best laser footwear

I'm a fan of Gill's hiking boots. Admittedly I haven't sailed in any other sail gear, but after sailing in sneakers and sandals in 420s I made sure I got something better. My first dinghy regatta ever was a 420 regatta when it was blowing 17 knots. I only had Teva sandals, ow.

I know there quite a few brands out there but don't know anything between them as far as comparisons go.
 
I agree, cant beat Gill boots, year after year its what I get
 
I use the Ronstan boots (also on the APS page) and they are great. Probably so are all the others - just that when I visited a shop the Ronstan ones were the best from the range they had in my size.


Tried bare feet the other day (as I forgot my boots) and sailing was fine. Just a bit worried on the bank (launching and retrieving) as there was some broken glass around.


Ian
 
Aigle lace-ups are indeed the best I've tried. Much better than my Gill neoprenes. And you don't need to buy a new pair every year.

SEA makes a nice zip neoprene - not sure there's a difference vs Gill/Ronstan zip neoprenes, but when I bought them, they were cheaper.

Many people rave about the Rooster booties or the Zhik combo with the strap, too. Personally, I haven't tried them.
 
I use the Aigle boots when racing in other fleets (mostly scows) but in my Laser I use the Rooster neoprene boots. They are comfortable and work well with the hiking strap, and they are better if you are getting your feet wet launching the boat.
 
The nice thing about Gills are they are warranteed for life...Wear them out in a couple of years, send them back and you'll get now ones...But real men and women go barefoot....
 
I wear the Gill zip up. I converted from the lace ups a few years back, and even though I fear change I survived. Actually I like them a lot and will probably buy them again when I need a new pair.

My only beef is that the newest pair I have came with a too short velcro strap over the zipper top -- often it gets snagged on something or other and comes undone and the velcro sticks to my main sheet or the zipper starts to creep down. I know I could/should tape them but being stingy on a few cents of velcro. Hopefully, these were just from a lame batch.

A good tip that I got a number of years ago was to get two pair at so you can rotate them and not have to wear wet boots all the time (it helps cut down on the stinkiness too. . .). Obviously if you're not sailing many days in a week this might not be that useful.
 
How do you guys dry your boots after sailing to prevent em from developing "the stink" that is well known to kill rodents and small children at 12 paces?
 
I attempt... though rarely with success. There exists a "neoprene shampoo" that helps clean all things neoprene, wetsuits and boots alike but I still haven't gotten around to purchasing any.
 
I rinse my boots with clean water and let them air dry, preferably in the sun. The smell is from bacterial growth and can be eliminated by occasionally trowing them in the freezer.
 
I've tested a cople of diffrent kinds of boots and I have to say I prefer the Gill boots for boats like lasers. They're just the most comfortable =p

About the smell, I tend to bring mine with me home when they get wet and just let them dry off somewhere. Works well for me anyway =P
 
bjmoose said:
How do you guys dry your boots after sailing to prevent em from developing "the stink" that is well known to kill rodents and small children at 12 paces?
Click to expand...

I have a hanger I got from a scuba shop that holds the boots upside down and lets them drain. There's also room to hang the gloves on it.
 
bjmoose said:
How do you guys dry your boots after sailing to prevent em from developing "the stink" that is well known to kill rodents and small children at 12 paces?
Click to expand...

Soak them in a bucket with baking soda and water. Works on boots, tennis shoes, gloves, etc.
 
The best footwear is barefoot, although if I were to choose a pair of boots I´d probably opt for the Aigle Maramu, altough you should always wear them with socks, to avoid having a rash.
 
mitch said:
Soak them in a bucket with baking soda and water. Works on boots, tennis shoes, gloves, etc.
Click to expand...

Similar approach here:

an occasional soak in nappy soaker/laundry soaker, then spun in the washer to get all the water out so they dry faster.

One question about aigle lace ups:

are they cold? do you need to wear socks with them? has anyone tried the trick of replacing the laces with bungee cord?

I use neoprene boots which are great, but after a year they're starting to get holes in the tops and the insoles are wearing out. Once patched, I reckon they'll last another year.
 
Chainsaw said:
One question about aigle lace ups:

are they cold? do you need to wear socks with them? has anyone tried the trick of replacing the laces with bungee cord?
Click to expand...

They can be as cold or as warm as you want them to be. That changes with whatever socks you wear with them. If its hot out, wear like thin liners like say running socks or something. If its cold out, get out a pair of ski socks. And though ive warn them w/o socks once cause it was just that hot out that day, id recommend socks every time.

as far as the bungee laces go, i wouldnt have mine any other way. the stock laces suck and come untied really easily (and trust me im good at knots). the bungee keeps them nice and tight arround your ankle, giving you more support, and just overall making the boot fit better.
 
i accuattaly had laser practice on monday and today and sailed barefoot and it seemed to work alright. does anyone think that barefoot is better?
 
I stopped sailing barefoot for 2 reasons: 1. The mainsheet gets stuck between my toes causing all kinds of havoc at the wrong times, and 2. I launch at a beach where there are rocks and stones that are hard on my feet when hauling out.
 
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