Possibly the greatest question of our era. Personally, I think there's nothing more comfortable than a perfectly fitting split toe booty. However, if the booty is either slightly too big or small, the results may not be pretty.

Do you live in Alaska?

Both.
For surfing or standup paddle surfing, I go split toe, it keeps the bootie from twisting.
For windsurfing, round toe, it gets caught on nothing and feels much more comfortable in the foot strap.

Split toe .
But you got to keep your toenails trimmed

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actiomax said..
Split toe .
But you got to keep your toenails trimmed

Haha, correct! But ive worn thru a set in 1year. Booty Soles on RBs dont last. Dive boots seem to last forever.

Split toe is a good way to injure something. Tried them after glowing online recommendations and then binned them after several bruised toes. Not worth it.

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Paducah said..
Split toe is a good way to injure something. Tried them after glowing online recommendations and then binned them after several bruised toes. Not worth it.

Why didn't you just glue the toe up on the boot?

If you use footstraps, go roundtoe.
If you ride without straps, go split.

If you aren't falling off onto razor sharp reef and if its not freezing cold don't wear any. Wearing rubber makes you lose all sensitivity. (Hmmm)

I would like to wear them to protect my feet, but I just can't tolerate the loss of control. Feels like driving a car with a pool noodle on the steering wheel

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Sparky said..
Wearing rubber makes you lose all sensitivity. (Hmmm)

That's why I like sailing naked
The young families call the cops.

I have flying objects booties that are split toe, but appear from the exterior to be round toe. They are great and very important for sailing on Brisbane Water (nsw).

www.flyingobjects.com.au/products/windsurf/flux-boot/

These are similar, but mine are for summer!

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Imax1 said..

Sparky said..
Wearing rubber makes you lose all sensitivity. (Hmmm)

That's why I like sailing naked
The young families call the cops.

Imax1, i thought you were joking when you said you were starting tests on the schlong-amometer??

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Stretchy said..
I would like to wear them to protect my feet, but I just can't tolerate the loss of control. Feels like driving a car with a pool noodle on the steering wheel

I've never understood that opinion, as echoed by many of my friends, I find it like driving a car while wearing shoes, no big deal.
If you sail in cold water with rocky shores, they are awesome and take no time to get used to.
Many of my friends are always complaining about their sore feet, I hate sore feet, and being sore will give you a loss of sensitivity where you need it.

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choco said..

Paducah said..
Split toe is a good way to injure something. Tried them after glowing online recommendations and then binned them after several bruised toes. Not worth it.

Why didn't you just glue the toe up on the boot?

Why don't I get boots that don't have that problem in the first place?

And for those that like to go rawdog... err, without boots, where I sail, that's even more invitation to foot injury. Not everyone is blessed with clean, sandy beaches.

If somewhere cold the round toe dive boots are best as foot seems to stay warmer with no extra split in the end. But since I moved to Qld I prefer the light split toe booties as my perception is they seem to give a better feel even when in the straps. Trick is to get ones that suit your foot type and don't have a big toe area that is too narrow or too short as that will put you off them quickly. Have tried about 4 different brands and ended up with the O'Neil superfreak being the best fitting style for me.

Really the choice is Velcro at the top or no Velcro at the top........and that depends on which side of the Tasman you are from...

Split-toe O'Neill Ninja Boots:

au.oneill.com/products/heat-ninja-3mm-wetsuit-boot-black-4786-002

Boots (not socks - the socks come in S/M/L sizes and don't have a proper rubber sole).

FWIW, I hate cold and don't tolerate it well.. I have average size feet (43), but very long toes. I buy mine same size as shoe size (not one size smaller as people often recommend). Mind you, that's American sizing on their website: 10 US = 9 UK = EUR43.

I've tried many, many different kinds of boots, these are the only ones that you forget you're wearing them. I wore them in 11 degrees water and 13 air and while they weren't "toasty warm", I didn't feel cold either. IMO, at least in Victoria, you don't need super-thick boots, as long as you core and head are warm. So a hood, and something to keep the windchill off your torso. Now I need a solution for my hands.

The downsides of having such soft pliable boots is that they last about a season at most. I bought mine in May and they were worn out by Feb. I wear them all the time (city beach). I do turn them out to dry and hang them in the sun, which may not help.

Atans are the only ones that can compare in this regard. Atans are also warmer, but... they are water proof. So if water gets in, it can't get out. Wearing the wetsuit over the top of the boots helps only so much. They are also more expensive and last even less than the Ninjas. The instruction is not turn them out to dry, but they will stink real bad if you don't.

