Alright, so let me share a little something that used to drive me absolutely nuts: tying boat shoes. Sounds simple, right? Well, for the longest time, I just couldn’t get ’em to stay tied. Those leather laces, man, they’re slippery! I’d do the same knot I’ve used on sneakers my whole life, and within an hour, sometimes less, boom, undone. It was super annoying, especially if I was, you know, actually on a boat or just walking around trying to look like I had my life together.
I remember this one time, I was at a friend’s BBQ, trying to be all cool and casual in my new boat shoes. And I swear, I must have retied those things like five times. Every time I bent down, I felt like everyone was watching. Super embarrassing. I was almost ready to just give up on boat shoes altogether, which would’ve been a shame ’cause they’re comfy and look pretty good, if you ask me.
Figuring It Out the Hard Way
So, after that BBQ incident, I was like, “Okay, enough is enough.” I couldn’t be the only person with this problem, right? Turns out, a lot of folks struggle with this. The standard knot just doesn’t cut it with these kinds of laces. They need a bit more… persuasion, let’s call it.
I started looking around, asking a few people, and finally stumbled upon a method that actually works. It’s not even that complicated, which made me feel a bit silly for not figuring it out sooner. But hey, better late than never. And ever since I started using this technique, my boat shoe laces stay put all day long. Seriously, it’s a game changer.
Here’s How I Do It
So, if you’re tired of your boat shoes coming undone, give this a shot. It’s what I do now every single time, and it hasn’t failed me yet.
- First things first: Get your laces ready, one in each hand, just like you normally would.
- The initial tie: You start by making that first simple knot, you know, right over left (or left over right, doesn’t matter, just be consistent). But here’s the trick – do it twice. So, cross them, tuck one under, pull it snug. Then, do that exact same cross and tuck again, right on top of the first one. This is the key part, makes it much grippier.
- Making the loops (bunny ears): Now you make your loops, or “bunny ears,” one with each lace. Just like you learned as a kid.
- The final knot: This is where you do another little twist. Instead of just crossing the loops and pulling one through once, you’re going to wrap them around each other twice as well. So, cross the loops, tuck one loop under and through the hole, and then do that same tuck through the hole one more time with the same loop.
- Pull it tight: Now, pull both loops firmly. Not crazy tight, you don’t want to snap the leather, but give it a good, solid tug.
And that’s pretty much it! It sounds like a lot when you write it out, but once you do it a couple of times, it becomes second nature. The extra wraps in the initial tie and in the final bow are what really lock those slippery laces in place.
Honestly, since I started tying my boat shoes this way, I haven’t had them come undone unexpectedly. No more tripping, no more constant re-tying. It’s such a small thing, but it makes wearing them so much more enjoyable. So yeah, if you’ve been struggling, I hope this little practice I picked up helps you out too. Give it a go!
