# What is the deal with being barefoot on a yacht? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006 "2025-09-13T03:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/41 "2025-09-14T17:18:23Z")
Isn’t “Shoes on or off inside the house?” one of those hot-button issues that once threatened to tear the entire message board asunder a few years ago? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/42 "2025-09-14T17:23:23Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Isn’t “Shoes on or off inside the house?” one of those hot-button issues that once threatened to tear the entire message board asunder a few years ago?   Just don’t introduce the topic of how to install a toilet paper roll – a question to which there is only one right answer, but so many are misguided on this – or this entire message board is lost if we should get into this grim topic again! 😁 But in all seriousness, I see no need to be tracking the great outdoors all over my house. Maybe I’m particularly casual about kicking off my shoes when I come inside the house because I always tend to wear the kind that are very easy to take off and put on. Down in the basement I have a pair of snow boots that I used to wear when shoveling the driveway. They have laces about ten miles long and a bazillion lace holes to thread them through. Nowadays the snow is removed from my driveway by a snowplow service while I watch through the window. Not that I can afford it, but my doctor tells me that shoveling snow is not conducive to my continued existence. ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/43 "2025-09-14T17:59:34Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Isn’t “Shoes on or off inside the house?” one of those hot-button issues that once threatened to tear the entire message board asunder a few years ago? I never wear shoes when piloting a plane taking off from a threadmill. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/44 "2025-09-14T18:35:00Z")
I always had the impression this is a Canadian / American cultural thing. In a Canada shoes typically come off and get left in the foyer or mudroom. And yes, footwear is going to tend to carry in mud and debris, especially with Canadian winters Even in good weather there are pebbles and dust etc that get tracked in. Shoes are hell on hardwood floors. One little pebble caught in the sole of a shoe will do a lot of damage. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/45 "2025-09-14T18:38:05Z")
That sort of thing is what a mudroom is for. At the very least, it’s helpful to have a bench on which to sit and remove one’s shoes or boots after entering. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/46 "2025-09-14T19:21:21Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > We were amused by one boat beside us once which was not only incredibly pristine, but the sailors insisted on coiling the loose ends of the mooring lines in a perfect spiral! We just left ours in a heap on the dock, and that pretty much reflected our approach to everything. I think this may be good safety practice. I am not a sailor myself but I have friends who own a boat, and I have sailed with them from time to time. They said something like “that rope lying around on deck will kill you faster than the snake it looks like”. I was led to understand that any excess length of rope should be coiled. I once sailed with them from Norway to Scotland - a 3-day crossing in difficult sea conditions. The idea of going barefoot on that trip was not in any way tempting! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/47 "2025-09-14T19:30:12Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > I think this may be good safety practice. A spiral is different than coiling. A spiral is where every inch of the line touches the surface of the dock creating a perfect circle. Most sailors would consider this pretentious (annd unnecessarily time consuming) and are content to coil their lines between their hand and elbow like you would an extension cord and hang it or place the wad next to the cleat. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/48 "2025-09-14T19:52:39Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You might want to modify your lifestyle Why? House is clean, feet are happy, floor is good. WHY should I modify my lifestyle? I don’t need ‘slip on’ shoes, I have slippers for that. But I am able to go outside and do anything I want by just standing and walking to the door. And yes at previous house you DID need boots to get the car if you forgot something. I just mowed the grass, and I walked into the house. With my shoes on. And surprise! The house is not a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/49 "2025-09-14T21:09:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You might want to modify your lifestyle **Enipla** doesn’t have to modify their lifestyle to placate _you_. You are in Canada. It’s much less of an issue in the US and how **enipla** runs their house is totally normal. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/50 "2025-09-14T23:22:08Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The answer to that is most places aren’t designed to be amenable to bare feet. Yachts, specifically are. You would know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/51 "2025-09-14T23:32:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > If someone **doesn’t** take their shoes off in my home, I find it very insulting. Why? In what part of the world do you live? I realize there are places where it’s understood that you take off your shoes when you enter someone’s home, and it would be offensive not to. Here in the U.S., it’s definitely **not** the norm, although I have friends that request that you take your shoes off when entering their home. I am happy to do this, but if you want people to behave in a way that isn’t the norm where you live, then you shouldn’t be insulted if they behave in the normal manner unless you’ve requested in advance that they do otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/52 "2025-09-14T23:39:25Z")
