right? a little goop and they'll be as good as new

I wear Merrell water shoes -- more for sun protection than anything else. They are great.
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$T2eC16VHJGY...NMrWg~~_32.JPG

Barefoot when warm..and booties when cold..but I'll go barefoot then too sometimes..

I really like those. What store carries that brand?

Couple questions...
Do you launch barefoot then put those on afterwards? Or do you walk right into the water with those?

I think mine were from REI, but they may not carry them anymore. I just checked Amazon and they have these. They are called Merrell Waterpro Maipo.

I put these on at home and wear them the whole time until I land the kayak at the end of the day. I throw them in the trunk for the drive home, just to minimize the amount of sand in the car. They are great if you have to park a ways from the launch point and wheel your kayak down the sidewalk or such. I also wear them when I go surf fishing from the beach or whenever else I think I might encounter water -- boats, exploring tide pools, etc.

I use these and love them


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._UL1500_.jpg

Thanks for the info!

Do you find that they dry pretty quickly after you launch? Or do they stay a little wet all day?

I saw those at Sports Challet. I liked them but they looked like they had a decent amount of padding that wouldn't completely dry after launching in them. Do you find that to be the case or do they totally dry out throughout the day?

They dry really quick, the padding does not absorb water.

To be honest I don't ever think about them too much when I'm on the water. Whether they are wet or dry, they don't bother me. Now that I think about it, I would have to say that they stay a little wet all day. In fact, I usually hang them up to dry on a close line when I get home.

Thank you for the info

Check out these...
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/tev...colorFamily=10
FFY :sifone:

Vibram Five Finger shoes.

The Hobie pedals' horizontal pattern non-skid gets to be a pain after about a half day.

The Vibrams are perfect and don't waterlog my feet.

I have a couple of pairs of actual kayak shoes that really seem to work well. They're completely vented so that water and sand can drain out. Easier than than an old pair of tennis shoes and easier on the feet than going barefoot and trying to land on sharp shells, rocks, boat ramps, etc... And they're quick drying, so after a hard day on the water, you can rinse them off, dry them and they're good to go.

The real reason why I got them is that for some reason my feet get terribly sunburned very easily. Not sure why, but no amount of sunscreen will keep them from burning. Go figure.....

Red Pumps, in case I take on water

Seriously, scuba booties with a tread on the bottom. My feet are too pale to be exposed to sun for too long.

So I decided to go with a pair of surf shoes from O'niel. They look like a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor knock offs. They are neoprene and have drain holes so they do dry out much faster than I expected. Extremely comfortable. They worked perfectly. We shall see how they hold up over time. Not bad for $30

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I wear Tevas.

As far as the smell goes, I hose them off and hang them to dry after each use just like my PFD.