Thanks for the info on these shoes, I have always had Sperry Docksiders, but will try the Hemps. I'm 66 years old so it's an automatic qualifier.

No shoes of any type when boarding or on the deck. That said I have Raynauds Syndrome and even in the summer my feet sometimes get cold. I keep a pair of bright yellow (matches the boat) clean Crocs on board. On poker runs or hard running i will wear a pair of good quality, clean running shoes for the stability and cushioning. Again bare feet when boarding or on the deck. Cockpit sole is carpeted so it periodically gets taken out and vacuumed. .

Padraig

I always kind of chuckle at the whole bare feet vs shoes thing. Particularly when people walk around land or the docks in bare feet, then enter the boat. The same holds true around the home. What most people fail to realize is that much more dirt is generally carried around on the bottom of a bare foot than on the bottom of a shoe. The oil in your skin attracts dirt and the dirt tends to more readily attach to that oil than it does a dry shoe bottom. Then on carpet, the oil and dirt transfers to the carpet fibers. I get the no shoes on my shiny fiberglass, makes sense. I'd guess the best approach would be to wear shoes right up to the point you enter the boat and remove them as you board. But I constantly see people walking around docks, restaurants etc in bare feet then step down on a vinyl seat to enter a boat that that has "bare feet only" signs on it. Maybe those signs should read "clean bare feet only"!

Keen Belize sandals.

welcome, they run a bit small but stretch quickly, i use them at docks and stuff but take them off as i board.

Last spring/summer Costco here had Sperry Topsiders. Bought three pairs just in case they don't have them this year.

I don't care about shoes either. I've boated plenty of times where I needed a hat, gloves and a parka. The same guy with the "no shoes" sign on a 50K boat, jumps into his 70K pickup at a muddy construction site?

shoes are inevitable for us due to gravel parking lots at the launch. most of the time people rock comfortable flip flops. I do encourage people to take them off when they board.

Flip flop suggestions: reef, ukalai, etc.

I’ve been a top-sider guy forever but I’ve really taken to Quciksilver’s Amphibian line of footwear. They’re extremely lightweight and breathe well. And, they never seem to get nasty. I pretty much wear them all the time now.

I've found that the socks from sky zone (trampoline park) work really well. They have a no slip sole, and they're only $1 per pair.