Deck Shoes-Is There An Alternative?

Freebee said:
read the customer reviews before using that site-not great!
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Great idea and I did as you suggest. I looked at three different sites. On Trustpilot they are slammed on Feefo and Mumsnet they are not and so difficult one this. Has anyone reviewed the reviewers and given them a score on their scores? :)
 
CalicoJack said:
Not an alternative but Aldi have deck shoes @ £14.99 at the moment.
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I bought a pair from Aldi about seven years ago, plus a second pair a year later because at that price I didn't think that the first pair would last very long. Result is that I'm still on the first pair, with the second pair still in the box. Occasional treatment with that wax stuff they sell at boat shows helps. My ones aren't quite the same as the ones currently on sale, though.
 
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I wear Crocs, I find them great for the boat, plenty of grip they don’t mark the decks and you can get them wet with no problem at all! In fact I always shower with them on as it’s a very good way to avoid getting verucas in the marina public showers.
 
derekbland said:
And so, I know that deck shoes have soles that don't mark the deck etc. but am trying to initially keep costs down and so is there an alternative other than taking your shoes off before you climb aboard? If any replies still highly recommend deck shoes, can you get a reasonable pair for under £50 - recommendations please. BTW, I won't by shoes online unless I have had a chance to try them on first.

I am thinking that provided they aren't hard soles such as leather, then some of my other trainer but not trainer type shoes would be ok. I had a pair of non-light coloured soled shoes and I had to scrape my foot pretty hard on a plastic surface before it left a mark and which came of very easily with a wipe.
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Most people don't go boating in their finest broques or high heels ...to that end , I have not found anyone's shoes make any marks anyway.
Even a £50 pair of "boating" shoes is likely to last some years. so at say £15 p/a this is not going to be a major investment !
Deck shoes, bare feet, flip flops, trecking style flip flops...I can't say I have a pair of shoes "for the boat"- it just depends on how warm it is. In the summer, probably bare feet and flip flops most of the time- but get something like Reef sandal/flip flop with a sewn in toe bit..the kiddie style beach ones seem to last no time, despite that Marine brand name and price tag .The most slippy thing on very wet teak seems to be bare feet though.
 
I was feeling flush once and bought a very nice pair of Sebago deck shoes. They were very comfy and practical, and lasted about 12 years of hard use.

As they came to the end of their practical life I was quite short of money, and bought a pair of cheap deck shoes from a budget shoe shop chain (can't remember name, but you'd have recognised it) for about 15% of the price.

They were rubbish. It turned out they weren't really deck shoes at all, but just cheap shoes 'in the style of' deck shoes. Most uncomfortable, not much grip, and when they got wet the dye ran and stained your feet and anything left touching them.

So I bought another pair of Sebagos. My economising had cost me more in the end. (The later Sebagos have been good, but not the same quality and comfort as my earlier pair.)
 
Interesting anecdote from my wife. She worked in the Falklands many years ago for the Falkland Islands Fisheries Directorate. her job was to go aboard trawlers and in simple terms, measure fish. She says that on the Japanese ships they had an area set aside for indoor and outdoor shoes and you never mixed them. They were also the cleanest and best organised of all of the vessels. She states that the worst ones were the Korean ships which were filthy. Apparently, if they did 2 or it may be 5 years on fishing trawlers, they could avoid conscription.
 
derekbland said:
And so, I know that deck shoes have soles that don't mark the deck etc. but am trying to initially keep costs down and so is there an alternative other than taking your shoes off before you climb aboard? If any replies still highly recommend deck shoes, can you get a reasonable pair for under £50 - recommendations please. BTW, I won't by shoes online unless I have had a chance to try them on first.

I am thinking that provided they aren't hard soles such as leather, then some of my other trainer but not trainer type shoes would be ok. I had a pair of non-light coloured soled shoes and I had to scrape my foot pretty hard on a plastic surface before it left a mark and which came of very easily with a wipe.
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Squash shoes don't mark.
 
derekbland said:
Interesting anecdote from my wife. She worked in the Falklands many years ago for the Falkland Islands Fisheries Directorate. her job was to go aboard trawlers and in simple terms, measure fish. She says that on the Japanese ships they had an area set aside for indoor and outdoor shoes and you never mixed them. They were also the cleanest and best organised of all of the vessels. She states that the worst ones were the Korean ships which were filthy. Apparently, if they did 2 or it may be 5 years on fishing trawlers, they could avoid conscription.
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I once had to spend a few days on a Taiwanese pair-trawler. It was pretty vile! :disgust:

Also on there I saw a spectacular demonstration of what happens when a wire rope snaps under load. Thank God no one was in the way or they would have been cut in half. :eek:
 
Crocs +1 Never had issues with marking, and they float in case you drop one! If used bankside, easy to wash on external shower.

Also use deck shoes, but a bit of a drag in hot weather...
 
As a professional skipper I destroy deck shoes quite quickly, I go to the Musto outlet store at York Designer Outlet and £50will get you something decent. They give rnli discount too if that helps.
 
derekbland said:
Interesting anecdote from my wife. She worked in the Falklands many years ago for the Falkland Islands Fisheries Directorate. her job was to go aboard trawlers and in simple terms, measure fish. She says that on the Japanese ships they had an area set aside for indoor and outdoor shoes and you never mixed them. They were also the cleanest and best organised of all of the vessels. She states that the worst ones were the Korean ships which were filthy. Apparently, if they did 2 or it may be 5 years on fishing trawlers, they could avoid conscription.
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conscription sounds like the safer option....
 
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