Boat shoes have become very popular in the last ten years. They are comfortable, versatile (can be worn with shorts, with jeans, and at the office), and are usually made from quality materials. Out of all the casual shoes men can wear, boat shoes are often the number one choice made by men.
What about boat shoes for men, what they are and how they became stylish? Boat shoes were created in 1935 by inventor Paul Sperry. Originally designed for sailors to help them grip the wet surface of a boat without slipping since 1970 they started being designed as a fashionable accessory for men to be used in a variety of situations. Men of any age can wear them today for everyday wear or for dressy occasions.
What Distinguishes A Boat Shoe From Other Men’s Shoes?
It is true that boat shoes are casual, but they are definitely a step up from running shoes, sandals or sneakers. You wouldn’t wear boat shoes, then, with just any clothing. But more of that later.
Once boat shoes were avoided because many men believed they were not meant to be worn on land. However, changes in the style of the upper and the sole will allow the boat shoe to grip, but now they can be part of a non-naval man’s wardrobe.
Boat shoes are an excellent choice to wear with shorts and without socks. Socks should not be visible, and the only acceptable choice is ankle socks. But the inside of both shoes is made either from leather or canvas, with leather being the preferred choice. The leather used is soft and because of its design, boat shoes shill shape themselves to your foot and are very comfortable to wear.
Boat shoes are the clear choice over sandals and flip flops, which are still seen as adolescent shoes. Boat shoes not only go with shorts but also with somewhat dressier clothes.
Boat shoes are inspired by moccasins, but that is where the similarity ends. They are low-cut and are hand sewn. The leather is soft, the sole is white with siping to help with traction walking over water or ice. The laces are reinforced like boot laces are, and the eyelets in the upper go around the boat shoe near where the foot is. The laces wrap snugly around the feet so there is no slippage when walking.
Boat Shoes Were Once Part Of the “Preppie” Look And That’s Not A Bad Thing
Boat shoes became popular in the 1980s by male college students who attended “preferred” universities in the Northeastern United States, specifically, in and around Massachusetts, the home for Harvard and MIT, but other colleges like Brown, Northwestern, Columbia, Princeton, Yale and so on. Students attending these colleges were often from well-to-do families and who dressed fashionably and who paid attention to detail.
Boat shoes could be worn with most of the casual outfits these college students wore, from inexpensive jeans and polo shirt combination to colored or white pants, a pinpoint Oxford shirt and a scarf.
This became the Preppy look. The look did not convey superiority over other young men because of the wealth of most Preppies; rather, the look was influential because it was clean and fashionable, bringing out the best look (and attitude) a person could have.
The popularity of boat shoes moved quickly from Ivy League schools to everywhere else and the popularity of the shoes soared. By the mid-1980s, boat shoes were the preferred footwear for parties, dates, even important business meetings. And they could be matched with most types of clothing except the most formal. You didn’t see men wearing boat shoes with business suits or with a tuxedo.
The original boat shoe idea came to Paul A. Sperry, while he was sailing in the Long Island Sound. The waters became choppy and Sperry fell over bard into the Sound. He managed to get back into the boat but was determined then and there to create a boat shoe that would prevent slippage and come with a strong grip to avoid accidents or being thrown into the water.
His invention was the Sperry Top-Sider. This boat shoe is the biggest selling brand of a boat shoe, even though Sperry sold the company he created since. The grooved patterns in the sole, called “siping,” reflects the paws of his own dog, who never slipped when running down a hill. These grooves on the soles were part of the sole’s herringbone pattern.
Caring And Maintaining Boat Shoes
Most people tend to wear their boat shoes for a long time until they’ve worn out. This is due to the extreme comfort of boat shoes. Nothing else really feels the way they do on your feet. One of the reasons is because of the softness of the leather upper and the way it contours to the feet. The leather has an attractive appearance and wearers want to keep it as long as possible?
If the boat shoes you wear are Sperry brand shoes and have laces, then the laces themselves are made of rawhide and need to be removed and cleaned separately. Remove the laces and place them in a solution of cold water and dishwashing liquid. Swish then in the solution, then rinse and hang to dry.
Sperry boat shoes come in either canvas, leather, and suede and cleaning these materials each requires a different approach. The most recognizable boat shoe is the leather upper model, and cleaning these requires a few simple steps that you should do whenever they are scuffed. Also, they should be polished periodically with leather polish. Even though the leather is water-resistant, you don’t want the water to accumulate in the leather because it can make it brittle.
Before polishing, remove dirt that has caked on with a bristle brush or with a toothbrush. Always move the tool in the same direction when cleaning. Brushing in multiple directions may leave markings, or “scars.” Remember, rubber bristles are better than nylon bristles. Rubber will not leave marks on the leather.
Water and dishwashing soap should be used to remove scuffs that won’t come out from brushing. Don’t dip the boat shoes into the water; the shoes should never get more than damp. Clean with a microfiber washcloth. Movements over the leather should be soft, round strokes. Keep going until the scuffs have been removed or can at least be buffed out with leather polish.
Don’t use harsher solvents such as saddle soap or other tough leather cleaners on your boat shoes. Saddle soap can cause harm to lather, and you’re not cleaning any less efficiently using simple dish soap.
After you’ve finished cleaning your boat shoes, wipe them dry with a different microfiber cloth. Use a circular motion with your fingers just as you did when cleaning the shoes. Once the shoes are dry, they’ll be ready for you to apply a leather conditioner.
Use leather conditioner sparingly but make sure the entire upper is covered in it. Use a soft cloth to apply a thin layer to the leather, then set them down and let dry for about 15 minutes. Complete drying after this waiting period by applying a dry section of the cloth on the leather, making sure it’s completely dry.
Now you’re ready to apply shoe polish. Remember to get a polish that matches the color of the leather. Apply the polish in a clockwise motion around the entire surface of the shoe. The typical boat shoe upper is flat instead of glossy. However, if your shoe leather is glossy, you will need to rub the polish into the leather vigorously.
For non-glossy leather, we recommend a cream type of polish. For a glossy shine, you should use wax polish.
Allow the polish to set in for about 15 minutes. Then take a clean cloth and buff the leather until you can see the leather looking as new again or until it shines. To make even a flat leather upper a little glossy, dip your cloth into a little water (but not too much).
Canvas boat shoes are cleaned differently. First of all, you do not apply shoe shine polish to them, nor do you use any oils. Instead, use a combination of warm water and laundry detergent, and a brush to remove caked-on dirt. Stir the water and detergent until bubbles appear.
Dip a bristled brush into the solution and take one canvas boat shoe and hold it over the bucket of solution. Brush it evenly with the brush and all the dirt and stains should come off easily.
Now rinse the shoes with warm and clean water, but don’t dip them into the water because you don’t want them to become mildewed. Wring them dry in the air. Lastly, wipe your boat shoes off thoroughly until no traces of soap remain.
They should be mostly dry after you’ve finished wiping them down. It will not be necessary to dry them in the sun. Within a few hours, they should be ready to wear.