For men and women: These boat shoes perform best in the test
Except in winter or when sailing at night in bad weather, when boots are the first choice, the right shoes are one of the most important items of clothing for every sailor. They can also be useful in midsummer or in tropical areas to protect your feet from injury during active sailing.
Even more important than protection is the significantly better grip compared to bare feet. In addition to better grip, the shoes must be able to do a lot more: The feet should be well ventilated and the shoe must fit comfortably.
For him and her
This time we tested both men's and women's shoes. However, only pairs explicitly labelled as women's models were tested. If a shoe is labelled as a unisex model, the performance of the sole will not change, regardless of whether the shoes are worn by a male or female sailor. Gill, Helly Hansen, Dubarry and TBS were represented in the test field with one men's and one women's shoe each. The Musto Dynamic Pro II Adapt is also available in a women's version, while the men's version was tested. The Fuze from Zhik is a unisex model, as is the Sunrise II from Lizard.
The main components of the test were to determine the grip of the soles on three different deck surfaces, water absorption and drying behaviour as well as the sole's ability to absorb dirt and stones.
Put through its paces in the editorial shower
To ensure that the test conditions remained the same for all shoes, the test was not carried out on board, but on boards with a deck covering (teak rod deck, textured GRP and Treadmaster) in the editorial shower. This allowed the gradient to be set to the exact degree and a total of six values for the grip of the sole to be determined for each shoe. The three surfaces were also tested with a wet deck and wet sole. Most of the values are well above what is considered comfortable on a sailing boat and should hardly occur in everyday sailing. Nevertheless, this test is a very good way of testing the potential of the soles. Especially as a static load was measured in the test, but the shoe is also subjected to dynamic loads on deck and the sole is not fully put on every time. However, the following applies to the result: the more incline the shoe can withstand, the better it is for everyday use on board.
This time's test showed that although there were certainly differences between the boat shoes in terms of grip on deck, fortunately no model failed completely.
And this is how the different models perform:
Dubarry Aruba ladies
The elegant women's shoe with a very grippy sole absorbs hardly any moisture and dries very quickly. Although it does not collect stones when walking on land, it does collect an unpleasant amount of sand in the sole. The insole is rather thin. In the yacht test, the Dubarry Aruba three out of five possible stars.
Dubarry Regatta Men
The men's test winner scored five out of five possible stars and impressed with its very grippy sole, which only slips away very slowly even when wet on deck. In addition, the Dubarry Regatta with elasticated ventilation inserts on the sides and a moulded insole.
Gill Race Trainer Ladies
Best grip in the test: The Gill Race Trainer even cracked the 40-degree mark! It has drains on the underside of the sole, which meant that water quickly got into the shoe during the test. However, it dries well, has a shock-absorbing insole and does not collect stones when walking on land. This makes it the overall winner of the women's test.
Gill Mawgan Trainer Men
Airy, well-fitting shoe. The heel is thickly padded on the inside and the sole is highly cushioned. However, it dries very slowly and performed significantly worse in the slip test than the Race Trainer, also from Gill, which has a completely different sole. Overall, the Mawgan Trainer two out of five points in the test.
Helly Hansen Feathering Ladies
The shoes are very light, excellently ventilated and offer good support and a high level of comfort. In addition, the Helly Hansen Feathering on land with its sole of fine, undulating grooves and large channels. It therefore scores four out of five points.
Helly Hansen Burghee Foil Men
Very comfortable to wear, airy shoe. The sole offers good support. The Burghee Foil fits very well, but absorbs a lot of water. Four out of five points.
Lizard Sunrise II Men
This is the price-performance winner: the sole of the Lizard Sunrise II has fine grooves, large channels and a knife cut. The drainage is slightly raised, the sole is highly cushioned and ventilated. A clip on the laces prevents them from getting caught.
Musto Dynamic Pro II Adapt Men
Previous tests had shown that the drainage channels in the shoes not only allow water to run off, but also to penetrate easily. Although Musto has retained the sole of the Dynamic Pro, the drainage channels in the Dynamic Pro II Adapt closed. The shoe now fits better. Four out of five points.
TBS Cladell ladies
The shoes fit a little loosely, but still offer good lateral support. The sole support is rather midfield: the TBS Cladell achieves three out of five points with its honeycomb-shaped knobs and hollows.
TBS Baynton Men
Alongside the Lizard, one of the cheapest shoes in the test. The sole doesn't have a particularly good grip, but collects little dirt. The feel of the TBS Baynton is very pleasant. Three out of five points.
Zhik Fuse Men
The Zhik Fuse has a slightly modified sole that still offers very good grip but collects less dirt. The raised drainage prevents water from entering. The sole with its large zigzag grooves offers good lateral grip. The shoe adapts well to the foot. Four out of five points.
Decisive: the fitting
Recommended for many items of equipment, but essential for shoes. Wearing comfort is very individual and is therefore not rated. The same applies to the look of the footwear. Whether the test winner is to your liking is up to you.
In the end, all shoes scored well in the test, and even shoes with lower scores will work on deck: No model failed the test.
You can read the full test, published in YACHT 12/20, in the PDF download (subject to a charge).
