At the 2025 PIC Coastal Classic, sea boots and good sense shared the spotlight.
Burnsco are loyal event partners of the 2026 PIC Coastal Classic, and they would have smiled to see a few skippers turn up at the awards in Russell still wearing their Burnsco sea boots. It had been a long race and a big night; fast boats, first boats, and plenty of tall tales. In the middle of it all, those boots summed up Kiwi boating perfectly: practical, unfussy, and built for the job.
Back in the day, many boaties simply pulled on a pair of gumboots. You will remember Fred Dagg’s Gumboot Song. It was practically a national anthem. The farmer’s footwear of choice somehow made its way onto almost every boat ramp in the country. But times change. A New Zealand coroner has warned against wearing gumboots on boats under six metres, and for good reason. Fall overboard in a pair and they will fill in seconds, turning into anchors around your legs. They are almost impossible to kick off, especially with wet-weather gear on. The gumboot has had its day, and the sea boot has taken over.
Our boat once lived at Catalina Bay, the old RNZAF seaplane base on Auckland’s upper Waitematā. In the 1940s, flying boats landed there and trundled up concrete ramps into hangars. Those same ramps are still in use and still covered in a lifetime of slime and barnacles that turn them into green ice at low tide.
It took one launch to learn the hard way. Every one of us nearly ended up flat on our backs before we even reached the water. Meanwhile, a couple of locals wandered past in sea boots, walking across the ramp as if it were dry concrete.
Having come from a marina berth, we had never needed anything remotely like sea boots before. But at that moment it clicked. Sea boots are seriously practical. They grip like glue and keep you steady when everything else is slippery. The fact that some PIC Coastal Classic crews were still wearing them long after they had stepped ashore says it all. They are comfortable and built for long days on and off the water. Burnsco’s lace-up pair are soft inside, firm underfoot, and right at home around boats. The Gill boots follow the same idea, warm and quick to drain if you get a dunking. A far cry from Dad’s muddy gumboots by the back door.
If you prefer something lighter, Burnsco also sell sea shoes. White-soled, waterproof, and comfortable, they offer sure footing without trapping water. The key is safety. The right footwear keeps you upright, dry, and out of trouble.
The PIC Coastal Classic proved that safety is not just about the big gear. It is often the small choices — a good pair of boots, a working lifejacket, and a bit of common sense — that keep you dry and smiling.
If you are launching from a ramp like Catalina Bay’s, sea boots are the go. If you are heading across the Hauraki Gulf, deck shoes or sea shoes will do the trick. Either way, you will be better off than Fred Dagg’s flu-stricken farmer.
Gumboots will always be part of our boating story: rugged, unpretentious, and unmistakably Kiwi. But they belong on land. Sea boots carry the same spirit, just with a little more sense.
So next time you are stepping off a slippery ramp, hum a line of Fred Dagg and remember:
“If it weren’t for your gumboots, where would ya be?”
Just make sure yours say Sea Boots on the side.
