad blisters. blegh.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by inheryouth

Warm slippers are definitley on the list of things to get for living on the water for my first winter!!

I'm looking for rubber boots for sailing and being up on the deck, something with a good grip, I'm afraid of slipping. I ended up wearing my rubber boots almost every day when I was out living on my boat a few weeks ago and they aren't the greatest, bad bad blisters. blegh.

I have bought stuff from these guys before, they seem more focused on clothing than other online retailers. They seem to have boots, shoes etc. but I can't say I've tried any of them.

Mauri Pro Sailing - Sailboat Hardware, Sailing Gear and Sailboat Equipment

[jackdale]

In Vancouver there a number of marine stores: West Marine and Steveston Marine both have a few stores.

I personally do not like rubber sea boots as they raise hell with my feet because the rubber does not breathe. I currently wear Sperry Fathoms (an older model) but am giving serious thoughts to upgrading to DuBarry Ultimas. The DuBarries have to be special ordered, but Sperrys can be found at West Marine and at Steveston (check their web site).

[tdw]

I like the look of the Sperrys Jack though Dubarry do have the reputation. What are your negatives re the Sperrys ?

I have two pairs of seaboots, one a cheap pair of Bourkes that I use mainly for scrabbling over rocks at low tide where we store our dinghy. The other pair i thought were Gills but I cannot find them in the catalogue. They are rubber around the foot with a different material up to the top. It is more pliable than rubber and seemingly breathes quite well as I don't get the feet smells even when I've been wearing them for 24 hours or more.

I've always figured I'd go DuBarry eventually just been putting of spending the dosh. The Sperrys almost seem a good alternative.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by tdw

I like the look of the Sperrys Jack though Dubarry do have the reputation. What are your negatives re the Sperrys ?

I think one of my Sperry boots seems to have developed a leak after 3-4 years. I am going try some waterproofing from our local outdoor coop. If it does not work I will get some new boots - probably the DuBarrys.

I have worn the Sperrys for as much two days straight and love them.

[sailortjk1]

Dubarry, good boots, very expensive, very warm and good traction, will last forever.

I bought a pair and still have them. I handed them down to my wife when I bought a pair of Helly Hansen's. Not quite as warm, but a very nice boot.

I would suggest, that if you are buying boots for sailing that you don't want to wear them walking around town. Your foot wear for the boat should be reserved for the boat. Walking around the street with them will only wear them out faster and make you loose traction.

[jrd22]

XtraTuff's. Standard equipment for the PNW and Alaska fishing fleets. Very comfy, great grip, I love 'em.

Linky

Servus Xtratuff Boots - Extra Tuff!

[killarney_sailor]

Mention of sea boots always makes me think of a friend who was also my wife's OB and a member of our yacht club. For our first child we went charging into the hospital at some ungodly time like 3 am and David shows up in his surgical scrubs and a pair of yellow sea boots. I asked him if they were from his boat and he allowed that he had two pair. Can't remember the brand but said they great boots for delivering babies ) I will leave it to your imagination to figure out why.