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Yachting Monthly

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Best sailing boots: 9 of the best seaboots tested in Dutch sea trial

• Graham Snook
• October 7, 2020

Wherever and whenever you sail, sea boots are essential if you want the comfort of warm, dry feet. The Yachting Monthly team set about testing a range of options to find the best sailing boots on offer

Not many people like to think of sailing in heavy weather but the reality is that it happens. It has been said that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong choice of clothing, so unless you can guarantee your conditions will always be warm and sunny, sailing boots are an item of kit that everyone should have.

A good pair of sea boots should see you through many a night watch or wet and windy beat to windward. Quite aside from the obvious role of keeping your feet dry, the best sailing boots will need to cover a number of bases.

Read our guide to the newest models of sailing boots on the market right now

They need to be warm, comfortable and offer grip that you can trust, as well as being easy to get on and off during both day and night. It also helps if they can be folded down to make the most of the space in your kitbags.

In the interest of fairness, and simple curiosity, we also tried a pair of £10 Planet Plastic wellington boots, but as these weren’t designed for yachts and as it became immediately clear that they provided little grip on board, they were dispatched to a locker on the first day, not to reappear.

9 of the best sailing boots tried and tested

The boots weren’t as sticky as the others on test, slipping at 43° in the dry

Gill Tall Yachting Boot

**BEST BUDGET BUY**

SPECIFICATIONS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 5.5-13/39-48 | UPPER: Rubber | LINING: Polyester | SOLE: Rubber | GAITER: No

Reasons to buy

– Great value for money – Plenty of space for socks and comfort

Reasons to avoid

– Lacking design features and insulation

These boots are comfortable and easily the cheapest sea boot in our test. A shorter sailing boot variant is also available, and both come in junior sizes.

While they lack the design and features of the other boots on test, they were comfy, even if they weren’t as well insulated or the grip as sticky (43° in the dry).

There’s plenty of space in the boot’s toe box so toes don’t feel cramped and there is space for warm socks. They were easy enough to get on, but, like Le Chameau Alizé (below), the high leg might not fit everyone’s leg shape.

Where many of the other boots taper around the ankle to give a secure fit, these didn’t.

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The Michelin sole offered secure footing – 47° in the dry and 53° in the wet

LE CHAMEAU ALIZE SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 6-12/39-47 | UPPER: Natural rubber | LINING: Ponti | SOLE: Rubber | GAITER: Yes

– Soft and subtle for rubber boots – Good grip

– Slim fit on calves

If your calves are wide, getting these boots on could pose problems, which is a shame because they are good sailing boots. The rubber boots have a leg that is tall and narrow, with a small top gaiter.

We had the Ponti lining version, which didn’t provide much insulation, but they are available with a neoprene liner for an extra £20 on top of the £150 RRP.

The sole is made by Michelin and gave secure footing on board, slipping at 47° in the dry and 53° in the wet.

The rubber these sailing boots are made from is extremely supple and they were very comfortable – like wearing trainers. Because they were secure, they were more difficult to get off.

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After a disappointing start, the grip improved to 49° in the dry after a few days’ wear

DUBARRY ULTIMA SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 5-12/38-47 | UPPER: Leather | LINING: Gore-Tex | SOLE: Polyurethane/rubber | GAITER: No

– High quality boots – Soft, pliable leather

– Pricy

These all-leather upper sailing boots had a lovely quality to them. The leather was soft and pliable and the whole team agreed they were the best looking and felt beautiful.

They have a loop to help pull them on, as well as a stretch panel at the back and they are also available in ‘ExtraFit’ sizes for the wide calved among us.

Again, the grip was disappointing to begin with but improved after a few days’ wear to 49° in the dry and slightly more in the wet.

The leather, with the Gore-Tex lining gave plenty of insulation without too much bulk, although the fit was rather hit and miss with our test team.

Buy it now on Dubarry.com

Buy it now on RobinsonsShoes.com

After initially disappointing grip results, the soles improved over time

DUBARRY CROSSHAVEN SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 5-12/38-47 | UPPER: Leather/ Gore-Tex/Cordura | LINING: Gore-Tex | SOLE: Polyurethane/rubber | GAITER: Yes

– Loads of features for comfort and ease of use – Great weather proofing

– Initial grip not great – Expensive

The large gaiter, with two retro reflective stripes, conceals handy leather tabs with finger holes to help pull these Gore-Tex-lined sailing boots on. They are very well made, as one would expect for the price.

The lower section of the sailing boot is leather with a protective rubber panel around the toe and heel of the foot, which also gives grip to kick them off easily.

The fit is a bit narrow, especially around the toes, but the soft insulated lining helps them fit well.

Initially the grip was 44° in the dry, but testing a worn pair (owned by one of our team) showed their grip improves over time.

Buy it now from Dubarry.com

They were very comfortable and the soles achieved good grip up to 53° in the dry

MUSTO OCEAN RACER SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 4-13/37-48 | UPPER: Synthetic/Cordura | LINING: Gore-Tex | SOLE: Gripdeck rubber | GAITER: Yes

– Unique lacing system makes for a great fit – Great grip in dry and wet

– Fairly bulky – Gaiter toggle can get in the way

These sailing boots were very comfortable with good grip to 53° in the dry. They are the top-of-the-range boots from Musto and have a unique elasticated lacing system.

This gives the sailing boots a snug fit around the leg, although we thought this could have been more useful if it continued further down to the ankle or the foot.

The Cordura gaiters are good, but the toggle at the back digs in if you’re helming with your calves resting against a surface.

There’s a fabric loop at the rear of the boot to aid getting them on, but it’s a bit fiddly to use. In spite of their bulk, these sailing boots gained praise from our testers.

Buy it now via Musto

The bouncy soles absorb impact well and offered the best grip on test

ZHIK ZK SEABOOT

**BEST ON TEST**

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 5-12/38-47 | UPPER: Rubber/neoprene | LINING: Merino/neoprene | SOLE: Rubber | GAITER: Yes

– Very warm and very comfortable – Gaiters to keep out water

– Style might not appeal to all

The bold branding might not be for everyone, but these sailing boots had the best grip on test (54° dry, 53° wet) even if they did squeak annoyingly against the deck.

They were warm and extremely comfortable, thanks in part to the Merino lining and bouncy soles that absorb impact.

The gaiters were good, although the toggles on the inner leg catch each other unless they are tucked in. There were good handles on the front and rear of the leg to help get them on and off.

The neoprene helps to keep them light and easy to stow. If your mid-foot is high, you may find the fit a bit tight. Zhik also offers a sailing boot without the gaiter.

The team were impressed with the grip, which slipped at 52° in both wet and dry conditions

GILL PERFORMANCE RACE BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 5.5-11/39-46 | UPPER: Synthetic | LINING: Soft-touch polyester | SOLE: Thermoplastic polyurethane | GAITER: No

– Useful side handles with which to pull boots on – Very good grip

– Side handles add bulk

The team agreed these warm, breathable sailing boots from Gill were good and solid. The leg of the boot did feel stiff, but softer than the Henri Lloyd boot and it may well soften more in time.

The large side handles (one on each side) add bulk, but make getting them on easy, while the prominent wedge on the heel makes removing them easy by catching it under the toe of the other foot without damaging them.

The leg of the sailing boot is fabric with protective areas around the ankles, while the base/outsole is moulded TPU.

The sole had a good grip and offered a reading of 52° in both wet and dry before it slipped.

The soles feature a razor-cut grip which didn’t inspire much confidence

HENRI-LLOYD SHADOW SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 4-12/37-47 | UPPER: Leather/Cordura | LINING: Dri-Lex | SOLE: Dual compound | GAITER: No

– Good wet grip – Good insulation

– Initially very stiff

The team found these sailing boots were stiff, and while they would soften with time, until then you’ll have to deal with an aggressive leather edge on the top.

On the plus side, they do have a good loop on the rear to make it easier to pull them on.

The soles feature a razor-cut grip which didn’t inspire confidence to start with, confirmed by a dry reading of 45°, but a better angle of 48° in the wet.

They have good insulation and are well made, although the lack of a heel kick was a shame. The ankle of the boot did have a tendency to dig in a little while kneeling down on deck.

The suction-cup design on the sole gave 50° grip in the dry and 54° in the wet

LE CHAMEAU NEPTUNE SAILING BOOTS

SIZE RANGE: UK/EU 6-12/39-47 | UPPER: Rubber | LINING: Neoprene | SOLE: Rubber | GAITER: Yes RRP: £290

– Very good grip – Great at keeping water out

– Gaiter toggle can get in the way – Socks tend to get pulled off when removing your foot

As worn by Volvo Ocean Race crews, these are serious sailing boots. The neoprene liner provides insulation while the suction-cup design on the sole gives good grip: 50° in the dry, 54° in the wet.

There’s raw rubber inside the boot around the heel to grip feet snugly, although it also gripped socks, managing to pull them down inside the boot.

They have a well-drained gaiter that stops the Velcro on oilskin trousers from coming undone and helps keep water out.

The toggle at the back of the gaiter, however, digs into your leg when you’re kneeling down.

Buy it now on lechameau.com

CONCLUSION: WHICH SAILING BOOTS PERFORMED BEST?

The cost will be a big consideration, with £284 covering the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive. For value for money, no other sailing boots on test could compete with the Gill Tall Yachting Boot . The fact they come in short or tall and sizes down to UK size 4 only adds to their appeal.

The Chameau Alizé is a good mid-range boot, as is the Gill Performance, but spending a little more will get you boots with gaiters.

The Musto sailing boots were extremely good, although they were pricey, and for that reason they were pipped to the top spot by the Zhik ZK Seaboot , which had the best grip, good gaiters, were warm and comfortable to spend the day in, and are easy to put on and take off.

All the boots were put through a rigorous wet and dry incline test.

HOW WE TESTED THE SAILING BOOTS

The sailing boots were initially tested over a three-day sailing trip in Dutch waters.While our evenings below decks were warm, the temperature during the day was bitterly cold.

The boots were worn by the YM test team and swapped regularly so we all got a chance to wear different boots as we went about our different roles on board, in both rain and shine.

The sailing boots were then subjected to a wet and dry incline test on the bathing platform of the Bestevaer 45ST Pure , which we could adjust by winching the halyard attached to the end.

After the initial test, the team then wore the sailing boots that fitted them best over the season and reported back.

