Having worn boat shoes all summer and every summer since I was a teenager I was excited to try Sperry's offering as I can't find any cheaper (but will last for years and years). tropical storms in the Keys, where it became necessary to wade through six inches of water) of the Falls Creek brand - because they looked like real deck shoes. However, when I tried them on, I was less than thrilled. They didn't look like boat shoes; The fit was too snug for the height and width of my foot, they looked oddly raised and were uncomfortable and a bit painful to walk on. That was until I pulled out the stock insole and found that the heel was significantly raised and the forefoot was too thick, making the overall thickness too big. After replacing that painful suction cup with a flat set of Odor Eaters, they fit great and now have the right deck shoe feel: like walking barefoot, not walking barefoot. Now I like them and use my own idea of a modified fishtail knot for notoriously difficult leather laces. The only reason this isn't a full 5 stars is the ridiculous design of the standard insole. The comfort of deck shoes is due to the flatness of the shoe, not the over-construction of the insole. So do yourself a favor and rip this bastard out.