Deck shoes

pauldelaf

pauldelaf

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My ancient Musto deck shoes have pretty much bitten the dust and I've resigned myself to the fact that I need to buy a new pair. I'm looking to spend £50/£60 and quite fancy the look of the new trainer style shoes (Gill Deck Tech etc). My sailing is mainly coastal in little boats (Sonata and others) and so my shoes often get wet. Before I part with my hard-earned cash, I'd appreciate any recommendations please.

Cheers.
 
I switched from the traditional leather deck shoes many years back now and much prefer the trainer type ones. I have had Gill which were very good but then on a later pair the non-slip wasn't as good, I have Sperry Topsider SB1070 Performance Deck Shoes (bought in the USA at West Marine, now listed at $100) which are excellent and Harken (UK) bought on sale in Harken Lymington which are comfy but the non-slip isn't as good. When I say the non-slip isn't as good, all were better than the usual leather ones, but the Sperry stuff was really good.

The trainer style I find are lighter and more comfortable and when they get wet dry off quickly.

Another option are Crocs, I have some very nice lace up boat shoe Crocs bought in the USA for just $25, good non-slip and very comfy, plus I frequently wear the ordinary Crocs on board. [/CONFESSION]
 
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Musto are still good, and they seem to be one of the few yachty items that they carry in a reasonable range of sizes in their outlet stores, well within you budget there. My wife recommends Quayside among the cheaper ones.
Go for breathable but may have to be a sale item for < £60.
 
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There was me thinking that worn out deck shoes were THE thing to be seen wearing at the bar of Yacht Clubs world wide.

My worn out Bally “skippers” are saved for just this occasion, much to the fury of SWMBO .

Come to think of it, where are they?

73s de

Johnth
 
I stiil wear a pair of Sebago Docksides I was able to get at a closing down sale in 1976, even at half price they were expensive. Very comfortable with decent built up heel though since I implanted some silicone into the heel voids they tend to squeak a bit. American made with amazingly durable leather and stitching but nothing to do with what they sell today.
 
Not wanting to set the cat among the pigeons, I do have a pair of nearly new Sebagos, but TBH I don't wear them on the boat because they aren't very grippy so i wear them in the bar!
 
Crocs

You could buy a pair of CROCS

Brilliant on and off the boat .. None slip and come in a range of great colours ..

They keep your feet warm and the water flows out of the holes :cool:

£20 from Amazon .. I even get a few laughs walking round Tesco's in my PINK ones .... :)
 
Have a chat with or visit marinesuperstore at Port Solent and ask about their 'specials'. They often have obsolete styles, end-of-lines etc by the likes of Musto and Dubarry. I picked up a pair of leather 'trainer style' shoes by Dubarry (RRP at the time £80) for £19.95. The stock is always changing, but there's usually something.
 
SWMBO had given up hope of buying new mustos too ... until we walked into Port Solent - Marine Superstore and they had them on offer!! ... one shiny new pair of Musto's later ....
 
SWMBO & I have almost the same size feet but almost never manage to wear the same footwear because we can't seem to fit each other's shoes. I would try on as many shoes as possible and go for the most comfortable within the price and quality range I was looking for.
 
If your feet get wet a lot why not go for a pair of neoprene (warm when wet) scuba boots? Gill do a few with (I assume) non-marking soles but they are more expensive than regular scuba boots, see here...
 
Crocs

hot_pink_crocs.jpg


Brilliant ..

If you wear them on deck use the strap to hold them on ..

Brilliant and NONE SLIP .. :rolleyes:

But make sure they are CROCS the copies are not as good ..

..
 
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If you do decide on real deck shoes, it is important to give them a regular outing to the pub, if they are made to stay on board they will respond by going slippy. The deck polishes them so they need a bit of proper abrasion to expose the softer grippy rubber.
 
TBS Challenger

I wear mine all day, everyday (cause I work on sail boats here) and after trying many types including Slam (a bit extortionate) I could recommend TBS Global Changeller shoes (French). Mine last exactly 1 year by which time they´re covered in gelcoat, or epoxy or whatever. Even a regular visit to the pub doesn´t get rid of that !

You find them for around € 60
 
Quandary said:
If you do decide on real deck shoes, it is important to give them a regular outing to the pub, if they are made to stay on board they will respond by going slippy. The deck polishes them so they need a bit of proper abrasion to expose the softer grippy rubber.
Click to expand...

I wish that were true, but in our experience the rubber becomes harder in time and no amount of shore-leave seems to help. I've even used a sanding block to roughen them without effect. They seem to have improved a bit in the last few years but I suspect that my shoes are all doomed in the long run.
 
Aldi had deck shoes last week I think, check out your local store, they may have some left £12.99 IIRC. At that price you can replace them every year. They are leather uppers & razor cut soles & mine have lasted a couple of years & I have a spare pair I bought last year ready for when they are needed.

May not have that precious brand label but they look exactly the same & sure are comfortable & non-slip/ non-mark on my decks.
 
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