Crocs or Boat Shoes

Leighb said:
The report I read said that the reason was that Crocs were virtually everlasting so once the market was saturated there was no follow up market so end of business.
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I have been going through 2 pairs of the copies a year for the last few years. I was given a real pair at Christmas. They wear at exactly the same rate. After 3 months they are smooth and decidedly dangerous on wet paint or smooth paving.
 
" 'deck shoes' are also very culturally specific and i think anyone who can't think outside that box is probably a little closed minded. "

Having had my post prandial surf of the Forum rudely interrupted by two examples of pyschobabble in one sentence (to which cultures are deck shoes specific, and how does one think outside a box?) I'm almost tempted to get back to work, but I think I'll content myself with putting a new user on ignore after only 3 posts (and this is a personal record for me) and go back to surfing.

Mark

PS I know I'm more than a little closed minded
 
Adaero,

The looks might be something of an acquired taste (but I tend not to look at my feet much anyway). There are two important questions that perhaps you could answer - are they comfortable and are they nonslip?

Mark
 
have had one pair of proper crocs for over two years.

Used for six months when I was living on board during the week, entirely satisfactory from washing decks to using the shorebased showers.

Now at home mostly , and used for house, gardening, car washing, blah, blah. Very very little signs of wear on soles. They go back to the boat with me whenever we can get down there.
 
as for crocs being the 'original', not too sure about that one. they basically took materials and ideas (gardening clogs and/or 'toilet' slippers from countries that don't wear propper shoes in the house) added some expensive marketing and celebrity placement and hey presto - an overnight success (and subsequent failure). i like crocs but their main flaw was it's not really a copyrightable concept. if you are going to charge £35 quid for something that costs pennies to manufacture you better have something that other people can't just do for less money.

what culture are 'deck shoes' culturally specific too? well you don't think boat goers from all over the globe simultaneously started wearing them do you? i don't see a problem with deck shoes. they are a solution to a 'problem'. just they are not the only solution.
 
I have two reasons to reject crocs on board. The first is the way new crocks chew teak decks and leave footprints behind.
The second is an incident when alone and going ashore from a thin 'bar with a float' pontoon in Norway. One of the holes in the front of my crock caught in a pontoon cleat, tripped me, caused me to hit my head on the gunwale and momentarily lose consciousness. I consider that as one of my nine lives used up.
 
Crocs do get slippy when the sole pattern is worn away - so keep a new pair handy. The soles on my Sperry Top-siders went hard after only one year and they are now slippy too!
 
neil_s said:
Crocs do get slippy when the sole pattern is worn away - so keep a new pair handy. The soles on my Sperry Top-siders went hard after only one year and they are now slippy too!
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We do a lot of walking in Crocs and find the original soles last about 3 months before they become slippy and dangerous, however in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, (just down the road!!!) they re sole Crocs for about £10, the new soles are thick rubber, sewn on, really non slip and last 2 years, being tight we find original crocs will take 2 resoles before they are finished.
 
For me it's either bare feet or seaboots depending on the weather. I haven't often found weather that it too cold for one and too hot for the other.

I will wear velcro strapped sandals if likely to step off the boat when mooring
 
glad it is not just me who has found they become horribly slippy once the tread is worn off - have taken 2 tumbles (now learning) on worn crocs (or to be precise imitation crocs) still like them for easy wearing but strongly recommend chuck them once tread wears before - ooooooooooooo slip bang!
 
I like my Crocs but would never wear them as deck shoes. On a wet fibreglass or steel deck they behave as if you are walking on ice. Very dangerous.
 
fishermantwo said:
I have been going through 2 pairs of the copies a year for the last few years. I was given a real pair at Christmas. They wear at exactly the same rate. After 3 months they are smooth and decidedly dangerous on wet paint or smooth paving.
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I'm afraid I suspect the christmas pair were not real either then. I am heavy on shoes myself but my crocs have lasted years and stick like the proverbial.
 
Proper crocs don't seem to get that slippy at least if mostly worn on the boat. I've got a pair 10 years old and they still seem to be fine on our deck non-slip. Don't really care what the fashionistas think, on a boat crocs are fantastic. Even our teenage sons swear by them when we're out although not, it has to be said, if they go off into town with their mates :)
 
I have a pair of Crocs and my only complaint about them is that I found the leather laces were too stiff to remain securely knotted so I substituted normal shoe laces which work well.
 
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