Some manufacturers do produce boots specifically for female sailors, but most of the sailing boots we tested were unisex and came in a wide range of sizes for both men and women.

All photos: Graham Snook Photography

Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated sailing page for more marine products.

The Best Sailing Shoes For The 2024 Season

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

January 2, 2024

The best sailing shoes are both waterproof and slip-resistant. Outdoor boots are popular, but specialty sailing shoes are available.

Traditional sailing shoes are typically made of suede or similar material and feature a low-profile design and relatively flat soles. Modern sailing shoes are designed for offshore use and made of waterproof synthetic material.

Table of contents

Types of Sailing Shoes

Sailing shoes come in two primary types. These are stylish traditional sailing shoes (which are made of natural materials) and modern waterproof offshore sailing shoes. Both are practical and useful aboard sailboats.

Traditional Sailing Shoes

Traditional sailing shoes have been around for almost a century. These shoes, also known as "yacht shoes," are made from suede leather and are soft and flexible. They're not usually waterproof, but they can be made more water-resistant using chemical treatments.

Traditional sailing shoes are primarily used as a style statement, but they can be quite practical for some sailors. After all, they were designed to be used on boats. They utilize a flat sole that features a unique non-slip texture, which was designed to give sailors traction on a wet deck.

Modern Waterproof Sailing Shoes

Modern waterproof sailing shoes are made from synthetic materials and engineered for traction on wet surfaces. These shoes are preferred by offshore sailing crews who need to stay warm and dry in rough weather conditions.

Sailing Boots

Sailing boots are often used in conjunction with full-body foul weather gear. These boots resemble snow or rain boots, and they're made of a waterproof material such as rubber.

Sailing boots are often reserved for foul weather, as they're heavier and more clumsy than modern lightweight sailing shoes. That said, every offshore sailor should have a set of waterproof boots onboard.

Best Traditional Sailing Shoes

Traditional sailing shoes are practical, stylish, and still widely available. High-quality examples can last for years, and they're a staple of yacht clubs and sailing organizations across the country. Here are four of the best traditional sailboat shoes.

1. Sperry Leeward Boat Shoe 

Sperry practically invented the 20th-century boat shoe, and they're still the go-to shoe company for sailors across the world. The Sperry Leeward Boat Shoe  is an excellent introduction to traditional boat shoes.

Sperry's traditional Leeward shoe is a tan leather slip-on deck shoe made of a water-resistant hide. It features a rubber sole, which incorporates the Sperry anti-slip design that's popular across the line.

The design of the shoe is simple, and it's stitched together using thick and sturdy thread for long service life. Its water-resistant treatment makes it easy to clean and quick to dry should it become waterlogged.

This traditional marine shoe is both comfortable and stylish, making it ideal for regattas and dockside events. Despite its looks, the Sperry Leeward shoe is also practical. The Sperry Top-Deck line is popular with sailors and boat owners, as it stands up well to spray and slippery conditions.

2. L.L. Bean Casco Bay Boat Mocs

L.L. Bean is another household name in traditional boat shoes. While not as ubiquitous as Sperry, L.L. Bean shoes are an excellent choice for traditional sailing footwear.

L.L. Bean Casco Bay Boat Mocs  are made in the traditional boat shoe style. They're slip-on by design and feature a low-profile sole with a very slight heel. L.L. Bean uses a different sole design philosophy, opting for a non-textured material.

Counterintuitively, the L.L. Bean flat non-textured sole actually has excellent anti-slip characteristics. It's made of sturdy leather that resists sliding on wet decks, and it features slight outsole siphons to increase grip on wet surfaces.

The L.L. Bean Casco Bay Boat shoe is constructed with durable yet flexible leather that is comfortable and easy to clean. It features a leather liner inside, which works well with short socks and wears evenly over time.

That said, the leather liner is designed to work with or without socks. This is a plus, as it makes taking the shoe on and off easy after a day on the beach or walking around the deck barefoot.

These shoes feature a lace-up top with leather laces. They can be tied and left in place, as this is a slip-on shoe. The L.L. Bean Casco Bay shoe can be worn with or without socks, just like the Sperry mentioned above.

3. J. Crew Classic Leather Boat Shoes

J. Crew produces an affordable and classic-looking set of boat shoes that are ideal for a first set. These shoes are made of suede-like leather, and they feature a non-slip rubber sole with a traditional profile.

J. Crew Classic Leather sailing shoes  follow the stylistic trends of early boat shoes, yet they incorporate some modern materials that make them more practical for use on a sailboat. These include a non-marking rubber sole that's specifically designed to improve traction on wet and dry surfaces.

These J. Crew boat shoes feature leather laces in a way similar to the L.L. Bean Casco Bay shoe. Like the L.L. Bean variants, these shoes can be worn with or without socks.

The leather is treated for easy cleaning, and they're hand-stitched for strength and longevity. The laces come through the sides of the shoe through grommets, which helps prevent the leather from wearing or breaking around the entry and exit points.

These classic boat shoes are a perfect first pair, and they're affordable enough to wear frequently. They also function as sailboat shoes, which is a plus as many new "boat shoes" are designed for looks only.

4. Sperry Gold Cup Original Boat Shoe

Sperry Gold Cup boat shoes  are a classic and premium boat shoe. It features the standard Sperry anti-slip sole and durable leather construction for long life and easy cleaning.

Like most standard Sperry shoes, the Gold Cup Original series is designed to be used on a sailboat or yacht. The shoe's design is based on the original Sperry, which was worn by sailors and yacht owners for decades.

Sperry shoe soles are lightly scored and made with a coarse rubber material that resists slip on wet decks. They're excellent for teak and fiberglass decks and add a layer of security to existing non-slip surfaces.

The shoes themselves follow the classic Sperry design philosophy. They're made from a non-suede leather that's water-resistant and dries out quickly, and they feature leather laces fed through 18k gold plated eyelets.

These shoes feature durable stitching that's used to extend their service life. Inside the shoe, a lambskin lining makes it comfortable to wear with or without socks. The Sperry Gold Cup shoe is a high-quality sailing shoe that's ideal for warm conditions.

Best Modern Sailing Shoes

Although modern sailing shoes lack the aesthetic appeal of traditional sailing shoes, they offer the added convenience of modern design and the functionality of synthetic materials. Here are four of the best modern shoes for sailing.

1. Atlantic Heritage Comfort Boat Shoe

The Atlantic Heritage Comfort Boat Shoe  combines traditional styling with modern functionality. It features a suede and stitched appearance and the design of a modern running shoe, and it offers superior support and anti-slip characteristics.

The primary drawback of flat-soled shoes is that they can be uncomfortable, especially if you have foot, back, or knee problems. The Atlantic Heritage shoe eliminates these issues, as it offers the support of a modern shoe.

The primary selling point of the Atlantic Heritage shoe is comfort. It's designed specifically to offer all-day comfort when standing on the deck or walking alongshore. They work just as well on sand and gravel, and they offer elevation in all the right places.

The Atlantic Heritage shoe features a proprietary anti-slip sole, which is designed to provide traction without leaving marks. They stand up to water well, despite the fact that they're not technically waterproof.

2. DLGJPA Lightweight Aqua Water Shoes

The DLGJPA Lightweight Aqua Water shoe  series is a radical departure from what most people would consider a traditional boat shoe. These woven shoes are designed for grip and use in wet conditions.

The Aqua Water shoe series takes a different approach to water resistance. Instead of keeping water out, they're designed to let it flow around and inside of the shoe. The woven body of the shoe dries almost as quickly as it gets wet.

The Aqua Water shoe is a warm-weather shoe designed for wet tropical environments and water sports. They're especially useful for launching boats if you need to get in the water to guide the vessel.

The bottom of the Aqua Water shoe is perforated for quick draining. These shoes are highly breathable and ultralight, making them a comfortable and non-slip option for warm weather sailing. 

3. Riomar Deck Driver Stingray Boat Shoe

Are you looking for traditional styling with a modern non-slip grip? The Riomar Deck Driver Stingray  is the perfect combination of style and modern materials for use in wet and dry sailing conditions .

A unique feature of the Riomar Deck Driver is the sole. It features a series of protruding rubber buttons that conform to the shape of the ground for optimal grip.

These shoes are non-marking, which is especially important for boats with polished white fiberglass deck spaces. The shoes are flexible and comfortable and designed to be worn with or without socks.

Riomar is a well-known producer of marine shoes, and the Deck Driver Stingray is the culmination of years of experience making high-quality sailboat shoes. These shoes are ideal if you're looking for an attractive and practical modern sailing shoe.

4. Swims Waterproof Penny Loafer

Here's a unique and modern machine-washable sailing shoe designed for comfort and good looks. The Swims Penny Loafer  is a well-executed take on an old design and an excellent choice for warm-weather sailing.

The Swims Penny Loafer is completely waterproof and designed for use in wet conditions. It's washable and contains antimicrobial materials to stay sanitary even in the worst conditions.

The shoe features a proven traction sole design with scoring and anti-slip compounds. It's ideal for walking around fiberglass or wooden deck and maintains traction when the deck is wet. 

These shoes are designed to look like penny loafers, which means they're both stylish and comfortable. They can be worn with or without socks, but they're designed primarily for sockless use.

Swims Waterproof Penny Loafer sailboat shoes are currently available in light blue, gray, brown, black, and dark blue. Two-tone gray and neon green are available, and the rest of the colors feature a close-to-matching sole.

Best Sailboat Boots for Rough Weather

Warm weather and calm conditions aren't the only things that sailors encounter. Thus, it's a good idea to have a set of waterproof sailing boots to accompany your foul weather gear. Here are the three best sailboat boots for less-than-ideal sailing conditions.

1. Xtratuf 6 in Ankle Deck Boots

These modern deck boots are the perfect way to prepare for rough weather onboard a sailboat. They're comfortable and waterproof and slip on easily without any laces.

The lack of laces on these boots is more than just convenience. Laces pose a hazard on a sailboat, as it's easy to get them snagged on a cleat or trip while walking around the deck. The Xtratuf 6 Ankle Deck Boots eliminate this hazard.

Aesthetically, these are attractive boots that go well with foul-weather gear. They're not noticeably larger than standard fishing boots. In fact, they're lower-profile than most foul weather boots. That makes them an excellent choice for fair and inclement weather

These are low boots, as they only reach about halfway up the ankle. They're made of a waterproof rubber material that's comfortable, durable, and easy to clean. Xtratuf sailing boots also feature a flat non-slip sole for traction when moving about the deck.

