For everyday wear, boat shoes can basically replace your sneakers and they are particularly popular in summer, in the kind of sea or lake setting. As a result, to renew your boat shoes without spending more money, you can learn how to tie boat shoes leather laces in different ways. I will show you two methods that are easy and simple to follow.
How to tie boat shoes leather laces
As you know, the traditional boat shoes came in brown, but today, you can find all kinds of colors including red, navy blue, green, yellow, blue and basically any other colors under the sun. In terms of leather, these boat shoes are made with water repellent finish because the original purpose is to use it in a maritime setting. An important feature of boat shoes is that it is hand-sewn so you can see the hand sewing all along. Besides, it has the moccasin toe construction which is also sewn by hand, though, today, sometimes they are sewn by machine.
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Barrel knot laces
Now, I would like to show you how to tie boat shoes leather laces with a barrel knot. The first step you are going to do is to fold a piece of the lace in order to form a loop. Make sure to leave about 7-8 cm tail at the end of the loop. Then, hold the tail tightly by your thumb and index of your dominant hand. Then, you should twist the loop by using your non-dominant hand. After that, hold the top of the loop tightly and then wrap the skin side 5 times around the base of the loop to turn it into a barrel knot. Once you get to the fifth wrap around, just loop the end into the keyhole. Once you pull it out of the loop, tighten at the top.
There are 2 different ways of barrel knot lace, one will stick up which will create more secured fit and the other one will flop down by tugging at the end of the lace, this will create a little bit of a loose fit. If you notice, there may be extra amount of the lace, you can actually cut this off with a pair of sharp scissors if you like to for the desired amount. Repeat the whole process with the other laces. After all, you will get yourself some perfect barrel knot laces.
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Tassel knot laces
The following tip is about how to tie boat shoes leather laces with a tassel knot. Firstly, you need to cross left lace over the right one in order to create an X-shape. Then, put the left lace under the right one and then pull two laces in opposite directions.
At this stage, the right lace will be on top of the left one for sure, so that we are going to tie a square knot. It is a basic knot which can be easily seen when you tie your sneakers daily. The principle of this knot is right over left and left over right. You can take the right lace, bring it over the left of the lace and pull it back over the left. Then, you take the left lace which was previously on your right hand, go over the right lace, bring it under and around and then tighten your knot.
The next step is to hold the end of one lace to form a loop, then wrap the lace around itself 2 or 3 times. Tuck the end inside the loop to form a tassel knot. It will look a bit like a pine corn. Do it again with the other laces. Lastly, you can cut the excess from the leather laces if needed.
You should know that choosing the right shoes, you can take an average outfit and elevate it to excellent. You can have an amazing outfit on but by choosing the wrong shoes, maybe they are dirty, dated, you can take a potential style opportunity and turn it in a style liability. As a result, in addition to knowing how to tie boat shoes leather laces, you should learn how to clean your boat shoes to take best care of them.
You can use the leather lotion in order to clean, condition, polish and protect your shoes. Also, you can use a water and stain protector for better treatment as well. All you need to do is taking a small piece of towel. Apply a general amount of leather lotion, then you need to wipe off the dust that many have been on your boat shoes. Make sure to clean around the seams, toes area as well as the sides of your shoes which are considered as places that are prone to breakage if you do not do a good job and take care of them. The lotion will naturally seep into the leather.
Moreover, polishing your boat shoes regularly can help them shining and avoid any cracking or damage. Before, getting started, you should prepare a small cloth and put the gloves on. Make sure to untie the laces as well. Then, apply the leather polish to your shoes and rub into the leather. Make sure to reach every surface of your shoes. After that, rub the clean cloth into the shoes for a couple of minutes. Then, tie the laces again. Now, your shoes can have such a brand new look.
Finally, subject of heated debate is whether you should wear boat shoes with or without socks. Most people wear them barefoot especially when you are in a setting on a deck or boat simply because you have a better grip and it suits the original style. However, when it is cooler outside and you are not in that setting, you can wear socks with them. If you are concerned that your feet sweat too much when you are barefoot, simply get a cotton insert or you can also do with socks that you cannot see and then you will have the best of both worlds. You will get the barefoot look but do not sweat as much.
I hope that some of my tips about how to tie boat shoes leather laces as well as how to take care of them can help you a lot with your shoes. Moreover, make sure to share any good tricks for boat shoes if you know, so that we can discuss together and gain our knowledge in the end.
