How To Find The Best Women’s Boat Shoes

~Megan J.

Best Womens Boat Shoes

Sailing Magazine did an article on “The Sailing Girls’ Guide to Cute Boat Shoes“. We like it so much we decided to share it with all of our Get Wet Sailing fans.

All of us here at Get Wet Sailing are pretty particular our sailing wear and stylish seem to be a difficult find, especially when you’re also looking for quality and performance. If it were up to me, I’d wear Sperry Top Sider Classic boat shoes everyday of the year, but when sailing on a small boat where your feet seem to be constantly wet, you need something a little more sporty.

 

Here it is, the list of the Top 5. With links of course that will take you directly to Amazon or directly to the manufacturer.

1. Helly Hanson Women’s Hydropower 4 Deck Shoe

helly hanson women's hydro

These shoes are the perfect fit on the deck. The rubber soles make these shoes grippy when wet. They fit exactly like they should, and there is no room for rocks to get in when you need to jump off onto the beach. Comes in Black and White.

Check it out here: Helly Hanson Hydropower 4 Deck Shoe

 

 

2. Vibram Five Fingers

Vibram five fingersSailors are starting to discover what many runners have praised for a long time as the barefoot shoe. Not only do they have quick drying mesh bodies, but they also help correct posture and gait. These shoes were tested out on a J/24 all day long and were proved to be comfortable and stable on top of the the razor edged rubber soles. A cute alternative to the typical clunky water shoe. $89 Find them HERE.

 

 

3. Adidas Boat Lace

Addidas Clima CoolIt’s been a few years now and we are still in love with these Adidas Boat Lace shoes.  “The Boat Lace shoe is constructed with CLIMACOOL technology, which merges quick-drying mesh uppers with insole drainage for a cool and comfy fit. ” The rubber soles have good traction and the toe caps provide extra protection you can feel safe with these on. At only 7oz, you’ll be floating around the boat forgetting you’re wearing shoes at all. $51.96 – $69.95

Find them on Amazon.

 

4. Sebago Bala

Sebago BalaSebago Bala’s have been a favorite among sailing women and apparently all the women at Sailing Magazine too. Just recently Kate Middleton was spotted flashing her own Sebago’s when stepping off the plane in Canada. Who knew boat shoes could be practical, functional and fit for a princess? For heavy weather sailing, maybe not, but they sure are the classiest pair and cutest pair of boat shoes you’ll ever own. $95 Find them on Amazon.

 

 

 

5. Sperry Top Sider

sperry-top-siderLast but certainly not least, is the ultimate classic and honestly our favorite, the Sperry Top Sider. It just doesn’t get much better than this. Excellent traction on the bottom for the slippery wet decks, classic design with leather laces. Come in multiple colors and styles. Looks good both on and off the boat. Comfortable to wear all day long. Can it get any better than this? We don’t often wear ours when sailing our Hobie, but pull these babies out on a bigger boat, when you are less-likely to get wet and your feet will do all the talking. $85.99-$95.99 on Amazon.

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8 Comments
  1. McCall620 says

    I love this article- thanks for posting! I am always on the look out to find good quality women’s sailing gear/clothing. It seems when it comes to gear, it’s more of a man’s world. Nice to know there are some stylish options for us women folk. Thanks!

    1. getwet says

      Thanks for the comment McCall. The more we look into it, the more sailing gear/clothing we find for women. We’ll try and do a few more posts about women’s sailing gear.

  2. Tony Lee says

    “Vibram Five Fingers” I know a billion and two people who have these and all the do is talk about how great they are. I think that this should be number one, as much as I haven`t bought any of them, I think that it would be great to have them!

    1. getwet says

      We’ve heard great things about them too, still waiting to get ours so we can do a full review of them. If you get some let us know what you think!

  3. GLOVESOFF says

    I would love to affirm your recommendation of the Adidas boat lace. I recently bought a pair, but unfortunately in the women’s style (eg. http://tinyurl.com/kv6kxqr ) because that’s all that would fit my woman’s 6 foot! I hate the women’s style – I race, and these are not serious sporting shoes. They fall off my foot just because they don’t cover enough of the top of the arch. I would love to order the men’s version, but nothing exists in my size (even in juniors). Sigh… women are serious athletes, too.

    1. getwet says

      Thanks for your comment. Although I haven’t officially tried the Adidas myself, I have heard several good things from friends of mine who have. I tend to think they are similar to my first pair of women’s boat shoes I bought at Costco. I still have them and they are still going strong. They are lightweight, easy to put on and carry and dry quickly, but they are definitely NOT for racing situations. My feet are narrow, and these shoes are wide so they slip off my feet easily, and the traction isn’t the greatest. No real arch support either. Your Adidas shoes sound like they are great for a nice pleasant sail, but won’t stand up during a real race. I’d recommend these for racing: Our friend Dawn Riley (World-renowned professional sailor and a woman) wears these shoes for racing: https://www.getwetsailing.com/whatwomenwearsailing/. She uses these for winter, but I’d trust anything Gill. We will do a full video review if we have actually tried the product. Thanks for asking!

  4. Maggie Fieldsteel says

    What are the best sailing shoes for women with narrow feet? I need shoes with good traction on a slippery wet deck. My boat has no life lines. I have been slipping in my old Sperry sneaker topsiders. Thank you.

    1. getwet says

      Hi Maggie! Great question! What type of boat are you sailing on? Are you on a keelboat or on a catamaran with a trampoline? Once we know what the surface is, we can help narrow down a shoe for you.

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