Anyone have a pair of booties they are actually happy with?
I have two pairs and both despite being "snug" are real toe bashes that make my big toe numb after one hour in the water......
I'd really like to find thing more akin to a strong sock than the stupid hard plastic toe busters they have in most.....
Anyone make a call on which boots are best?
Water down here is starting to get pretty cold, and gets harder to ride your board when you feet feel like dead bits of meat tied to the end of some sticks.........
I had the same issue with mine and they were causing my feet to cramp. I went to the local dive shop looking for neoprene socks and the bloke who owns it put me onto some Quicksilver boots instead. They were a little more solid in the sole than the socks but still very soft, flexible and comfortable (They were also closer to $50 than the $15 socks 
). They felt great in the shop but I haven't had a chance to try them on the water yet. I'll let you know how they go.
Kurt, you may be doing this already but it might be easier trying to keep your upper body as warm as possible rather than worrying too much about your feet. Eg. Really warm wetsuit, rashie underneath, beanie or helmet, etc. I even throw on my np flotation vest when it's really cold and that cuts out a lot of the chill. I then get 2-3 hours on the water before my hands and feet go numb. I tried the ninja's a few years back and found them very uncomfortable which also affected my sailing.
I wear and recommend these: www.tactics.com/
They are very soft and comfortable and being only 1mm thick I don't notice any decreased sensation from the board, but definitely decreased sensation of sharp rocks etc! My feet used to go numb in winter before I got these, now they don't get cold even though these are only 1mm neoprene. I bought some polypro socks to wear with them but I haven't needed them.
Footstraps do need to be slightly enlarged when wearing the booties so you can slip in and out more easily.
Lots of top WA sailors wear these all year round. I keep mine for winter.
^^^ I've got a pair of those excel split-toes & they do the job here in chilly Vic, but just a warning - if you have cankles like I do, the velcro will keep letting go. I'm thinking of upgrading...
FCS made a nice pair, but i can't find them lately. soles where longer lasting than other brands and thick neoprene (durable)
i have now got a pair of excells too. the nice thing is the velcro strap is higher up the boot and doesn't interfere with footstrap, sole is quite durable, but the neoprene is thinner than other brands
I am forced to wear boots all year due to exceesive blood thinners and already having had a lot of stitches in my feet from where I sail.
Recent findings for me - Atan - BRILLIANT, bit sticky at first but really good but only last about 100 2 hour sessions before you have worn completely through the sole - and you need to start fixing the sole from about session 60.....They are by far the best option out there for comfort and barefoot feeling
Oneill - Stink after 5 sessions! comfy but cant get rid of the smell, also my winter ones just leaked water into the split toe giving me frozen toes all the time.
Ion Ballistic sole - new to me, bit sticky but think thats wearing away, look smaller/thinner but actually needed to widen my straps a lot compared to my winter oneill superfreaks. Really comfy, really stong sole that is also quite thin so you dont lose too much feeling, only problem I have found is they fill up quickly and you end up wearing 2 water balloons on your feet.
Ion do a 'ballistic' sock, same special sole but even thinner, I want to try a pair. I wish I could sail barefoot again but cant. I cut my finger on a fin and it didnt stop bleeding for about 6 hours, last time I stood on something barefoot in the sea I sliced my toe to the bone, probably a razor shell or broken glass......warfarin is a horrible medication to be on!
Kurt, I bought a pair of Ripcurl E-Bombs as I was sick of cutting my feet and being sea urchinned at Ricketts ( plus I saw one of those scary blue ringed octupusses in the sea grass!!!!)
I find them pretty good even though I had to cop **** from Spotti for windsurfing in my socks. You need to make sure you cut your toe nails nice and short other wise you will definitely have the squashed toe syndrome.
I had a liitle bit of trouble my new F2 SX which has those super lightweight footstraps, they tend to stick a bit and hard to get your foot out when gybing. Don't seem to have that problem with conventional straps.
Good morning, K Dog,
I've been using a Mirage Classic, 5mm round-toe boot for many years now (http://www.prodivecentralcoast.com.au/shoponline/prod96.htm). I get mine from Mac's Water Ski World, 360 South Road, Moorabbin, ph. 9553 0915. Price is about $47. The boots are also available from Scuba dive outlets as a "dive boot".
There is another brand of boot named named Mares that looks the same as the Mirage but the Mares have the sole wrapped up over the toe and onto the top of the boot. I found this wrapping makes it harder to remove your foot from the footstraps because the wrap catches the footstrap.
I have tried RipCurl, NP and other exotic types, but they either failed for me because the split-toe seam rode up into the joint between my big toe and 2nd toe (causing excruciating pain) or they just plain wore out the sole 'way before the Mirage boots. I also did not find that their exotic features were worth paying extra money for, given the problems I had.
Agree with Mr. Love that you must keep your toenails short, otherwise the nail on your big toe will cut through the boot from the inside.
I sail all year and wear boots year-round and find the Mirages wear out the soles in about 15 months. I re-sole the boots with Selly's Spread Sole and keep the old set with my gear in case I leave the main set at home. I flush the boots after use with fresh water, also using a ? capful of Dettol mixed with the water to control odour.
I don't find the 5mm thickness interferes with the board "feeling" whilst sailing. You will probably have to open up your footstraps to accommodate a boot and, if you have big feet, you may have to move one footstrap connector one hole further along, to accommodate the bigger size.
Hope this helps.
Yep I had the same at Hampton. 6 dots all evenly spaced 4 of them with Black stuff in them.
I am pretty sure they were are sea urchins that hang near the rocks.