2. Gill Short Cruising Boots

Here's a traditional sailboat boot that's designed for comfort, safety, and water resistance. These "short" boots are fairly tall and ideal for pairing with the waterproof pants from your foul weather gear.

Gill Short Cruising Boots  are designed specifically for marine use, which makes them ideal for keeping aboard a sailboat. The soles feature a proprietary design that offers durability and superior anti-slip properties.

These boots resemble traditional fishing boots or barn muck boots, but they're designed for waterproof use on slippery surfaces such as the deck of a sailboat.

They're comfortable and easy to clean, and they're a highly affordable option if you don't already have a pair of foul weather waterproof sailing boots.

3. Rugged Shark Great White Deck Boots

Rugged Shark is a household name in sailboat boots, and they produce a line of premium deck boots for foul weather use. These full-size boots are perfect for all sailing weather conditions.

The Rugged Shark Great White deck boot  is a serious heavy-duty deck boot. It's the "real deal," as they say, and this boot offers numerous advantages when the weather gets hazardous (or simply damp and uncomfortable).

These boots are roomy and waterproof, allowing sailors to wear warm insulated socks inside without fear of waterlogging. They work well with standard foul weather gear, and they're high enough to keep water out if the cockpit fills up.

These boots feature an anti-slip sole with corrugated scoring. This anti-slip surface is comparable to traditional deck shoes that date back almost a century. These are proven premium boots with the right combination of durability and flexibility.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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The Best Sailing Boots for Serious Sailors

• November 2, 2022

While we all love comfortable shoes while sailing, sometimes the boat or the conditions demand a little more support or protection. Cold, wet feet make for cold bodies and bad traction. So whether you’re racing offshore, around the buoys in a dinghy, crossing oceans in a cruising boat, or even sailing home from a weekend when the weather turns bad, you’ll want the extra warmth, protection and dryness of a good set of boots.

What Makes a Good Sailing Boot?

What makes the difference between a boot serves you well and one that does not? Much depends on what type of boot you’re buying and how you’re sailing, but a few basics hold true for all boots.

Comfortable Fit

It’s got to fit you well without pinching or binding. And it can’t be too big, since that leads to unsure footing as your feet slide around inside. For deck boots, make sure you can fit a pair of warm socks inside them, preferably a wool blend. Dinghy boots you’ll often wear with nothing under them, but if you are buying them for cold water sailing or frostbiting, you also need space for dry socks or a dry suit liner bootie.

Gripping Sole

This could easily be the top criteria, because slick soled boots are worthless and dangerous. Look for a good grip no matter the boot. Even if you’re a dinghy sailor, you might need to stand up on the deck to fix something in the rig. A slick sole is a sure way to slip and hurt yourself.

While you don’t need a steel-toed boot, in bad conditions with water on the deck and poor visibility, you may well trip and stumble over deck hardware. It will still hurt, but a good boot will keep you from damaging your toes as you scurry around a pitching deck. For dinghy boots, think about where they touch the boat. If you use a hiking strap, some reinforcement on the top of the boots goes a long way towards comfort on a long day of racing.

Breathability

Even in cold, wet conditions, if you’re working hard you’re going to sweat under your foulies, and that includes your boots. Not all boots will breathe, and heavy rubber sea boots will not. But it’s in the “nice to have” category since you may live in the boots for a while on an offshore passage.

Warmth/Insulation

For dinghy boots, warmth isn’t usually the first consideration unless you’re frostbiting in the winter. Most of them are neoprene, and trap and hold warm water like a wet suit. Sea boots can offer thermal protection, and should keep your feet warm if the temperature drops.

Water Management

For sea boots offshore, water management means “keep it out”. They should have a high enough cut to overlap foul weather gear. Straps or ties to form a tight seal against the leg are a great feature.

Dinghy boats let water in, but also need to drain. You will be wet, and these boots are not for keeping you dry. They’re for protection and warmth, and they should not hold water beyond what they need for wetsuit function. Ankle seals can help this.

Construction and Material Quality

Like any shoe, boots and be glued, stitched, rubber welded, or some combination of all three techniques. Learn about the materials in the boot and how they’re assembled. Stitching usually gives the toughest construction, but it also puts holes in the rubber and makes leaky spots, so it’s not as common in 100% rubber boots.

Polyurethane boots are usually the least expensive and are not breathable. Natural rubber is more expensive, but softer and more comfortable. The addition of Gore-Tex, neoprene, and other advanced synthetics increase both the price and performance of the boots, but that’s what gives the breathability. Ideally, you’ll have a combination of stitching and/or welding to give you a solid build with a waterproof covering.

Easy On/Off

Getting in and out of full foul weather gear on a pitching boat is a chore. When you’re scrambling topside in an emergency, you have little time to gear up for the weather. And your boots shouldn’t make it impossible. And you don’t want a struggle to get your gear off to visit the head or hit the berth off watch.

While a proper fit will keep them from being too hard to get off, the addition of grips, straps and other tools to help get them on is a big help. When loosened, ties and straps to for water tightness make it easier to get in and out of boots.

Try your boots on in your living room, where it’s warm, dry, and not moving. Then take them off again. Then try it wearing your foulies, PFD, and harness, because your boots go on after your pants. If you have any struggle in benign conditions, you may also struggle in the dark with unsure footing.

The Best Sailing Boots

• Top Offshore Cruising Sailing Boot – Gill Short Non-Slip Rubber Boot
• Best Dinghy Sailing Boot – Gill Edge 4mm Neoprene Boots
• Best Offshore Sailing Boot – Dubarry Ultima Mid-Calf Unisex Goretex Leather Sailing Boots
• All Around Dinghy Choice – GUL 2020 Spit Toe 5mm Power Boot
• Top Low-Cut Sailing Boot – XTRATUF Performance Series 6″ Men’s Full Rubber Ankle Deck Boots
• Breathable Offshore Boot – Gill Offshore Sailing Boot

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• Digital Edition

Best sailing boots tested: Can waterproof boots be flexible, comfortable, breathable and dry?

• Bruce Jacobs
• July 10, 2017

Waterproof boots made of polyurethane are cheap, but when manufacturers of sailing boots ask a lot of money for rubber, Gore-Tex, breathability and comfort as well – is it worth it? Bruce Jacobs of Rubicon3 adventure sailing finds out.

Your feet can be warm, your feet can be dry, or your feet can smell (vaguely) acceptable when you pull your boots off after a hard watch on deck battling the elements. That, traditionally, has been the choice we sailors face when choosing sailing boots. You can definitely have any one of the three. You may be lucky and get two of them. But all three?

Well, it may be possible, but the demands on sailing boots are huge. They need tremendous grip, they have to be fully submersible and stay dry, they have to breathe, they have to have great thermal insulation and they have to do all this while being contorted out of shape and wedged into odd spaces.

The choice can usually be boiled down to one simple question: do I go for rubber boots that will never let moisture in or out, or do I go for ones with a breathable membrane that may ultimately do both?

Thankfully, with the new generation of sailing boots that combine plastics and breathable membranes, the choice is becoming less stark. From our expeditions in the heat of Morocco to the ice-laden waters off Svalbard, we’ve seen spent a season seeing what different boots can do.

Be warned, there are some seriously good sailing boots here.

Polyurethane or rubber?

Boots without a breathable membrane are usually made of rubber or polyurethane (PU).

PU is an artificial rubber. It is lighter but still flexible and with good thermal properties. It’s a tough material and tests have shown that polyurethane boots can last two or three times longer than boots made from rubber.

Rubber on the other hand is a largely natural material, made from the sap of rubber trees that grow in the tropics. It’s more flexible and naturally comfortable than PU and probably has a better grip, hence its common use in boots.

Dubarry Crosshaven sailing boots

This boot was developed by Dubarry in association with a Volvo Ocean Race team and it really shows. A Gore-Tex lining keeps the inside of the boot both waterproof and fairly free from sweat and condensation.

Where boots often fail is at the seams, which eventually open up from (often lateral) wear and tear. This boot has minimised the seams to prevent this and after six months’ hard use, it remained impregnable to the sea.

The upper sections of the boot are a mixture of leather and Cordura, a super-tough, canvas-like fabric, and the inside of the boot is full of thermal insulation. A really good-sized gaiter is made even better for having drainage at its base.

There’s no denying that these boots are mighty expensive, which reduces their final score a bit, but the mixture of performance and durability meant our skippers loved them.

Waterproofness: 4.5/5 Breathability: 4.5/5 Warmth: 4/5 Grip: 3.5/5 Durability: 4/5 Overall rating: 4/5

RRP: £349 / $360

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Guy cotten ultralite sailing boots.

I was keen to try these industrial-style PU boots after my last two pairs of Gore-Tex lined sailing boots had failed fairly quickly. They looked indestructible and were the cheapest of the boots on test.

They performed faultlessly in that they showed no signs of wear after some hard use over the season and never let a drop of water in. However, they also never let a drop out and a sweaty foot gets pretty damp anyway!

My feet also… how to put this delicately… smelt strongly, or so my crew told me. Another issue I found was that the sole was a bit too wide for a yacht and kept getting jammed in gaps between deckware.

Finally, with no insulation, you can really feel those cold days at sea unless you are wearing thick thermal socks. These are very light, well made boots but are probably best kept to their intended use – on fishing vessels.

Waterproofness: 5/5 Breathability: 1/5 Warmth: 2/5 Grip: 3/5 Durability: 5/5 Overall rating: 2/5

RRP: £65 / $85

Gill Breathable Performance sailing boots

One of our first mates wore these sailing boots all season and still raves about them.

These are really thick, comfortable boots and she reckons they are the most comfortable ones she has ever worn. Not only that, they are probably the warmest too, with fantastic insulation.

The padding all around the ankle is a godsend when it’s time for putting in some hard labour on the foredeck and the grip is brilliant, which is certainly an important factor on a serious boot.

On the downside, the breathability could only be described as average, maybe as a result of all the thermal insulation, and the boot seemed a little wide, meaning it got stuck in a few areas at crucial times.

As with every boot it’s a trade-off, but for colder climates and serious ocean sailing, this boot is a real contender.

