The origins of boat shoes

Boat shoes are also known as topsiders, boating shoes, loafers or deck shoes are popular with both the nautical community and those who just like extremely comfortable shoes. The original design of the boat shoe was inspired from the native Americans moccasin. Both the boat shoe and moccasin shoe are made from leather designed to resist water.

Sometimes the passengers on a boat need something to stop them slipping when the deck is becomes wet. This is where the boat shoe comes in. The upper of a quality boat shoe is made from a oiled leather making them water resistant. The sole unit is constructed using a special kind of rubber usually with multi directional tread to avoid slipping

The boat shoe in time caught on as a fashion shoe aswell as a pratical and comfortable shoe for the boating community. This is because boat shoe are suited to both smart and casual dress giving the shoe diversity. The boat shoe can be warn with or without sock this is because all good quality boat shoes have a leather lining to stop the feet from perspiring

Considerations when buying quality boat shoes

A good quality boat shoe should be built from high quality material so that it can serve it purpose, after all the boat shoes are designed to withstand the rough and rugged conditions that can occur on a wet slippery boat deck. This considered we need to look at for a number of key feature when purchasing boat shoes as follows.

• The upper of a boat shoe should be constructed from from the finest quality leather, for example the Quayside brand produce the boat shoes from fine quality Portuguese leather. The leather may need treatment from time to time to help keep the leather water resistant and supple. It is recommended to oil the leather on a regular basis.
• The sole unit is one of the most important components of the boat shoe because it is important that they are non slip whether on sea or land. The sole unit of a descent quality boat shoes should be constructed from a special kind of rubber with a multi directional tread pattern, this will make them non slip a key consideration when choosing your pair of boat shoes.
• The lace eyelet need to be reinforced to prolong the life of the boat shoe
• The laces in most boat are constructed from leather make them last much much longer

So there we have it a summary of the origins of boat shoes and a few consideration for when buying a new pair of boat shoes. I hope this article has been of use to you!

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