Boat Shoes - Slippery When Dry ?

[RWS]

I have always found "boat shoes" to be comfortable, and like the relaxed style. For years my everyday shoes have been Sperry Gold Cup Topsiders. the extra sole/liner/deerskin stuff really feels more comfortable and I wear them till they are worn out.

When I got this 33' boat 12 years ago I bought a new pair of Sperrys with white soles, specifically for the boat, and kept aboard and not to be used on the street to keep from scuffing, making heel marks and most importantly to keep from slipping and going down on my a$$ wet, dry or when washing the boat.

Maybe its 'cause they're 12 years old now, but those white soled Sperrys have become slippery and dangerous even on short nap carpet. So I decided to wear them off the boat for a few days to see if a scuffing would bring them back.

Not a chance, neither does a light scuffing with sandpaper.

Several years ago there was a long thread about crocs, however what I am looking for is your experience with non marking soles that will be boat appropriate, work well in dry and wet conditions and be adequate when washing the boat as well.

So what have you all found to work well in these conditions?

Thanks !

RWS

 

[mbevins]

The soles of your 12yr old shoes have dried out, appliances don't last this long, buy a new pair and enjoy which ever pair you like, Sperry's are all decent. On the crocs issue, I have a pair of white crocs that I use for washing the boat. They work great and I highly recommend them. They stick to the deck like suction cups are on the soles and they can get as wet as necessary without damage.

 

[damaib]

My last pair of Sperry Top Siders got slippery like that within about 5 years. Nothing would bring them back. They were so slippery when I finally got rid of them, that it was dangerous to wear them on just about any surface.

 

[gcolton]

I have worn out a lot of Topsiders. Good shoes if you do not try to wear them too long.

As others have said, they have dried out. Get a new pair and enjoy.

Crocs are a croc.

George

 

[BJL]

I have a pair of barely worn Sebago boat shoes for quite a few years. Haven't really worn them much at all because they never seemed to have traction and I kept slipping in them on any surface. I just wrote to Sebago with pictures of the perfect soles and am waiting to hear back from them.