There are also now what might be called “dress” deck shoes like the Sperry Top-Sider Gold Cup series, shoes that cost as much as Michael Jordan basketball specials, but that look it, too. With 18-karat gold-plate eyelets, deerskin lining and a memory-foam footbed, these are veddy classy classics—and they have the arch support and sole cushioning that raise them far above the original Top-Sider in wearing comfort. Whether you want to spend 150 bucks on shoes that might wind up with redfish scales all over them is another matter, of course. Sperry also makes boat sandals in both thong and wrap-over styles at much more moderate prices, and a new athletic-shoe version, the Portside, that goes for under $60.

Whatever style and price range you want, it’s likely you can find it in a “new-age” boat shoe that’s more comfortable, more stylish, more durable—and a whole lot less smelly—than your old favorites. Even as they age, if you chose models with removable insoles, you can pop these out and run them through the washing machine as needed, keeping your feet—and your crew—happy.

FS