Waterproofness: 4/5 Breathability: 3.5/5 Warmth: 4/5 Grip: 4.5/5 Durability: 4/5 Overall rating: 4/5

RRP: £169 / $170

Le Chameau Alize Ponti rubber boots

Mention Le Chameau to a serious sailor and you get a dreamy look on their face. This is a top quality brand; many a Volvo Ocean Race team has used their boots and the famous red gaiter is instantly recognisable.

The Alize Ponti has been used all season and been really well received. It is a rubber boot, so guaranteed waterproofness year round, but a bit hot and sweaty inside and not a great deal of insulation.

The gaiter at the top of the boot is essential and keeps any sea water out.

What really marked these boots out for us though were the comfort and the grip. Both were superb – which can be unusual for a rubber boot. This level of grip is something Le Chameau really focuses on and it shows.

Designed for coastal sailing, they performed really well all season.

Waterproofness: 5/5 Breathability: 2.5/5 Warmth: 3/5 Grip: 5/5 Durability: 4/5 Overall rating: 3.5/5

  Buy it now on lechameau.com

Helly Hansen Aegir Ocean Gaiter II sailing boots

Helly Hansen has produced a very good rubber boot here.

Yes, the Aegir Ocean Gaiter 2 offers little breathability, like any rubber boot, but after a season’s hard use our skipper gave them a big thumbs up – because they do exactly what a sailing boot should do: 100 per cent dry, loads of grip with the specialised Helly-grip rubber soles and a superb gaiter to keep rogue sea water out.

When things got really cold, they perhaps lacked a little of the thermal properties that some of the pricier boots had, but that would be our only criticism.

Indeed, we have to be honest and admit that looks do matter, even for sailing boots, and these boots were the best looking pair on test.

Waterproofness: 5/5 Breathability: 2/5 Warmth: 3.5/5 Grip: 4.5/5 Durability: 4.5/5 Overall rating: 3.5/5

Buy it now on hellyhansen.com

Bruce Jacobs is the co-founder of Rubicon 3, an adventure sailing company that specialises in expeditions and voyages to some of the world’s more remote and exciting locations. The expeditions are open to everyone. From the heat of Africa to the wilds of Greenland and Svalbard, these routes are the ideal proving ground for testing sailing equipment. www.rubicon3.co.uk

Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated sailing page for more marine products.

The Perfect Gear for Any Sailing Adventure

Best Shoes & Boots for Sailing- Reviewed & Compared for the Serious Sailor

If you want to spend any time sailing open water, you don’t want to be caught in the wrong footwear. The best sailing shoes are designed with special soles that can provide ultimate grip and stability as you move around on deck. Not only are sailing shoes equipped with a special sole, they’re also made out of breathable material and often designed to keep your feet nice and dry.  

We’ve done our homework and reviewed several leading models of sailing shoes and boots, to help you narrow down your choices and find a pair of shoes or boots for sailing that will work with your budget, sailing needs, and activity, and even a variety of weather and water conditions.  

Table of Contents

Finding the Top Shoes and Boots for Sailing  

While on our journey to find the best sailing shoes, we reviewed several leading models that didn’t make the cut. We finally narrowed it down to our top three choices, starting off with the classic boat shoes that have remained popular throughout the years and top sailing sneakers that look like your everyday sports shoe but have much more to offer.  

We’ll begin by going over the classic boat shoes by Sperry , a trusted name in the industry.  

Boat shoes are not only functional and affordable, they’re specifically designed for sailing and come equipped with the non-marking non-skid sole that provides the type of stability you need when you’re out for a cruise.  

Comparison Chart

Best casual sailing shoes-sperry men’s sea kite sports moc deck shoes  .

Our Rating: (5/5)

The Sea Kite classic boat shoes by Sperry aren’t just the perfect choice for casual boat wear. In fact, these shoes come equipped with a non-marking, durable sole designed for improved grip on slick surfaces. These boat shoes scored big with both beginners and pro sailors and they’re the perfect choice for sailing gear in warm climates.  

Top Sailing Sneakers-Dynamic Pro Lite Musto Sailing Shoes

Our Rating: (4.5/5)

Musto shoes always fly off the shelves, mainly because they’re so comfortable and functional. The Dynamic Pro Lite are sporty looking sailing sneakers that are a great choice for racing and cruising. These sneakers are made out of quick-drying materials, which also make them highly breathable. The shoes feature an innovative XPL drainage design that prevents water from pooling inside the shoes, combined with a mono mesh construction that improves ventilation.  

Best Racing Sailing Shoes-Musto GP Race Sailing Shoes

Our Rating: (4/5)

The GP Race sailing shoes offer a sporty look and plenty of functionality when you’re on the water. These are pro quality sailing shoes that provide all the stability and gripping power you’ll need during an intense competition or when sailing in choppy water conditions. The shoes are pretty versatile and offer the type of lightweight design sailors are looking for. They also come with a lining that’s made out of Gore-Tex, so you know the shoes are breathable, yet the liner also works to keep water out.  

Leading Sailing Boots

Sailing boots are much different than sailing shoes. They tend to provide a higher level of protection against the elements and are often worn with gaiters in rough sea conditions. There are dozens of best-selling models of sailing boots available to choose from, but many of the boots we came across were popular for all the wrong reasons. If you’re searching for the best sailing boots, the price shouldn’t enter the equation. Lower priced boots may seem like the perfect choice for work or racing, but you’ll quickly notice that many of them don’t offer the type of design needed to prevent water from entering the boots or the type of breathability you need in order to keep your feet nice and dry. We’ve found the leading three models of sailing boots, starting off with a pair by Dubarry.  

Best Sailing Boots-Dubarry Ultima Sailing Boots

The Ultima sailing boots by Dubarry can be used for work, racing, or recreation. They’re versatile, built strong, and come loaded with some great features including a tough Gore-Tex liner that’s designed to keep your feet dry. The boots have a built-in lycra panel located in the back that’s designed to make putting the boots on and taking them off a breeze. They also feature the type of classic look that makes the boots suitable for on or off deck use. With a reputation for lasting more than a decade, these sailing boots are at the top of their class.  

Most Durable-Gore-Tex Ocean Racer Sailing Boots  

The Ocean Racer sailing boots are durable, high-performance boots that are equipped with a Gore-Tex liner for ultimate breathability and protection from seawater. These boots are the perfect choice for winter sailing, work, recreational use, or racing. In the hotter months, these boots provide too much protection and may be uncomfortable to wear for a longer period of time. However, in the fall and winter, these boots will be a total asset when sailing.  

Best Dinghy Racing Boots-Gill Competition Dinghy Sailing Boots  

These dinghy sailing boots will keep your feet warm and dry. They come with a top of the line full grip sole that’s perfect for any onboard occasion. The boots are made out of quick-drying materials, that can keep your feet nice and warm when you’re at work or play. The innovative Gilly lacing system will keep your feet securely in place and allow you to quickly pull the boots on and off.  

Sailing Shoes Buyer’s Guide  

When you’re moving around on a boat, you need the best sailing shoes for sure footing. Sailing shoes feature non-marking, non-slip soles for ultimate traction. Depending on your range of activity, and the kind of boat you have, the type of sail shoes you need can vary.  

We’ll go over the different types of appropriate sailing boots and shoes, and the pros and cons of each style, so you can determine which type can offer the best protection on your next sailing adventure.  

The Right Sailing Footwear and Accessories  

When you’re spending time in the open ocean, you may need shoes that offer ultimate protection against rain and saltwater, or you may simply need a pair of comfortable casual sailing shoes that can provide a moderate amount of traction, so you can remain upright if the waters become a little choppy. But finding the right boat shoes can become a little complicated if you don’t know where to start.  

Additionally, you’ll need more sailing gear than just a good pair of shoes. If you spend a lot of time offshore sailing, then a sailing wetsuit , paired with the right footwear, can keep you warm and comfortable, even during the winter months.  

For mild to moderate weather, you can easily get by with a pair of the best sailing pants designed with Gore-Tex, or another type of durable material that’s designed to protect you from the elements.  

It’s All About Style  

Do you need sailing shoes for casual wear or work?  

Flip flops and sandals do not provide much in the way of protection since they can slip on and off easily and get caught in lines.

Sneaker style sailing shoes provide a sporty footwear solution that men and women love. They’re also perfect for active cruising, racing, and work well for a wide range of applications.  

Sailing boots range from breathable and waterproof offshore boots to flexible dinghy styles.  

The dinghy boot is designed to protect the feet from bruises and bumps and will provide support when trapezing or hiking out, providing top of the line gripping power.  

In order to choose the right sailing shoes or boots for the job, you need to base it on what type of sailing you’ll be doing. If you’re a sailor who only uses a hiking strap and doesn’t trapeze, then your needs will be different from the crew members who are on the trapeze most of the time.  

Last of all, depending on the construction and material, some dinghy boots can help to keep your feet dry and can keep your feet warmer in the winter months.  

Basic Sailing Shoes  

Sailing shoes, also known as deck shoes, and boat shoes, are not only designed to help you easily navigate the deck of a sailboat, they’re also made with special soles that will not damage the deck of your boat by preventing grit and small stones from becoming stuck in the tread. From the first pair of leather shoes created in the 1930s that were designed to protect the feet of sailors from rain and sea salt, to the innovative dinghy boots of today, sailing footwear has come a long way.  

Thanks to the technical materials available, sailors can now push the boundaries even further, safe in the knowledge that their sailing boots and shoes are designed to withstand a wide range of conditions.  

Sailing Trainers  

These shoes are designed for the serious sailor. They’re very hardwearing and light and use a wide variety of multidirectional grip patterns that are designed to provide ultimate protection and safety. Their shock absorbing midsoles also ensure comfort and stability, while the durable, thick outer sole works to protect the feet against the elements.  

Trainers are equipped with drainage systems complete with anti-microbial technology and fast drying fabrics that are designed to keep the feet comfortable and in top condition when you’re out for an extended period of time.  

Dinghy Boot Styles  

Dinghy hiking boots are designed for sailors who use a hiking strap and are not for general trapezing. These boots will keep the wearer attached to the hiking strap via a reinforced upper foot area to distribute the load of the wearer’s weight against the strap.  

Trapeze boots are designed primarily for trapezing. These boots feature more flexible, thinner soles that will allow your foot to mold around the gunwale when you’re trapezing. This will provide plenty of surface area connection between the boat and the wearer, which results in a better grip. This style of sailing boot also has a padded hiking strap located on the upper foot for improved hiking comfort for those times when the wind doesn’t allow you to trapeze.  

