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Good Deck Shoes?

10K views 53 replies 38 participants last post by  northoceanbeach 
#1 ·
Anyone have a good recommendation?

I have a couple pairs plus a few pairs of plain sneakers, nothing is working well when the deck is wet except walking on teak deck.

I am somewhat giving up and just be careful walking around. Anyone have a better luck ?

:)
 
#4 ·
I like Sperry's and will usually pick them up at the boat show or when on sale at West.

I tried a pair of Sperry Gold Cups that I found on the clearance table at West and was really pleasantly surprised. They're a lot more comfortable and give more support. I'll spend the extra money from now on since I pretty much live in boat shoes.

The wife bought a pair of Dubarry's at Annapolis last year and swears by them. I think the most comfortable brand has a lot to do with the shape of your foot, etc.
 
#5 ·
I go with the classic sperry's. at first I thought they looked like old man shoes but after getting them and wearing them they are the next best thing to being barefoot.

They really stick to a wet deck and let your feet feel exactly where you are. I was going on a cold weather race last night and was wearing gore tex hiking shoes but I had to run back to my boat and exchange them for the sperry because they just felt to clunky.

Same goes for tennis shoes. Too high and ou need something flat that will let you feel the deck and all the deck hardware. If I step on a line or clear I need to be able to feel it, not just tromsp all over everything.
 
#6 ·
Well, I'm two seasons into Vibram Five Finger shoes and prefer them to any other sailing shoe I've used. The thing about these shoes is that they give you a grip and balance like you are barefooted, but have protection against stubbed toes. They are cool and comfortable, but are not intended for hiking great distances on concrete. If you break yourself in gradually, you will strengthen the muscles in your feet, which is a good thing. My son runs 5-10 miles in them on a track. At 69 and with an artificial hip, I can only walk 5 or so miles in them, but its not the shoes. Also, they are designed so that you can wear them without socks and not get that sweaty foot feeling and can be thrown into the washer when needed. Socks are available should you so desire.
Sure wish I had a financial interest in them as they seem to be the in thing with the cross fit crowd. They certainly are not "old man shoes", my age not withstanding.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I wear

Keen's sandals
DuBarry Ultima boots
Sperry shoes

All stick well.

The shoes I save for coastal cruising. Offshore either sandals or boots; I hate wet socks.

EDIT - I also have a pair of WM reef shoes that are pretty good.
 
#10 ·
West Marine might have upped their quality control, but my older (4 yrs?) WM boat shoe soles have gotten harder and developed a glaze. They are not longer "grabby" and are slippery even on dry land. This has been the case with at least 2 pairs of WM boat shoes.

I will stick with the authentic Sperrys, which have always kept their grip.
 
#11 ·
Ditto.
I have worn Sperrys for decades, and recieved a pair of WM shoes as a gift in 2009. They were completely worn out and hardened by the middle of 2012. My latest pair of Sperrys, that were purchased in 2008, are still grippy but ugly as sin, covered in paint and varnish.

Thanks to the folks at Crocs, i will be testing a pair of these this season;

Crocs

I'll let you know how it goes.
 
#12 ·
My current favorite summer deck shoes are Keens, but not just any keens, they have to have the correct sole.

Of all the deck shoes and sailing boots I have used over the years there is one commonality in the ones that had the best grip, and that is the Sperry Topsider style herringbone grooved soles or some variation. That is what I look for in any footwear I buy for sailing. I tried to find images online to show what I am talking about, but surprisingly, nobody seems to think showing what kind of sole a shoe has is important to their marketing! So I snapped a pic of my 3 current boat shoes; the standard "sea boot", Keens sandals, and Sperry Topsiders. All 3 of these give me fantastic grip, even on wet, 35 year old non-skid on a heeling boat. The thing all of these have in common is that they are fairly soft rubber compounds, and the grooves all open up when the shoe is flexed. It is all about surface contact, and a chunky, aggressive tread just doesn't cut it on a boat!

 
#14 ·
Last several years we have managed to stay in very warm water, so bare feet do the trick. Our decks are pretty wide open and when you are on the boat all the time you get pretty good at avoiding toe hazards. We wear Crocs too. Once you get used used to the dorkiness they are very comfortable. Very common in the cruising community.
 
#18 ·
Yes, Sperry deck shoes glaze and harden after about 3-4 years. There's a simple solution:

Wear them around town after the first 2 years and by new deck shoes.

Seriously, we are always buying new "round town" sneakers. Just let the deck shoes finish their lives on the sidewalk.
 
#29 ·
Yes, Sperry deck shoes glaze and harden after about 3-4 years. There's a simple solution:

Wear them around town after the first 2 years and by new deck shoes.

Seriously, we are always buying new "round town" sneakers. Just let the deck shoes finish their lives on the sidewalk.
Yeah, that's what I've done in the past, but I don't particularly want to wear dock shoes around town especially ones billed as great boat shoes.

