Boat shoes are...... ??

 Boat shoes (also known as deck shoes or topsiders) are typically canvas or leather with non-marking rubber soles designed for use on a boat. A siping pattern is cut into the soles to provide grip on a wet deck; the leather construction, along with application of oil, is designed to repel water.

Modern boat shoes were invented in 1935 by Paul Sperry after noticing his dog's ability to run easily over ice without slipping. Using a knife, he cut siping into his shoes' soles, inspiring a shoe perfect for boating, and a company called 

Sperry Top-Sider. Sperry Top-Siders are still a popular brand of boat shoe today, among many others, namely Sebago. The stitching on traditional boat shoes lends them a high amount of durability. Boat shoes are traditionally worn without socks.^[1]

Boat shoes are used by sailors, as the name suggests; however, since the 1980s they have become fashionable footwear in America, the UK,^[2] Portugal, Argentina and France. Some boat shoes today have traditional white, non-marking soles, though many others today have dark non-marking soles