Ocean Boots  

The environment that comes with offshore sailing is best described as challenging. Because of this, you need a pair of sailing boots that can provide ultimate traction and warmth and protect your feet from the elements. These boots are usually made out of technical materials such as Cordura and Gore-tex, both of which will ensure long-lasting durability and protection from the cold, abrasions, and seawater, in order to keep you prepared for anything. Newer technologies provide outsoles with a thick sticky compound runner that improves your grip even in the worst conditions.  

Skiff boots are designed for skiff style sailing where the wearer will never or seldom use a hiking strap but will trapeze. These sailing boots tend to be much lighter and more minimalistic in terms of construction and material compared to other styles of dinghy boots. They usually have minimal or no hiking strap reinforcement. They have more flexible and thinner soles compared to other styles of trapeze and hiking boots.  

With this style of sailing boot, the uppers are incredibly flexible throughout, which makes them very comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. The neoprene’s thickness will determine how much insulation they will provide the feet. Thickness typically runs between two to five millimeters. Since neoprene is stretchy, they’ll form fit to your feet.  

Basic Rubber Boots  

Rubber boots are waterproof, but their design makes it difficult to keep the water from coming in at the top of the boot, due to their short height. They also do a poor job of keeping your feet warm on cold days and cool on hot days. The soles are more protective of the bottoms of the feet and are much firmer.  

Your legs, ankles, and feet are constantly straining on an unstable, pitching boat. By ensuring you have boots or shoes that fit well, you can easily prevent aching, cold feet. When you try on boots, if you intend to wear them with socks, make sure you do so wearing the socks you intend to use when sailing.  If you are wearing them barefoot, try them on that way.

When you try the shoes or boots on, are your toes cramped or is there sufficient room in the toe-box? The toes should be free to wiggle and there should be no side or forward pressure. Do you feel that the footbed is supporting your arch and foot? Most sailing boots don’t provide adequate arch support, so if you need more arch support you should consider replacing the existing footbed with an orthotic insert. If this is the case, make sure you try the boots on with a thin insert. With the insert, does the heel cup allow for up and down heel movement, but also feels supportive to the heel without a lot of side to side movement? This should be the case to provide you with stability and cushion in the heal, but also freedom to move athletically. The boot’s upper should be wide enough for your calf and leg to fit comfortably.

Overall, you don’t want the sailing boots to fit too tight in any area because this will cause uncofortable restriction of blood flow and cause blisters.  

As we mentioned, knowing what socks you’ll be wearing, if any, with your sailing boots is also important. The socks can consist of liners designed to wick moisture from the surface of your foot, thin to thick knit socks, Gore-Tex dry suit booties, and lycra drysuit socks.  

Make sure you measure your foot with your regular socks on. If you’re sailing in the winter or fall, measure your foot when wearing your cold weather socks.  

Winter Sailing  

Because of the major variation in foot sizes between no socks or light socks that are worn in the summer and potentially three layers in the winter when you’re sailing in a dry suit, one size of sailing shoes or boots may not meet your needs. We recommend a regular sized boot for the summer and boots that are one size bigger for winter sailing. Keep in mind, tight boots in the winter can result in cold feet.

Breathability

Boots and shoes made with breathable, waterproof membranes such as Gore-Tex will allow the moisture in the boot to travel to the outside of the boot, via the membrane. This process of expelling moisture is driven by the difference in temperature outside the boot compared to the temperature inside the boot.  

As long as you’re wearing wicking socks, breathable boots will continuously allow the moisture to escape through the material of the boot. When you’re wearing boots for several hours at a time, your feet will feel noticeably drier.  

Boots made from a non-breathable material such as rubber, are waterproof, but they have no way to get the moisture out. If you’re sweating that moisture will remain trapped in the boot until you’re able to change socks and dry the boots out.  

Boot Height  

For reduced bulk and weight and limited protection, a shorter boot is often recommended for casual use. Often, tall boots will provide the best protection. This level of protection is accomplished by maximizing the overlap between the pants and the boot’s length. Water can migrate or rush up the inside of the pants in tubulent conditions, however, if your boots are high enough, the water will be unable to make it up into the boots.  

You should consider boots with gaiters if you often find yourself sailing in severe sea and weather conditions. Gaiters can be the perfect way to keep water out of the boots. A pair of gaiters can provide an additional barrier that will keep water from making its way into your boots, directing water down the sides of your boots and sides of your foot.  They keep perisitant water from entering the top of your boots.  

When you don’t need the type of extra protection gaiters provide, you can wear them pulled up on the boots with your pants legs pulled over the top.  

Drying Out Your Sailing Boots  

When you’re onboard your boat in inclement weather, drying out your boots can be very difficult. If you end up getting wet and you have to wear them anyway, make sure you change your socks as frequently as possible. If the boots are breathable, then the more you wear them the more moisture will escape from the inside of the boot.   When you’re not wearing the wet boots, remove the liner in order to promote a faster drying time. You can also stuff the boots with dry rags or newspaper to help soak up the moisture faster.  

Maintaining Your Sailing Shoes  

The lifespan of your sailing shoes will depend on proper care. Whenever possible, rinse out the shoes with fresh water, then clean and condition them. Before storing them in a cool, dry place, make sure they’re completely dry. If they’re made out of rubber, then they will only need to be rinsed out in fresh water.  

Boating shoes are designed specifically for each type of onboard activity. The key features to all modern sailing footwear are a good non-marking sole and a low-profile grip for stability on all types of wet slippery surfaces to keep you safe and secure underfoot.

The Sailing Experience  

If you’re new to sailing and you’d like to learn more about this exciting sport and the skills you need to navigate sailboats like a pro, click here to read our article on how sailboats work.

Our buyer’s guide will help you choose the best sailing shoes for your next sailing adventure, whether you’re roughing it on a serious offshore sailing or transport, or you need a nice pair of deck shoes that are both stylish and functional, we’ve got it all. We hope our reviews of the leading pairs of sailing shoes has helped you narrow down your choice for shoes or boots that will offer the perfect fit and maximum protection.

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The Excitement of Running a P1 Offshore Race Boat

• By Charles Plueddeman
• November 16, 2023

In this age of 70 mph pontoons , 90 mph center-consoles and 150 mph sport cats, it’s pretty easy to experience eye-popping velocity on the water. So, there you are, the wind flapping your cheeks as you hold that throttle to the stop, one watering eye on the speedo as you bump the trim hoping to squeeze out the last bit of speed it will take to be the first boat to the poker-run card pickup. Maybe you even imagine that’s Reggie Fountain , Steve Curtis or Shaun Torrente at the helm of the boat you are pursuing, and instead of a king of hearts, there’s a big trophy waiting at the finish line. Well, dream on, Speed Racer. You’re going fast, but you are not racing, and your production-built motorboat is no race boat.

Steve Curtis throttles a real race boat. The Victory catamaran Huski Chocolate carried Curtis and drivers Travis Pastrana and Brit Lilly to the 2022 UIM Class 1 championship in the Powerboat P1 Offshore series. Last summer, we met Curtis and this boat, now rechristened Huski Ice Spritz, at the Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the fourth event on the five-race 2023 P1 schedule. The boat is owned by SVEA Racing Inc., based in Stuart, Florida, regarded as the benchmark in professionalism and experience in Class 1 and led by technical director Gary Stray, director of operations Scott Colton and crew chief Patrick Cleaveland.

Curtis, a 59-year-old Englishman and the son of Cougar Powerboats founder and racing catamaran innovator Clive Curtis, claimed his first Class 1 world championship in 1985 in Key West when he was 21 years old. In his career, Curtis has throttled more than 20 world champions. Who would be better to show us under the cowl of a Class 1 race boat than the acknowledged master of throttling racing cats?

Class 1 is the premier category of international offshore powerboat racing. A P1 Offshore event can include a number of classes, but only the Class 1 Championship is sanctioned by the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique), the world governing body for all ­powerboating activities. Basic rules for Class 1 dictate a minimum boat length overall of 12 meters (about 39 feet) and a minimum weight of 5,400 kilograms (just over 11,900 pounds). There have been seven boats in the Class 1 field in 2023, ranging in length from the 43-foot Skater Monster Energy/MCON to the 51-foot Mystic dfYoung. The Huski Ice Spritz/SVEA Victory is 47 feet length overall, with a running surface of 41.5 feet, according to Curtis, and a 12-foot beam. Curtis explains that the bigger boats often have an advantage in rough conditions, but the smaller boats can be nimbler in a current on flatter water in a tight, multiturn closed course—the 5-mile course at Sheboygan had 10 turns.

“Courses have become smaller to make the event more spectator-­friendly,” Curtis says. “We used to run 40-mile laps and 200-mile races.”

The age of the Class 1 fleet is also surprising. Huski Ice Spritz/SVEA was built in 2007 by the Victory team in Dubai to a ­Michael Peters design.

“The boat has been rebuilt and repowered a number of times,” Curtis says. “I believe it was originally powered by Lamborghini V-12 engines. The boat has been crashed and repaired. The entire deck has been replaced, and the running surface adjusted as the engine package has changed.”

Carbon, Of Course

The overall theme of a race boat is that every element is functional, and this is the key difference between Huski Ice Spritz and your go-fast rig. Speed and safety are all that matter. The hull and deck are laid up with a combination of carbon fiber and Kevlar composite, with foam coring of various density. Bulkheads are carbon fiber, molded in a combination of triangulation and U-channel shape, and bonded within the hull. Each sponson has a pair of steps that are about 1.5 inches deep and a single strake. The tunnel between the sponsons is designed to trap and compress air, which lifts the boat at speed. The tunnel is about 33 inches deep at the bow but only 22 inches deep at the transom.

A V-hull boat could run in Class 1, but the catamaran offers a significant advantage, according to Randy Scism, who helped establish the Victory team as a force in offshore racing before returning to the United States in 1998 to start performance boatbuilder Marine Technologies Inc.

“A comparable V-hull boat will be 20 to 30 mph slower at top speed,” says Scism, who designed the 48-foot MTI Class 1 cat ­XInsurance/Good Boy ­Vodka. “In some conditions, it might corner better, but it could never make up the difference in total lap time. The air cushion under a cat can carry 30 to 35 percent of the boat’s weight, so the bottom is not even touching small waves and chop.”