I take off shoes in my house, but I would never ask a guest to. They might not have presentable socks on, or otherwise not feel comfortable with it. If they want to remove them, they’ll either just do it or they’ll ask if I want them to. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/53 "2025-09-14T23:40:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So you don’t slip on the ceramic tile floors and die. Yeah, I had a similar thought, only about the smooth wooden stairs leading down to our basement. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/54 "2025-09-15T00:21:05Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah, I had a similar thought, only about the smooth wooden stairs leading down to our basement. Yup, we wear shoes for a reason. And don’t offer me slippers at the door unless they are brand new out of the box. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/55 "2025-09-15T02:00:18Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@hibernicus](#): > > > > I think this may be good safety practice. > > A spiral is different than coiling. A spiral is where every inch of the line touches the surface of the dock creating a perfect circle. Most sailors would consider this pretentious (annd unnecessarily time consuming) and are content to coil their lines between their hand and elbow like you would an extension cord and hang it or place the wad next to the cleat. Exactly. We were certainly aware that our lines shouldn’t be a tripping hazard and dealt with them accordingly, but these guys I’m talking about literally spiralled them like they were creating a work of art. IIRC, they also wore pristine white sailor suits. We wore grungy jeans and T-shirts. > [@enipla](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > You might want to modify your lifestyle > > Why? House is clean, feet are happy, floor is good. WHY should I modify my lifestyle? I was being slightly facetious, but if you have to go in and out more than a dozen times a day, you have a lifestyle quite different from mine, but you do you – doesn’t bother me. My only point is that the floors of my house are cleaner than the streets and sidewalks outside. > [@enipla](#): > > I just mowed the grass, and I walked into the house. With my shoes on. And surprise! The house is not a mess. Again, do whatever you like. Back when I mowed my own lawn, I wore an old pare of sneakers for that purpose, not my regular ones. Eventually the topsides started turning green from grass clippings; Lord only knows what the soles looked like. I kept the filthy things in the basement and would never even think of wearing them in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/56 "2025-09-15T05:19:12Z")
It used to be you would read a thread and learn something unexpected. Now, they just seem to be on a trajectory of vitriol to The Pit. Goddamn Obama! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/57 "2025-09-15T09:24:00Z")
As someone who has done some yachting in my earlier days (of the “chartering a small one with a group for weekend cruising around the Chesapeake” type, not “hanging out with rich people sipping cocktails”), this is the basic answer: > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Better grip on a wet deck, and an effort by the boat owner to not have the deck scuffed by the soles of street shoes. However, boat shoes are fine too, especially for this reason: > [@enipla](#): > > Accidentally kick a cleat, and you will agree. Personally I preferred bare feet as I felt more surefooted on deck than in boat shoes, but you can bet I kept a close eye on where I was stepping. The other main hazard, of course, is the swinging boom. I did manage to avoid being concussed but there were a few close calls. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/58 "2025-09-15T10:05:49Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > The other main hazard, of course, is the swinging boom. I did manage to avoid being concussed but there were a few close calls. Well, it’s not as if it swings around randomly. When tacking, the captain or helmsman should announce that we’re coming about, which should be a warning to everyone to either get out of way or duck if necessary and as the situation warrants. It may sound funny but it’s no laughing matter – people have been injured or swept overboard by a swinging boom. On even a medium-size boat those things can be massive. Just like the mast, those things have to sustain an enormous amount of stress, able to rapidly move through the water a typical recreational sailboat that might have a displacement of 8 or 9 tons. Fortunately I never saw or experienced a boom accident.. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/59 "2025-09-15T10:08:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Well, it’s not as if it swings around randomly. When tacking, the captain or helmsman should announce that we’re coming about, which should be a warning to everyone to either get out of way or duck if necessary and as the situation warrants. Agreed (and generally observed), but you do occasionally get a sudden shift in wind direction and that sucker comes flying across without warning (or not much - the sail will obviously move before the boom does). Those are the dangerous ones. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006/60 "2025-09-15T14:59:15Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Fortunately I never saw or experienced a boom accident.. I once jumped overboard to avoid one. I’m still not sure if our helmsman was a bad sailor or just a dick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deal-with-being-barefoot-on-a-yacht/1023006.md?page=4)