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Stretchy said..
I would like to wear them to protect my feet, but I just can't tolerate the loss of control. Feels like driving a car with a pool noodle on the steering wheel

Check out the latest Trictionary book. Andy Brandt wears boots. I think he's a pretty good windsurfer.

I w?nt boots with a enforced top of foot, I kicked the gin today while trying to waterstart. Large hole in boot with a matching one on my foot.

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Mastbender said..

Stretchy said..
I would like to wear them to protect my feet, but I just can't tolerate the loss of control. Feels like driving a car with a pool noodle on the steering wheel

I've never understood that opinion, as echoed by many of my friends, I find it like driving a car while wearing shoes, no big deal.
If you sail in cold water with rocky shores, they are awesome and take no time to get used to.
Many of my friends are always complaining about their sore feet, I hate sore feet, and being sore will give you a loss of sensitivity where you need it.

More like driving a car in oversized waterlogged gum boots in my experience. Going 60kmh+ across chop is scary stuff when you can't control the board with your feet. Yes, I cop my fair share of cuts, but that's the compromise I make. My issue is, even though the boot might be a tight fit, my foot still moves around inside it too much. The FO Flux boot looks good and the split toe might help. Maybe time for another trial, I would like to use boots if I can keep the control factor. Just did a google, I think I would go for the 2mm Flux, I'm after protection and control, not warmth

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Faff said..

Stretchy said..
I would like to wear them to protect my feet, but I just can't tolerate the loss of control. Feels like driving a car with a pool noodle on the steering wheel

Check out the latest Trictionary book. Andy Brandt wears boots. I think he's a pretty good windsurfer.

Cool moves ! Not really what I'm carrying on about though. My issue is with powered up windsurfing, where there is a lot of force being driven through the boots to the board

Have worn booties and gloves for 34 years. Never a foot injury/cut/scrape/blister (one exception below). Same with the gloves - never one blister. Split toe booties feel too weird so I go with round toe. I must have an arch strap over the top to keep the toes from jamming into the end of the bootie. I did lose the big toenail once because of hitting the end of the bootie, but it happened over time and never actually hurt. New nail came back fine.

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NCUSAGUY said..
Have worn booties and gloves for 34 years. Never a foot injury/cut/scrape/blister (one exception below). Same with the gloves - never one blister. Split toe booties feel too weird so I go with round toe. I must have an arch strap over the top to keep the toes from jamming into the end of the bootie. I did lose the big toenail once because of hitting the end of the bootie, but it happened over time and never actually hurt. New nail came back fine.

What gloves do you wear? In summer I wear thin amara gloves (NP are the best, I think). They wear out very quickly, though. I tried proper neoprene winter gloves in winter, but the arm pump was so bad, I had to stop after 5 minutes. My friend (who's very strong) tried them and gave up quickly as well. (I think they are OK for kiting). The best solution I've found so far is disposable vinyl cooking gloves one size up to just to keep the wind chill off. I look like a kook (), but whatever...

I wear West Marine Men's short finger sailing gloves. I am in the US and have used these for several years. They last a pretty long time and take a couple of hours to break in. There's enough friction from the gloves to the boom, that they help a little with forearm fatigue.

I can't figure out how to post a link, but they cost $27.99 US. Should be easy to find on line. I wear size large, but my hands are more medium size. I can't palm a basketball, and barely a volleyball.

I wear boots (both round and split toe) and fingerless gloves. I've used Atan boots for the last 3 years, because they have the best board feel. I use Sunlover fishing gloves from BCF because they are cheap, robust and comfortable.

This thread motivated me to give it another try. I ordered a pair of FCS booties. There are a few good options out there, but I went with these because I'm hoping that having 2 straps will make them more secure. I m normally size 10.5 or 11, so I went for size10, which seems to be a nice snug fit.


Ps: it's not a lawn shot, but maybe someone can comment on my grout?

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Stretchy said..
This thread motivated me to give it another try. I ordered a pair of FCS booties. There are a few good options out there, but I went with these because I'm hoping that having 2 straps will make them more secure. I m normally size 10.5 or 11, so I went for size10, which seems to be a nice snug fit.


Ps: it's not a lawn shot, but maybe someone can comment on my grout?

Oh! Is that grout?

You might like to try some heels ?? too.

Back in your box princess! No more heckling from you until you post a LG pb