Builders seek to produce a boat that is significantly below the class minimum-weight specification. This allows each team to make weight using lead ballast—water ballast is not allowed—that can be positioned right on the stringers to keep the center of gravity as low as possible to enhance handling and help trim the boat. Weight, either lead bars or bags of lead shot, can be placed aft to lift the bow in calm conditions or forward to hold the bow down in rough water. Fuel tanks are located directly on the boat’s center of balance so that balance does not change as fuel is consumed. At race venues, a crane fitted with a scale lifts the Class 1 boats from the trailer to the water; this way, each boat is weighed every time it goes in and comes out of the water to prevent cheating.

At Class 1 speeds, aerodynamics becomes critical. The boats literally fly over the water, and the deck is flush with the top of each sponson. The enclosed cockpit is a teardrop blister, hatch latches and cleats are carefully recessed and faired, and air intake is accomplished with low-drag NACA ducts. When conditions are ideal, these huge boats appear to levitate with a grace that belies the brutal thrust required to reach speeds that can exceed 160 mph on the open ocean.

Prescribed Power

There are no surprises below the engine hatches of a Class 1 boat. Since P1 led a revival of the class in 2019, the Mercury Racing 1100 Competition engine has been standard power, a spec engine for the class. The 9.0-liter V-8 engine features Mercury Racing QC4 quad-valve cylinder heads and is boosted by twin turbochargers. Power output is 1,100 hp and 1,100 lb.-ft. of torque per engine on 93-octane pump gasoline. Each big V-8 turns 6,000 to 6,500 rpm. The transmission is the stout model designed for the Mercury Racing 1750 engine with a stronger input shaft and ­internal components.

“Before the switch to the Merc 1100, we were running engines making 1,850 to 2,000 hp at 7,500 rpm,” Curtis says, “and top speeds pushed 190 mph. Those engines needed a rebuild after each race.”

The point of a specified engine for the class is to reduce cost and ensure power parity among teams with unequal resources. With that in mind, the engines are tightly controlled. Teams are not allowed to make any adjustments or modifications to the engines. With the exception of the valve covers, the engines are sealed with special fasteners. At the beginning of each race weekend, the Mercury Racing support team delivers propulsion control modules (PCM) to each team. The PCM units are painted bright ­yellow so they are easy to identify. ­Mercury ­Racing also installs a data logger on each engine.

“After every practice and ­every race, we download the data to make sure it makes sense and that nobody has tweaked on the engines and turned the power up,” says Steve Wynveen, Mercury Racing manager of development engineering. “The idea of Class 1 now is that winning is dependent on driving and boat setup, not on who has the most money to throw at an engine.”

The expectation is that if teams don’t abuse these engines by constantly banging into the rev limiter, each can last the season with just basic maintenance. Teams will put between two and three hours of run time on the engines at each race weekend. Teams are free to install their own PCM for testing between races.

The Huski Ice Spritz/SVEA team engineered a number of quick-disconnect fittings that allow it to remove an engine in about 20 minutes, according to Curtis. This team pulls its engines after each race for maintenance and inspects the bilge and engine mounts below the engines. Typical maintenance includes an oil and filter change, checking the valve lash and adjusting with shims, a compression and leak-down test, checking the turbocharger ­waste-gate adjustment, and ­torquing all fasteners and clamps.

Six of the boats in this Class 1 fleet use surface drives based on a BPM model to put power to the water. The Italian drive only articulates in the vertical plane, which provides a limited range of trim, generally less than 15 degrees or, according to Curtis, about 1.5 inches at the propeller. The prop is located about 58 inches abaft the transom. A drop box located on the exterior of the transom allows teams to quickly change gear ratios to best match engine torque to the prevailing conditions. Curtis explains that on today’s short courses, ­acceleration out of turns is often more important than top speed. Teams using a surface drive are limited to three prop sets but have unlimited gear ratios. Steering is accomplished by a center-mounted rudder—a knife-sharp polished stainless Italian Flexitab model on Huski Ice Spritz—and teams can change rudders based on water conditions.

A sterndrive is also permitted in Class 1, but if the sterndrive can steer, the boat is not allowed to use a rudder. The MTI XInsurance/Good Boy Vodka boat is rigged with modified Mercury Racing M6 sterndrives. Trim is retained, but the skegs are cut off and steering is locked. The boat is equipped with a rudder. Teams running sterndrives are allowed an unlimited number of propellers.

“The problem with trying to steer these boats with the sterndrives is that when you turn the drive, one prop is pushed into water and the other into the air coming through the tunnel,” Scism says. “The prop in the air loses thrust. You want to keep both props centered behind the sponsons. I prefer to use the M6 drives for the added trim authority. That drive is plenty rugged for these engines.”

Read Next: How to Boat Safely at Any Speed

Curtis throttles with his right hand gripping a pair of Mercury Zero Effort controls topped with red plastic knobs molded to the shape of his hand. To his left is a fixed, molded grip with radio/intercom control buttons, trim control, and a button to change the screen display. Curtis can communicate with his team using VHF and UHF radios, and a cellular connection. Below is a pair of Mercury ignition keys, which we were surprised to see.

“When we went to the standard Merc 1100 engines, we wanted to retain the entire stock wiring harness to prevent any sort of tampering,” Curtis says. “So, there are the keys, just like on your fishing boat. It was the ­easiest solution.”

Facing Curtis are a pair of Livorsi turbocharger boost gauges, a Livorsi trim indicator, and a multifunction display usually showing tachometers. In the center of the dash is a Garmin MFD split between navigation and a rearview camera. The driver sits before a quick-release steering wheel with a lap counter on top of the dash, which will also display a yellow-and-red flag signal from race control.

I wish I could describe the ­sensation of driving Huski Ice Spritz at speed while looking through the slit of a windscreen. But as it turns out, there is not enough liability coverage or legal cover to ever make that happen. Scism says MTI will build you a new 48 Race model to Class 1 specs, with a price tag of $2.2 million to $2.4 million with power. A $500,000 budget will cover a bare-bones Class 1 team for a season, Curtis says, with a well-financed team spending more than $1.5 million. SVEA Racing Inc. brings a crew of 10 to each race with a 70-foot race trailer, a tilting boat trailer and its Kenworth hauler, and a world-champion throttleman. They are not going to a poker run.

Safety First

When Steve Curtis won his first Class 1 championship, he was standing in an open cockpit. “There was very little concern for safety in those boats,” Curtis says. “If you stuffed the boat, it was very likely you’d be killed.”

Today the driver and throttle work in an enclosed cockpit that is all business. This is not your pleasure boat—there is no Alcantara upholstery, no bass-pumping audio system, and no LED-illuminated drink holders. Cockpit entry is through a hatch secured with four sliding bolts like a bank vault. In Huski Ice Spritz, Curtis throttles from the port seat, and the driver is at the wheel to starboard. Deep bucket seats have 2 inches of suspension travel, and the crew is strapped securely in place. “During a race, it can actually get rather violent in here,” Curtis says. “It’s not very noisy, but there is a lot of vibration, even in smooth water, because the boat is so rigid. We can feel pretty beat up after a race.”

A cage of carbon channels surrounds the cockpit, which Curtis says is backed by a very thick bulkhead. Crush zones around the cockpit are designed to absorb energy on impact. The interior is raw and black, with no thought of cosmetics. The forward portion of the cockpit structure is formed by a ¾-inch-thick polycarbonate shield modeled after a fighter-jet canopy. The clear portion is minimized for further crew protection. There’s an emergency escape hatch in the floor for egress if the boat flips. The driver and throttle have a 10-minute emergency air supply.

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Sports | ‘Over-the-top’ Worrell 1000 catamaran race…

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Sports | ‘Over-the-top’ Worrell 1000 catamaran race starts Sunday in Florida, set to finish in Virginia Beach

The Worrell 1000 is an offshore long-distance catamaran sailboat race that starts on the shores of Hollywood, Florida, at 10 a.m. Sunday. Sailors will log countless hours over 12 legs that span more than 1,000 miles over the water up the East Coast until the finish line. Racing is scheduled to conclude on the afternoon of May 24 in Virginia Beach.

“It was an East Coast race to begin with,” said Randy Smyth, at the helm of Virginia Beach’s Team Rudee’s boat for the second consecutive race. He has competed in eight previous Worrell 1000s, winning six.

“It kept getting so much press coverage locally — each little town would cover it. Then, a lot of the sailing magazines would cover it. So no matter where you were in the world you lived, you could read about it. It was a story about an event you didn’t have to race in to understand that it’s an over-the-top kind of race. It’s built up that reputation. For anybody that races a beach catamaran and wants a full adventure, this is it.”

Rich history

Over the years, the race has had a tumultuous history. It started as a bet between bar owners and brothers Michael and Chris Worrell, transformed from its original continuous format to daily checkpoint races, and then went into hiatus for 17 years starting in 2002.

This year’s event will be the third time it’s been run in its current format by the Worrell 1000 Reunion Race organizing authority, a 501c3 non-profit, having just three boats compete when it was resurrected in 2019.

“We thought we were going to have five boats, but we only ended up with only three,” said Beverly Simmons, the Worrell 1000 communications director. “It didn’t matter. We had to prove to the world that it could be done.”

That race brought teams from Australia, Florida and Texas, and it again caught the world’s attention. It was scheduled to be held again in 2021, but was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, 13 teams from six countries competed. Twelve teams finished, and the last was dismasted on the final leg.

This year will be the 23rd running of the race during its 50 years of existence. Twelve teams are again vying for bragging rights with competitors from all over the world, including Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States. Smyth and teammate Dalton Tebo will be the crew representing the aforementioned local entry, Team Rudee’s, which finished second in 2022. There is also an entry from North Carolina, Team Outer Banks, comprised of Hardy Peters and James Eaton.

Aside from respect, the teams are also seeking the Ron Anthony Memorial Perpetual Trophy for course record, which is held by Jamie Livingston and Brian Lambert of Team Alexander’s on the Bay, set in 2002 with a time of 71 hours, 32 minutes and 55 seconds.

‘The clock’s always ticking’

Smyth explained that the Worrell 1000 is not a regatta in the sense where there are multiple races and a team’s score is based on its placement in those races, so a couple of bad finishes won’t be the end-all. It’s a race based on cumulative time.

