Leather sailing boots

I was told that soles go hard because people only wear their boots on the boat. Wearing them to walk from the car to the boat and back scuffs the sole and keeps it soft. They wear out quicker but when the sole goes hard they are lethal. I do this with my Dubarry deck shoes and they stilll grip well after some years.
 
crewman said:
I was told that soles go hard because people only wear their boots on the boat. Wearing them to walk from the car to the boat and back scuffs the sole and keeps it soft. They wear out quicker but when the sole goes hard they are lethal. I do this with my Dubarry deck shoes and they stilll grip well after some years.
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I contacted Musto to complain and they told me that they go hard no matter what you do with them.
 
crewman said:
I was told that soles go hard because people only wear their boots on the boat. Wearing them to walk from the car to the boat and back scuffs the sole and keeps it soft. They wear out quicker but when the sole goes hard they are lethal. I do this with my Dubarry deck shoes and they stilll grip well after some years.
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I junked two pairs of Musto deck shoes precisely because the soles acquired large holes in them from walking about. Now I always wear normal street shoes when ashore.
 
Babylon said:
I think the broad consensus of the replies to this thread is that - as the soles of all modern leather or textile boots go hard after only a couple of years or so and none of them can be re-soled - the best bet each time is to simply buy another budget pair at half the price of the fancy brands! Or just wear wellies.
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Spot on. A perfect summary ;-)
 
Babylon said:
I once started a thread on this very subject when the soles of my expensive Henri Lloyd leather boots went rock hard after a couple of years: getting off my boat in winter and alone onto my mid river mooring I literally went flying and came down head-first, my skull missing a large metal cleat by barely an inch, but at least the cleat proved to be a life-saver as I could just grab it to stop myself continuing into the freezing river.

HL eventually replaced them for free, but the replacements had to be thrown away for exactly the same reason two years later! (Which proved that the problem was intrinsic to the sole material and not how or where I stored them when not in use.)

If a car tyre was manufactured with the same cynically designed-in case-hardening and non-replaceability, there'd be carnage on the roads, but for some reason Dubarry, Musto etc can get away with this?!

After a few years of wearing rubber boots I went back to leather for breatheability and comfort, but at least my Orca Bay boots (which have so far lasted for three years) are only half the price of Dubarrys.
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I also have some Henry Lloyd leather boots which went hard after 2 years, but in that regard they were only the same as all deck shoes, so for general use I wear crocs (fake) with waterproof socks.
The boots aren’t worn often which does not help their hardening whereas my husband’s deckie soles stay sticky (and he is heavier) because he wears them all the time.
For the boot soles several minutes with a coarse grade wetndry paper (or Al) does the job at the beginning of the season. Other people have recommended a hot air blower (paint stripper type) to recover a sticky layer.
The fault is basically the type of plastic which goes hard and slippery when it is oxidised.
 
My old hard soled Dubarrys are great for gardening. That application keeps the soles roughed.
No manufacturer wants products to last for many years so things will not get better and the conclusion to buy cheapies is right.
 
dgadee said:
My Musto boots were so comfortable that you could sleep in them. But they almost put me over the side, sailing alone in the North Minch. I will never buy another pair of those either. None of the makes can now be re-soled. Rubber wellies is what I use.
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I had a new pair of Mustos for Xmas. The sole is a completely different design to my 5 year old pair so will be interesting to see how they grip
 
Ammonite said:
If they look like this I wouldn't get your hopes up :( Great initially but a liability after a couple of years from my experience. Like walking on ice
Google Image Result for https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/10/Musto-Ocean_0377-Sea-Boots-TS-600x400.jpg
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Yes they do - my old ones had smooth soles with sipes cut into them and they only recently lost their grip but the lining had separated from the outer making them hard to get on and off
 
I don't see what this obsession is with over priced, short lived seaboots.
  1. Do you need them because your cockpits leave you ankle deep in seawater
  2. Need to wade out with your dinghy to launch/land
  3. Or feel the need to look more like a sailor
For my first 16 years I used Dunlop wellies to launch/land my dinghy, they eventually rotted
I now have Decathlon rubber boots which I use when scrubbing the hull
My boat cockpit is dry and when it's chucking down with rain or there is sea coming over the deck and I need to go forward, I ware wetsuit boots, warm, good grip and comfortable.

PS I see Decathlon do seaboots for £130
 
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LadyInBed said:
I don't see what this obsession is with over priced, short lived seaboots.
  1. Do you need them because your cockpits leave you ankle deep in seawater
  2. Need to wade out with your dinghy to launch/land
  3. Or feel the need to look more like a sailor
For my first 16 years I used Dunlop wellies to launch/land my dinghy, they eventually rotted
I now have Decathlon rubber boots which I use when scrubbing the hull
My boat cockpit is dry and when it's chucking down with rain or there is sea coming over the deck and I need to go forward, I ware wetsuit boots, warm, good grip and comfortable.

PS I see Decathlon do seaboots for £130
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Do you also wear one of these? :)
Sorry I couldn't resist!
In truth its mostly 3, some 2 and when its raining so it doesn't fill up my shoes. And they are a lot more comfortable than the options you describe having worn both types extensively, just not on a yacht
 
I lent my fur lined site rigger boots to my son in law to use on his RIB when he forgot his Dubarrys. He said they were the driest and warmest boots he had used.
I didn't tell him they had steel soles and toecaps. Good job he didn't fall in. :oops:
 
LadyInBed said:
I don't see what this obsession is with over priced, short lived seaboots.
  1. Do you need them because your cockpits leave you ankle deep in seawater
  2. Need to wade out with your dinghy to launch/land
  3. Or feel the need to look more like a sailor
For my first 16 years I used Dunlop wellies to launch/land my dinghy, they eventually rotted
I now have Decathlon rubber boots which I use when scrubbing the hull
My boat cockpit is dry and when it's chucking down with rain or there is sea coming over the deck and I need to go forward, I ware wetsuit boots, warm, good grip and comfortable.

PS I see Decathlon do seaboots for £130
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2 and the fact that I like my feet being nice and toasty. I used to use Gill high rubber boots but they always split their seams after less than 6 months - after the fourth pair including a free replacement from Gill, I gave up.
 
LadyInBed said:
I don't see what this obsession is with over priced, short lived seaboots.
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I hate to tell you what I paid for my last pair of mountaineering boots! They are totally unsuitable for use on a boat.

I love my Musto HPX Ocean Boots, warm, light and a good fit. Needless to say I bought them in a sale and sadly they appear to be discontinued.
 
After going through 2 pairs of Dubarrys; one pair the toe wore out, the other the layer between the upper and the sole disintegrated, both irreparable.

I progressed to Zhik boots
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Warm as toast, easy to pull on and off, superb non-slip, As worn by Pip Hare in the Vendee Globe.
 
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