Footwear dilemma

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I have a pair of deckies but I stopped wearing them after a trip where I didn't take any other shoes and, after a day of walking around ashore, I was almost crippled by sore feet and had to miss out on other trips. I now wear trainers which have much more padding and support.

One year I used a proprietary deck paint and found I slid about in trainers but managed OK in deckies but since I have reverted to a gritted paint the trainers do just fine. I imagine there are some deckies about - at a price - that are comfortable to walk in, but would I want to wear out expensive boat shoes ashore?

On my own boat it's no problem to keep extra shoes on board but when travelling to sail elsewhere I have to think carefully about adding more weight to my bags.

What do you wear?
 
Deckies if it's fine, saily boots if it's not. If I could find a pair of comfy trainers that were guaranteed non marking, then I'd wear those.

Ours being a 1980's boat, we are lucky that she's got treadmaster, so slips are extremely rare.
 
I have a pair of Asics trainers which seem to grip OK and don't mark. Agree that deck shoes give little support to the feet, in fact I use Orthaheel inserts in deck shoes (available in Boots, etc).
 
Hi Tec squash trainers for me. non marking and good grip even in the wet. comfy as well. And most importantly cheap.
 
One of my mates has Harken Sailing Trainers. I sail in either boots or a sort of canoe shoe, both od which grip well. Mt normal going ashore shoes are well worn deckies or old trainers.
 
Decathlon "hiking shoes", which are effectively just trainers in a brown suede-ish style. I use them for any and all "scruffy" occasions and activities, not just sailing.

(I also have a pair of Quayside lined leather wellies which are good in cold or wet conditions.)

Pete
 
With having size 11 wide fit feet I have difficulty finding appropriate 'deck shoes'. So for the past 20 years I have worn Doc Martin shoes without any problems. But then of course I am sailing on boats which don't need 'Boaty shoes'.
 
Bare feet.
Except, of course, when it is too cold, in which case, I can second the recommendation for squash shoes. Then again, sailors have sailed for centuries in the winter in Southern latitudes in bare feet.
For trips ashore, trainers make perfect sense. Unless you are comfortable walking distances in flipflops.
 
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Gill Aquatech shoes with drysuit

Any deck shoes with the right soles at other times.

In the med I wear Helly Hansen Watermoc trainers as they offer a good sole and breathability
 
Get a pair of good insoles - I use 'superfeet' which mould to your foot and give excellent support, and can be moved from one pair of shoes/boots to the next in a few seconds. Then you will always be wearing comfortable and supportive footwear. Mine get used in work shoes, deck shoes, walking boots, motorcycle boots - the only place I don't use them is in my running trainers.
 
Being diabetic I suffer with sore feet and need good support and thick soles .

I found that Musto performance deck shoes are very comfortable so much so that not only do I use them on the boat , but I use them as my normal shoes now. I have 3 pairs .
Ihave a new good pair, and 2 pairs for the boat (1 sailing and one walking)

They are not cheap at around £90 but they are the best I have found for me that is.

The oldest pair are about 4 years old now and a bit tatty but the soles are still good.
 
Trainers may be comfortable for some. The heel tag always rubs against my Achilles' tendon, and I have an aversion to wearing clothes that suggest that I enjoy exercise. The trouble for me is that often the soles have a chunky pattern and this will grind its way into my teak deck, leaving a mark that takes weeks to disappear, especially when youngsters cross our deck in the wet and turn their soles on our toerail.

Comfort and security are the main factors with footwear. No two people will ever agree about which shoes are comfortable, but the slipperiness of soles can be tested. Sadly, most published tests are on new shoes. All the new shoes I have bought have been brilliant, but after a year or two they invariably become lethal. This afternoon I returned some very expensive shoes that I bought only five months ago and are shinier than a billiard ball and just as hard. I won't name and shame until I have got the response from them.
 
I also found problems with otherwise excellent Dubarry Helmsman deck shoes not providing enough insole support for walking on shore.
I went to a good chandlery and tried on every type of deck shoe they had - bought a pair of Musto ones which have very good foot support, and excellent grip. After wearing 7 days / week most of the past 6 months they were a really good investment - highly recommended
http://www.musto.com/sailing-clothing/footwear/leather-performance-deck-shoes.html;Brown
 
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Having had a few slips on wet surfaces in Crocs and having a friend who was seriously injured in a fall from the same cause, I won't wear Crocs anywhere wet.

I forbid bare feet on my boat as there are too many things sticking out of the deck waiting to injure bare toes.
 
Hydrogen peroxide !!!

Either spray weak solution into shoe or stink in a bucket of solution for a while , when bubbles stop, all bacteria killed off , or you run out of peroxide , so repeat , leaves no resifual smell , you could use a chlorine bleach , but your left with footwear niffing of bleach !

Ive done my dubs too ,

Not rocket science as said above all you doing is killing of bacteria
 
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