A team can win 11 of the 12 legs, but if it doesn’t finish a single leg, then that team won’t have completed the entire race. Or if a team wins a number of early legs and then goes six hours behind on a subsequent leg because of going the wrong direction, that can have a huge adverse effect on its total time. It’s much like how the Tour de France is run, which both Simmons and principal race officer John Williams offered as a comparison.

“Every minute counts because the clock’s always ticking,” Smyth said. “You never know how much time you’ll need at the finish to do well, so that puts pressure on all the teams to always be racing. There’s never a moment when you’re up two minutes on a competitor and thinking I’m going to beat him. No, you’re thinking I need to make this three minutes because every minute counts.”

Smyth, who is also a National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee and an America’s Cup participant and winner aboard Stars & Stripes in 1988, said all the beach catamarans in the race are in the Formula 18s class. A catamaran is a multihull design boat with two pontoons at the waterline with a trampoline for a deck. The Formula 18s distinction signifies that the boats have all the same parameters — same length (18 feet), same sail area and same weight, which also factors in the weight of the two crew members, food and water and safety equipment.

But various manufacturers can build boats with different designs that look and perform differently, which makes for a class that evolves — similar to how auto racing works. With the boats all having similar performance expectations, it’s the skill of the crew and weather and nature conditions that determine the race results.

‘We know there are going to be stories’

“Every day is so different,” Smyth said. “Florida is a wide beach, so you just go straight to the finish line. Once you get past that, the Georgia coast where there’s a whole bunch of islands or Cape Lookout, Cape Fear and Cape Hatteras, there’s a lot more navigation involved. And some of the longer legs end up being night legs if it isn’t that windy the day of. A lot of the testing for the teams quite often is when you get further up the course closer to the finish line.”

Smyth said each leg averages about 70 miles — a substantially long race for a beach catamaran.

“What really takes you out on the Worrell 1000 is the fact that it’s not a one-day race. Each day is cumulative body damage,” Smyth explained. “Day 2, you’re a little more tired, and then Day 3 and so on. So when you’re dealing with the surf and the shoals around Cape Fear and further when our bodies are tired, that is the test the Worrell 1000 gives you — each day is a little more difficult as you get closer to the finish.”

Things like submarines and marine life can also be unexpected obstacles. Smyth recalled one year a shark hitting the daggerboard (underwater fin that keeps either of the pontoons stable) of a boat he was on and creating a hole in the hull, so the boat started to sink.

Navigating through rough surf on starts and finishes, where boats can break rudders and even tip over, represents even more perils on the water. In 23 tries, every team reaching the finish line has happened just four times.

“We don’t know what the stories are going to be, but we know there are going to be stories,” Smyth said. “You don’t know until you get there that day whether the shoals or sandbars have moved and how you’ll get through them. There’s all kinds of treachery and ways that things can go wrong out there — you can’t put a location in your GPS and get all the answers.”

And although it’s a competition, there’s still a strong sense of community and camaraderie among all the teams. Most of the teams are friends outside of racing. Simmons said the race committee and organizing authority won’t let teams compete if they don’t personally know them or if their credentials to race can’t be vetted by the tight sailing community.

“In 2022, Team Great Britain had a collision at the start and they went over. Every single batten in their main sail was broken,” Simmons said. “They limped to shore. Every single crewman from all the teams magically appeared with tools, sail tape and new battens. And within 15 minutes, they were back out on the course. That’s the spirit of this race.”

And it’s that idea — the spirit of the closeness of the competitors — that keeps the fire burning that is the Worrell 1000 race.

“There were some events that tried to emulate what had been done in the past, but they weren’t coming to Virginia Beach. None of them stuck. It’s just not the same,” Williams said. “There’s a recognition worldwide that this is a one-of-a-kind event. There’s nothing else like it.

“It’s this 1,000 miles that crosses the beautiful beaches of Florida, the graveyard of the Atlantic and the Outer Banks and finishes in the idyllic setting of Virginia Beach. That’s why we get so much international attention and participation.”

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Miss GEICO Zelos 36" Twin Brushless Catamaran RTR

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• 2S-6S of 50C LiPo battery power to each ESC as follows:
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• (1) Miss GEICO Zelos 36 Twin Brushless Catamaran with:
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Speed is the name of the game in the world of high-speed RC catamarans. The Pro Boat ® Miss GEICO Zelos ® 36 Twin Brushless Catamaran is one of the fastest boats on the market with out-of-the-box speeds hitting 75+MPH**. By the time your competition realizes what hit them, they'll be in your wake thanks to not one, but two counter-rotating 1900Kv 4 pole 36mm x 74mm motors. From tip to rudder, the Miss GEICO Zelos 36 is built for speed with a hand-laid fiberglass hull built to withstand the pulse-pounding speeds. Get yours and experience the competition crushing speed you crave.

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Featuring two counter-rotating 1900Kv 4 pole 36mm x 74mm motors, one high torque, waterproof Spektrum™ steering servo, and two water-cooled Dynamite ® 120 Amp marine ESCs with 6S battery compatibility (each).

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The team at Ocean Express boasts the experience of over four decades in the design, development and manufacture of quality composite catamarans. Built for comfort, speed, and performance, our unique, sought-after vessels use an extensive array of hi-tech, state-of-the-art composite technology.

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Discover ocean express power catamarans, find out what makes ocean express boats unique.

Ocean Express Powerboats are designed to utilize the full benefits of a catamaran hull over the traditional V-Hull alternative. Our designs have been honed and perfected over 43 years of experience on the racing circuit.

Our racing heritage and winning edge have given us a unique perspective on the key elements that combine to take full advantage of fuel efficiency, ultimate control and handling and the optimal power to weight ratios for composite material hulls.

The Catamaran difference

Just like religion and politics, people are passionate about their judgment and preferences about all manner of things. If you’re passionate one way or the other hull configuration, far be it from us to try and convert you. We simply offer our observations and experiences on the advantages of the catamaran. You be the judge…

Cost Effective

Based on our racing experience, power catamarans generally produce about 25% better fuel economy. For example, running at 35 to 40 mph, a cat will consume around 3 miles per gallon.

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Catamaran motor centers range from 72” to 88” apart, allowing for better maneuvering around docks; A V-Hull is typically 24” apart. Most v-bottoms need bow thrusters and/or joystick controls for enhanced control and maneuverability in tight spaces.

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Our twin-V offshore power catamarans run on top of the water. Gliding over 24 steps and utilizing a large air entrapment tunnel producing a 40% softer ride.

A catamaran offers a markedly more stable ride over its V-hull counterpart. The side-to-side motion is almost non-existent.

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Spectacular footage shows US catamaran flipping over and capsizing during pre-race in Bermuda

Sport Spectacular footage shows US catamaran flipping over and capsizing during pre-race in Bermuda

The crew of a catamaran that flipped during the pre-race at a Bermuda event escaped unharmed, as vision showed the US team being flung through the air.

The F50 capsized during the third and final practice race, and while the crew were unhurt in the spectacular moment, the team was forced to withdraw from the race due to the damage sustained to the catamaran.

Data from the vessel showed that wing trimmer Victor Diaz de Leon pressed a button by accident, which inverted the wing of the boat.

"While operating the wing, I chose the wrong function on my control panel, which caused our boat to flip. It was very scary and I'm thankful all my teammates are safe," Diaz de Leon said after the incident.

Team CEO and strategist Mike Buckley said mistakes can happen.

"We compete as a team and whatever the outcome is — whether it's what we want — we win and lose as a team and we learn from it," he said.

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Catamaran RC Boats

The catamaran hulled-boats are the most stable and fastest in any line-up. Pro Boat has a great range of RC catamarans and they are all influenced by the fastest race boats that compete in the ‘Class One’ category of offshore powerboats. The full-sized catamarans have twin outboard engines boasting more that 1000hp and are able to reach speeds in excess of 160mph. With a little tuning, you would be amazed to know that some Pro Boat RC catamarans have reached speeds in excess of 100mph – and at a fraction of the cost!

The catamaran hull designs are noted for having less volume, lighter displacement and shallower draft – which means less of the boat is in the water compared to monohull boats. Affectionally referred to as ‘Cats,’ these boats have two parallel sponsons of equal size that run along the outer edges of the hull. The two sponsons combined have a smaller hydrodynamic resistance than a monohull and the wider stance on the water can reduce both heeling and wave-induced motion.

When setting up your Pro Boat RC catamaran you will often hear people referring to the boat ‘running too wet’ which basically means it isn’t getting out of the water enough. A catamaran is designed to almost sit on top of the water and if it is unable to lift itself out of the water then it will run slower and handle poorly.

The Pro Boat designers and engineers have been heavily influenced by the full-sized Class One race boats and that has created three very exciting RC catamarans for the main high-speed part of the Pro Boat range. Available in three hull-lengths from 24” to 42” these are also some of the biggest RC boats in the range.

Let’s start with the biggest, and that is the ample Blackjack 42” 8S brushless RC catamaran. This is large scale RC racing at its most fun! The Spektrum Marine 4685 4-Pole, water-cooled motor produces over 5hp and will ensure this big boat can reach speeds of over 55mph! Smart technology throughout, this boat looks a little intimidating at first but within minutes you’ll feel right at home and find yourself pushing harder and harder to get those truly exciting speeds. It has an impact-resistant polycarbonate hull with a clean moulded composite interior. This RC boat is simple to work on and a joy to use.

The Blackjack 42” has a little brother, and that’s the Blackjack 24”. This 24” brushless RC catamaran can run on 2S or 3S LiPo batteries, can hit 30mph and is a great introduction into the world of catamaran RC boats. The distinctive red trim has great visibility on the water and looks very stylish too. This Blackjack is certainly not a gamble – always bet on red.

Between the two Blackjack cats, we have the Veles. This 29” RC catamaran is a pocket rocket. The 2000KV motor can propel this boat to 50mph+ on 6S power. It has a hand-laid fibreglass composite hull that has a very dynamic design with sharp lines and aggressive angles. The Veles 29” RC catamaran is fast and fun, whether you’re a beginner or intermediate RC boater.

Hitting 110 MPH in a 1,000-HP Race Boat Is Less Bonkers Than You’d Think

On this day, the hudson river was our runway..

T hanks to electrification, we're now used to hearing about cars that easily make 1,000 hp or more. But while pure internal combustion with four-digit power is in its twilight stages on land, it's a different story on the water.

