After spending several days racing in Sperry’s SeaRacer sailing boots, I’m ready to share my opinion of them.
Likes
Starting at the bottom, the Hydro-Grip outsoles are some of the stickiest I’ve worn. Evidence suggests that the stickier outsoles are more likely to harden and become noticeably slicker if you wear them off-boat a lot, especially on very hot pavement. I’m particular about not wearing my sailing shoes much off the boat.
The uppers are mostly leather and mesh, with a waterproof, breathable lining. They do a great job keeping your feet dry and warm, and when the weather turned warmer and my upper body was sweating, my feet never got swampy. Their durability is great, as well: I can’t see much visible wear on them at all, unlike the mesh-upper SeaRacer shoes that were holed in a matter of hours. I’m mostly up on the foredeck, so my shoes take a beating.
Dislikes
I do have a couple of criticisms of these sailing boots. They are very loose in the instep, which makes them very easy to get on and off, but also means that my feet like to slide forward and cram my toes. It isn’t adjustable in any way, which is a shame. At some point I will try some ski socks and see if they help, since they have a bunch of extra padding on the instep and shin. The other little niggle is with the elastic drawstring around the top of the boot. It does help keep water out of the boots, but there is very little padding around it, and if it’s snugged tightly it’s not comfortable. If I had taller socks that would probably help. Hopefully tall ski socks are the killer combo to make these boots perfect.
Conclusion
The SeaRacer sailing boots are a great value at $189. Their closest competitors are Musto’s HPX Ocean Boots ($269), with very similar features and construction, with Vibram soles that will cushion you better if you spend a lot of time on your feet. Another option is the Dubarry Newport boot, which has a GORE-TEX lining for better breathability at a higher cost of $329.