I had a pair of WM sandals that had tenacious grip for well over 6 years. They gipped the deck so well sometimes your feet would slide sideways out of them, but they never slipped on the deck. If WM can do that you have to ask yourselves why Sperry can't, and I think the answer is obvious.

I'll wear plain sneakers for casual wear around town and find something that works on the boat for more than one season.
 
#19 ·
sperries- stay on the boat. when they die become shoes to wear leaving the boat.
Keen sandals- if in/out of the dignhy alot- got big fat wide feet. toe guard pretty good in keeping pebbles out. Nice and wide
wet cell diving booties with side zippers - if in/out water and cold or cold but not yet stormy.shed grit/pebbles real well. anything razor cut doesn't
Dubarries-expense sucks but worth the money - mold to your feet- warm and comfy. treat them like a delicate flower and can many years out of them until soles goes bad
 
#20 ·
I like Keen sandals for use off the boat except for the difficulty getting rid of little stones when you are walking off pavement. My Keens are de-laminating after a few years. Just bought some Keen knockoffs at Costco for $25. They are very comfortable but don't know how they will stand up, but the price was right.
 
#22 ·
I've worn Sperry's since I was in early grade school. The old traditional style. I had a friend laugh when he saw me with a pair of sneakers on when I was in my 30s. Said he had never seen it before. I would only wear them for exercise or sports.

Recently, however, I think the quality of Sperry's has deteriorated. They always lasted years, but I've had seams separate in the first season. I also received the standard pair of traditional Sperry's for Fathers Day a year or two back, with the razor siping sole. I actually think they were counterfeit. The soles were so slippery, they simply can't be worn on deck. The original soles stuck well. Something was wrong.

I now predominantly wear a pair of Sperry Billfish when aboard. They have an open tread, so they aren't as good at keeping dirt off the boat, but they grip the deck nicely and are more comfortable than the traditional. Still, I've blown through a pair in one season, although, my current pair have lasted two.

 
#25 ·
I've worn Sperry's since I was in early grade school. The old traditional style. I had a friend laugh when he saw me with a pair of sneakers on when I was in my 30s. Said he had never seen it before. I would only wear them for exercise or sports.

Recently, however, I think the quality of Sperry's has deteriorated. They always lasted years, but I've had seams separate in the first season.
Ever since they started making them in China they don't seem to last. They still make them in the US but they are crazy expensive and I think you have order them direct. I wonder if they can't use the same stabilizers or something. Back in the 70's I wore them for years but no more. 10 months and they are like ice skates in the wet.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
 
#23 · (Edited)
i have tried everything. omega reef warriors were awesome. omega is out of business. oh well.
sperrys slider make ye fall..not good. slick stuff
there are no shoes for boats--i go barefoot, and no sliding.
in winter in coldville i used to wear uggs ...lol....they have absolutely no antiskid...not that sperry is any better,, for what it is worth....the sperry shoes were as slick as my uggs. sad to say.

BAREFOOOOOT!!!!!!

as all decks are different, and all feet are different, each individual trying to not slide on deck needs to figure out what is most comfortable for their own feet.
 
#24 ·
Like foul weather gear, I think spending the extra for quality is usually money well spent, in the end...

With shoe manufacturers constantly updating their styles, last year's shoes are pretty easy to find at a deep discount, as soon as the new models arrive on the shelves... Keep an eye on the Sale Rack at a place like Annapolis Performance Sailing, one can often score a great deal on shoes...

My current favorites are these by SLAM, that I picked up last year at APS for about half their original price... REALLY nice shoes, very comfortable and secure, with a removable insole - the Italians sure know how to make footwear, alright...



I also picked up a pair of seaboots that SLAM discontinued a few years ago, though I can't imagine why... Very lightweight, easy to put on and take off, most comfortable seaboots I've ever had...
 
#27 ·
#30 ·
In the summer, I do prefer barefoot underway. However, I want good shoes when near shore in any form: docking or boarding dinghy. Lots of opps to land a foot on an objectionable surface. I also like a good pair when I've been standing in one place at the helm for an extended period, my feet get sore now. I recall the days of standing at parade rest for hours. No more.
 
#31 ·
We can't seem to get a pair of shoes to hold together more then a year in the tropics. did the chinese forget about glue? Our epoxy glue seems to be used for more for shoe repair then anything else. barefoot most of the time, but when docking a pair tennies seems to work. 2nd the thought about wearing shoes for long periods at the wheel, my feet ain't what they used to be.
 
#32 ·
Didn't read all the replies, but after using Harkens and spending money on other "sailing" shoes I'm settled on water shoes with toe protection.

Cheaper, last longer, and grip well. Lots of companies make great grippy shoes but after a couple seasons they either stink horribly or fall apart or are slick. And for $100 that's unacceptable for me.
 
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