Recently, Mercury Marine invited us for a ride in an MTI 390X race boat featuring two of Mercury Racing's new 500R V-8 engines. With low-mounted seats and a livery more befitting a 10-year-old's bedspread, the thing all but screams speed. Thing is, though, once it got going, it wasn't the brain-melting experience we might have expected—proving that smooth speed can be had anywhere, even on the Hudson River.

The Hardware

But first: What are we looking at here?

As its name implies, the 500R is a 500-hp outboard V-8 engine. It's a Mercury-sourced 4.6-liter supercharged unit reinforced to produce extra power via a new crankshaft and stronger connecting rods, rod bearings, and pistons. As compared to the 450R, the 500R also redlines at a higher 6,600 rpm. Mercury says it can run on 89-octane pump fuel.

The MTI 390X itself uses a catamaran-style hull that gives it more stability at speed than your typical V-bottom. This particular boat weighs approximately 5,600 pounds, is 39 feet long, and can seat eight passengers. There's no moving about the cabin once aboard, either; the deep bucket seats and harnesses implicitly state you're to be seated and strapped in at all times. Out back, the dual 500Rs produce a combined 1,000 hp.

It Feels Like Flying

Given its looks, you'd almost expect the boat to scream to life and then settle at a loud, yowling idle, like a Dodge Challenger Demon or practically any Lamborghini . But it doesn't. It's quiet. It won't earn you a public disturbance ticket. It's civilized.

That civility extends to out on open water, too. Close your eyes, feel the slight turbulence bumping the boat's hull—you could easily be fooled into thinking you were on a leisurely jaunt. But we kept our eyes open, noting how quickly we were passing cars ( cars! ) whizzing up the West Side Highway and watching the big digital speedometer tick steadily upward. An effortless 75 mph swelled into an unbelievable 110 mph with zero drama whatsoever. This is probably the fastest way to get from Chelsea to Washington Heights short of taking a helicopter.

But sitting and typing this, I can confidently say the roughest part of that whole thing was making sure the wind didn't rip my phone out of my hands as I raised it to take a video.

It all felt so, so controlled. Like, your brain knows you're going more than 100 mph, but your body is relaxed because the 390X is so unperturbed at speed. You're also seated so low you basically feel as if you're right at water level. Behind, the Mercury Racing engines hum progressively louder, the superchargers' whine growing more persistent, but the noise never peaks. Like the best German autobahn cruisers, the boat is meant to get to speed quickly and easily and hold you there with minimal disturbance.

Frankly, the experience reminded us of a Bugatti Chiron . Specifically, the effortlessness of achieving and maintaining incredible speeds. The sparseness of a Chiron's cabin might seem at odds with how much it costs, but you're paying for the engineering that makes it capable of moving through the air as fast as it can. The 390X and its pair of 500Rs is the same idea, and on water at that, which carries its own set of challenges.

Once upon a time, people wanted boats like these to be earth-shatteringly loud so everyone else could hear them coming. Now, that seems to have fallen out of style in favor of being seen and not heard. Keep your eyes peeled.

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Looking for ‘a Different Kind of Wow’: Next Level Hotel Experiences

From cooking with a Michelin-star chef to taking a chauffeured shopping spree in Singapore, hotels and resorts are offering ever-more-lavish activities for guests.

By Amy Thomas

Heli-hiking on a remote slice of Vancouver Island in Canada. Concocting your own perfume in southern France. Planning a shoot with a New York fashion photographer.

Now that amenities like infinity pools and posh spas (rebranded as wellness centers) are practically de rigueur at upscale lodgings, many properties are trying to distinguish themselves with activities that are ever more bespoke and brag-worthy.

“All of this is part of the trend we’ve seen for a while, especially since the pandemic, when everyone wants what they want and they want everything hyper-customized to their interests and their requirements,” said Ashley Isaacs Ganz, the founder and chief executive of Artisans of Leisure , a luxury tour operator.

Indeed, said Janelle Ruhumuliza, a travel adviser with Embark Beyond , “experiences have to go further than what they were before.” She notes that social media has amplified travelers’ desire to “one-up” what others are doing online.

Hotels are feeling the urgency. “We have guests that are almost aggressive in how they want to experience something,” said Philippe Gills, who oversees the concierge team at the Langham, Chicago . “Even if it’s something that they’ve experienced before, they’re looking to do it new now, so we have to be creative.”

Next-level activities

Activities and experiences have long been part of luxury hotel offerings. But many current offerings come with extra cachet.

“We are constantly trying to find cool things for our guests to do,” said Olivier Lordonnois, who, as managing director of Aman , oversees the luxury resort company’s properties in the Americas, including its newest in New York City . That could mean an invitation to an artist’s private studio to learn about their process ($7,500) or mastering fish butchery and handcrafted sushi ($750).

The resort also partners with the camera manufacturer Leica and offers master classes, such as photography with the fashion photographer Mark de Paola, who will help guests run a true-to-life shoot that includes hair, makeup and styling. Guests photograph models at iconic New York backdrops (starting at $7,000, lunch at an Aman restaurant included).

Set in a rainforest on Vancouver Island, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge offers canyoning, horseback riding, salmon fishing and more. You can also take it to the next level and charter a helicopter to whisk you away for mountaintop adventures (650 Canadian dollars, or about $475, per person). “When you get to the top of the mountain, you’re talking to God,” said the general manager, Sarah Cruse. “I’ll send you up there with a bottle of Champagne and say, ‘Just sit down and have a chat.’”

Even resorts that offer a selection of activities included in the room rate take special pains to develop additional offerings. “Guests are paying a high room rate, so we need full programming and activities on the calendar,” said Corey Lens, the assistant general manager of Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, Maine. That means no additional charge for forest-bathing sessions, watercolor lessons, and visits with orphaned owls, turtles and other wildlife. But you can also pay for extra sessions with a forest therapist to take you on a mindfulness hike ($85 per hour) or mixologists ($60) to level up your cocktail-making skills.

Exclusive access

Personalized experiences are something Annabel Rayer, a global communications director for IHG brands, which includes Six Senses , Regent , InterContinental and others, sees as nonnegotiable. “It’s not just the case of going for a Michelin-star meal,” she said. Our guests want to meet the chef, and they want to understand everything that’s going on.” At the InterContinental London Park Lane , that Michelin-starred chef is Theo Randall, and guests can learn from him in a kitchen master class before indulging in a four-course meal (from 185 euros, or about $200).

In France, at Carlton Cannes , a Regent hotel, guests explore the perfume capital of Grasse in a vintage Citroën 2CV and create their own fragrance with some of the world’s best perfumers (from 109 euros), and at the Regent resort on the Vietnamese island Phu Quoc, guests can get lessons from an expert sailing crew aboard a catamaran (64,000,000 Vietnamese dong, or about $2,520, for up to 12 guests).

In Chicago, the city where the architect Frank Lloyd Wright established himself, the Langham tempts guests with an intensive tour of his home, which he built for himself in 1889 in Oak Park, west of downtown.

The three-hour excursion ($1,240) includes a chauffeured ride to Oak Park, which has the highest concentration of Wright-designed houses in the world, along with a tour of Wright’s own home and studio. The experience, said Mr. Gills, of the Langham, gives guests a new perspective on someone they thought they knew. “It’s a different kind of ‘wow,’” he said.

Jesmine Hall is director of communications for Raffles Singapore . “We see a hotel being a destination for not just rest and rejuvenation,” she said, “but a setting for cultural immersion.” The hotel’s Enlightenment Retreat (from 7,800 Singapore dollars, or about $5,745) features four days of holistic treatments — including yoga, meditation, hydrotherapy herbal body wraps — along with personalized menus from the hotel’s restaurants. It also includes visits to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Intan, a private house museum devoted to Peranakan culture — a mix of local and Chinese heritage. Tea with the owner, Alvin Yapp, well known in Singapore’s cultural circles, gives it that extra insider’s feel.

Exceptional locations

Sometimes the location itself is the experience. Rather than choosing downtown San Diego when it opened a new California location three years ago, Alila Hotels and Resorts went 28 miles north to Encinitas, Calif. “It’s this little beach town that’s always been known as a surf destination, always been known as laid-back and friendly,” said Emily Teachout, director of marketing for the 130-room Alia Marea Beach resort . Through Fulcrum Surf , a top-tier surf school, guests can take a one-hour lesson ($200) on the resort’s beach. Or they can opt for a private coastal tour ($925) to scope out the best breaks, take in the local scene and get an extended lesson on different surfboards.

Other resorts make the most out of their natural environment. When Jon Borschow, 72, and his wife, Galina, 68, of San Juan, P.R., arrived at Amanpulo resort on the private Pamalican Island in the Philippines, they noticed a lot of birds. Being amateur birders, they inquired about them and were offered a tour with the resident naturalist. “I would say we saw at least 30 different species,” said Mr. Borschow, including Thai imperial pigeons and a Philippine megapode.

Personalization. Personalization. Personalization.

“Travelers really just want to be taken care of by hotels and have them provide and arrange everything,” Ms. Hall, of Raffles Singapore , said. Responding to that desire, Raffles offers a personalized shopping extravaganza, in which guests consult with a personal shopper before arrival, and then enjoy a chauffeured four-hour trip to some of Singapore’s best boutiques (from 3,900 Singapore dollars, or about $2,860, which includes two nights in a suite and breakfast).

Hotels also seize opportunities to deliver a personal touch.

When David Anderson, 78, of St. Louis, took his extended family on a trip to the Clayoquot lodge, he emailed Ms. Cruse, the general manager, in advance, sharing a bit on each of the nine family members.

“She guided us toward taking a family hike,” said Mr. Anderson, acknowledging they had been inclined to split up and do different activities. “She knew that we were working on communication as a family. We were going to pass on the hike. She really pushed us,” he said about the outing with experienced guides.

A year and a half later, Mr. Anderson still feels the effects on his family. “I can honestly say after that trip, our communication has gone to a higher level.”

What’s next

Hotel experts say that the arms race for bigger, bolder, more creative experiences will continue. “Guests are starved for something new because everything around them has been turned into an algorithm,” said Mr. Gills, who is constantly digging deeper to come up with the novel.

So, if hotels want to stay competitive, it seems that no experience is too “out there.” Not even a mountaintop chat with the gods.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

An earlier version of this article inaccurately described Hidden Pond, a resort in Kennebunkport, Maine. It is not an all-inclusive resort.

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Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .