sailing footwear

I prefer jogger style aqua shoes for all terrains except sand/mud.
I have tried a few but the New Balance 920 I am using now are the best so far. They are very comfortable, drain instantly and the Vibram sole has excellent grip and is wearing well. I wear them year round usually in combination with neoprene socks or sealskinz in winter.


The worst shoes I tried were Columbia Aquatooth. They were very comfortable and well made but the sole material was so slippery when wet it was dangerous. I couldn't walk up my usual boatramp or driveway when wet in these shoes. Go figure?



Wetsuit booties with a decent sole are great in sand/mud.
A while back Roadrunner posted a thorough review of shoes found here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9807&p=50736&hilit=shoes#p50736

I must admit Stringy, when you go tearing over wet rocks and up cliff-faces in those things, I get nervous trying to keep up with you in my Tevas. Where did you buy them? The New Balance online stores, both in Australia and the US, seem to be going out of their way to hide their existence.

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Chris,
New Balance Oz don't stock them.
I got mine from Cabelas in US a bit over a year ago. They were my first purchase from this online store. I liked them so much I ordered a second pair and a pair for my wife when they were on special. A quick check confirms what you have found. Cabelas no longer list them. At the time REI had them but wouldn't deliver downunder.
Maybe they have been discontinued?

I use Merrell Men's Reactors sandals. Very light and comfortable. They are not in the current range, but can still be found at sale prices.
I have just got some Crocs and will try them this weekend, but they look quite chunky, I am not sure they will fit the pedal straps.

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Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

report back time. been s-ai-ling twice since delivery last thursday. regarding footwear, the tevas are great. i let the kayak 'pull' me on the way down, quite safely (which was my concern). the pull back up wasnt helped by the fact that i hadn't had much wind so had peddled a lot, but i needed to stop 4 times to catch my breath over the 150m or so till level ground was reached. heavy load. still, the second time was easier, but then i had a friend helping. but it can be done, was done and i'm stoked. credit to hobie, the ai was in perfect condition and the packaging certainly indicated a thoroughly dedicated team. as every ai owner probably appreciates, it garners attention and no doubt helps plant the seeds in the minds of those who have a good look.

well done hobie..

Great to hear you're finally on the water TW. Why don't you take advantage of those onlookers who invariably gather to ask about the AI and suggest they help you pull it up the hill while you tell them all about it?

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Just a thought, could you get a 'mini-cradle' made up for close to the bow, that you strap on... with a 'U' shaped steel skid underneath. If the kayak started running away on you, you could lower (or maybe drop) the bow, and the steel skid should slow it down a lot.

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Cheers, Max ● TI: the "Yella Terra" ● Website: www.MadYakker.com ● YouTube: madyakkermax

This spring I got a taste of the finest urchin spine Sanibel has to offer while trying to video porpoises hunting mullet.... NOT FUN!
Worst thing is I had a pair of $20 BPS flats boots in the TI but the sand was so warm and the water so luscious I just didn't bother putting them on.... And those $20 wading shoes work great.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_55184____SearchResults
I generally peddle barefoot, but I am going to go and try a pair of the five fingers by Vibram...

Tried the Crocs out. They fit the pedals fine, but intend to get sucked off your feet when wading.

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Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

OK, I went to Martini shoes and tried on a pair of the "Five Fingers" shoes.
To be honest I really did not think I would care for them at all. I have all the genetic diversity of an American Bison, meaning I have a decidedly American foot!
Wide and thick with short toes. I wear an 10.5 EEE in American sizes and the 44 to 46 range in European metric sizing simply falls short of the width requirements for my biometrics!
I am also an AVID bicyclist and tour frequently and commute 30 miles each working day even in inclement weather. Finding cycling shoes is an absolute chore, I mean it. European standard shoe size is the defacto standard for cycling shoes, and this leaves midwestern, corn fed, Illinois farm boys like me wanting for a good fit... European standards are VERY narrow and even a "wide" european shoe really isn't.

Any who.... I digress...

I went and tried the five fingers shoe and I started in the 46 range. They were too long but plenty wide, so I had hope...
I tried a 44 and BINGO! The shoe is incredible. The length was perfect and the width was like it was custom made for my foot.
I really am at a loss for words as to how they feel being that I have never worn anything like them.
At first your toes simply refuse to cooperate and slide into the wrong pockets and try to stay side by side as they have been trained to do. But with patience and some persuasion you can get them into their correct places. Once you get them started they slide in like they were always meant to be, with just the smallest amount of play, softly cushioned yet firmly encased in a nicely designed toe form. You pull the shoe on fully and slip the sole snugly on the heal and.... They seem to melt away... seriously! they seem to be so natural that they just plain feel like nothing at all. I could not believe it.
The sales Woman told me it took her a few days of walking around to get all the requisite "toughened spots" in and around the toes, after all your toes are not used to having things between them and the skin is tender. She also told me that now she does not like to wear regular shoes because they feel so binding.

I am VERY impressed. I liked them so much that I bought the sprint model and am waiting on the KSO Flow model for kayaking.

I recommend at least trying them if you get a chance, they are amazing.

Thats a long walk on tar, have you considered wearing comfy sneakers and changing to the Zip-ups when you get to the water.
Thin soles are no fun on hard surface.

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Fair Skies, Max.

I got a pair of Vibram KSO's a couple of weeks ago and totally agree with Anakritis. Also, they are fantastic when used with the Mirage Drive. They give a sense of grip and control of the pedals, while cushioning the sole. The only negative is they take a while to dry, so I like to change out of them when I get off the water. However, once they are dry, you can walk around in them all day and feel as though you are barefoot.
Actually, I've discovered one more negative - yesterday, my 6 year old grandaughter refused to come out to lunch with me until I changed my shoes, because I "looked like a monkey". My wife has also made the odd gorilla reference.

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I agree with Anakritis and chrisj the Vibram Five Fingers is the way to go they are great. I have the KSO's but may have to get some Flow's for the winter.

chrisj it may seem like a negative with your 6 year old grand-daughter, but I saw it as a positive when I first got them and my wife and daughters told me "your not coming shopping with us wearing them" so I stayed home but now so many people have made positive comments about them my wife and youngest daughter want a pair also not sure I can afford that

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Hobie Adventure Island (Yellow Papaya)
Hobie Tandem Island (Yellow Papaya)

Thanks for the advise,I just got a pair of New Balance 9.0 H2O Flow from Campmor for $68 including shipping.They are very nice shoes and on clearance too.Hurry,sizes are limited...Bill 404 21SE

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Bill 404 21SE

The choice of footwear may seem like a strictly personal decision, but In the interest of safety I would like to add one thing.

I used to wear Tevas on all my kayaking trips. Not any more. They are fantastic for traversing dry land, coral and beaches but can hinder you if you are "separated" from your boat.

Months ago, while kayak surfing, I was flipped by the whitewater of an incoming set. Wearing these sandals made it very difficult to swim in the surf, much less chase my yak. (Yes, I was wearing a leash). To top it off, both of the new shoes had the front straps pulled out from the force of the whitewater and kick strokes. Ruined in seconds. They are just not built for this.

I wear Katavi Tevas almost every day, hiking steep rock ridges and muddy slopes, but will never trust them in the water again.

The surfing experience left me thinking that lightweight reef walkers (with sturdy rubber soles) or surf sox make the ideal warm weather footwear.

Sounds crazy, but if you really want to know if your current choice of footwear is right for your boat, go jump overboard sometime.

RT