I’ve finally admitted to myself that my broken-in and beloved pair of boat shoes needs to be retired. For about $60, I wore them almost daily the first summer I had them. And they only felt better after vacationing with them, wearing them into the ocean. I wouldn’t recommend doing that with most shoes, but give it a try with your boat shoes.
Now that the heels of my shoes have worn down, I’m looking for a new pair. I was going to go back and just re-purchase a pair of Sperry’s, but then I saw this photo of Errol Flynn on a boat, who has a very interesting boat shoe.
It appears to be a hybrid of between the traditional boat shoe (take a look at the rubber white soles) and a tassel loafer. The wrap-around lacing can be made out along with a longer vamp and no eyelets to tighten the laces.
Of course, I’ve spent entirely too much time looking for such a shoe that may not even exist. But if you’re looking for a cheap, casual shoe for summer that you don’t have to worry if it gets wrecked at the beach, then consider buying a boat shoe.
-Kiyoshi
