C-Forum

Level6 creek booties are good. They are low profile enough to get in to tight boats but have decent soles for grip and such. I like them alot for creekin and the price isn't too bad. Tevas seem to fall apart fast IMHO. If you can find some of the old lotus playboots those are the best boating shoes ever made

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp? ... eptid=1169

NRS paddle wetshoe. They are warm, comfy, and the soles are good on rough terrain (railroad gravel). They work in all of my boats except the c1s with race style cockpits. The heals will hang up on the rim potentially hindering escape.

If you find a good study soled alternative for race boat use, please pass it on.

NRS Kickers fit all of my boats, including my cquirt. They were too big for a master cut Acrobat though. For the MCA, I used the Wavesport socks w/ the Kevlar soles. It hurt to walk on gravel w/ these. The Skirtworks version looks better.

For use w/ a drysuit, I get the cheapo water shoes from Wings or some similiar beach shop. Get them a size large so you can fit the drysuit socks & a couple of pairs of thick socks underneath. If you're lucky, they'll last a winter.

Larry Horne wrote:the keen payettes fit in my creekboat.

I use the Payettes, but it doesn't look like they're made anymore.

that doesn't suprise me. it seems any good shoe is made for only a short while and then discontinued.
next time I find a good shoe i'm buying 5 pairs.

Larry Horne wrote:that doesn't suprise me. it seems any good shoe is made for only a short while and then discontinued.
next time I find a good shoe i'm buying 5 pairs.

LOL, I do that with street shoes (well, not 5 pairs) - paddling shoes, for me at least, it takes a little longer to figure out if they are comfortable and durable.

Have size 15 feet, and the last c-1 I paddled was my Dagger slalom boat. I started with a rodeo sock from NRS or Chota. Then I glued a layer of neoprene on the bottom for more sole protection, being careful to avoid creating a "heel" that would hang up on exit. Finally, I glued a layer of neoprene on the top of the foot, going up a bit onto the ankle, to pad my feet while kneeling on the tops of my feet.

This worked quite well until, after a knee injury, I couldn't kneel that low for very long.

I inherited a pair of split toe surf booties when my son bought a bunch of used windsurfing gear. I'm paddling a Cascade with a 6.5" saddle height, size 9.5 feet.

I can't find the exact item anymore, but these look similar:

http://www.bodyglove.com/store/products ... ct_id=9717

They aren't perfect, I could live with a slightly thicker sole. On sharp gravel I still need to be a bit careful, but they give more protection than neoprene socks. I ended up jogging the shuttle on the lower Russell Fork with no knee/foot problems the next day.

The nice thing about them is that the uppers are very flexible, I have no problems folding my feet back.

The split toes I could take or leave, but I got this pair for free, when they wear out I might try the round toe version.

As a side note, I tried cheapie, below the ankle beech shoes over neoprene socks but had them peeled off my feet in a very minor swim.

I could not find a pair of Payettes mid season, so I bought a pair of the Stolquist Cavemans. I like the foot protection in the event of a swim or helping in a rescue situation.

Hey, just saw that merrell is also coming up with something new next year... looks promising to me not sure how well they are adapted for watersport but the minimal sole is still thick enough where you need it...

http://www.feedthehabit.com/outdoors/me ... -for-2011/

I use the NRS Kicker shoes - have a thick enough sole for tough portages etc, but still fit in everything, even my too-small slalom boat. They're really low-cut around the ankle, so easy to lay your feet flat.
Watch out for cheap Walmart etc. shoes, I managed to lose 2 pairs downriver on one trip - they don't stay on too well.