With so many companies opting to conduct their manufacturing overseas in a bid to reduce costs and increase production, more and more Americans are looking closer to home when it comes to buying shoes. In this article, I’ll be going through the companies that manufacture boat shoes in the USA.
Sell American Made Boat Shoes? (The Short Answer)
After an extensive search for companies that manufacture boat shoes in the USA, I found 3 companies that produce them. The companies I found are Oak Street Bootmakers, Gokey USA, and Quoddy.
3 Brands That Sell Men’s and Women’s Boat Shoes That Are USA Made
Now that we know which companies produce boat shoes in the USA, let’s look at each one in more detail.
Oak Street Bootmakers
Oak Street Bootmakers is a popular American boot maker having produced countless pairs of shoes and boots for people all over the US. Its footwear is all 100% re-craftable, meaning that it can be fixed up and re-soled over and over. This is much better for the environment than regular shoes that need to be thrown away once worn out.
As for its manufacturing, Oak Street Bootmakers manufactures 100% of its footwear in the USA. Instead of the usual ‘Made in USA’ logo you see on various websites, Oak Street Bootmakers has its own label, ‘More than Made in USA’. What this means is that it does a lot more than just meet the minimum FTC requirements for using the ‘Made in USA’ label. For more about the company’s production, check this out.
Here are a few of Oak Street Bootmakers’ American made boat shoes for those wanting to take a look. For those wanting to see the company’s full range, here’s a link.
Gokey USA
Gokey USA was founded in 1850. It is a well-established company having sold products to influential people throughout history like Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Its footwear is known to be of high quality and dependable.
As far as manufacturing goes, it’s unclear whether or not the company manufactures all of its products in the USA, but according to its website, it offers products that are handmade in the USA. I came across a handful of reviews on Amazon stating that Gokey’s boat shoes are made in the USA.
At the time of writing this article, Gokey USA offers two different lines of American made boat shoes. You can see both of them here.
Quoddy
Quoddy is a footwear manufacturer based in Maine. It is a family-led business that was founded in 1947. The company still uses its original construction method that has been passed down through the generations.
According to the company’s FAQ section, all of its made-to-order products are made exclusively in Maine. However, it does also clearly state that not all of its inventory is made in the USA.
Here are some links to Quoddy’s made-to-order boat shoes for those interested in taking a look.
Honorable Mention
I found one company that may manufacture its boat shoes in the USA. However, there’s a lot of contradictory information regarding its manufacturing so it gets an honorable mention. Here’s what I found.
Sperry
Sperry is a very well-known company. It’s based in Maine and it produces various apparel items, including boat shoes. Its footwear is known to be of high quality and reliable. This is partly due to the sheer quality of the materials that go into the shoes.
I found a few pieces of information that contradict one another. According to the website All American, Sperry’s boat shoes are made in Vietnam, Indonesia, and China. However, according to Sperry’s official website, its boat shoes are hand-sewn and assembled in Maine.
The fact that Sperry uses the word assembled instead of manufactured is maybe indicative that the shoes come in from overseas and are then put together in the US. Also, in the product description of its boat shoes, it has the phrase that you can see highlighted in the image below.
The language used in the description could just mean that some of the stitching is carried out in the US and the rest is carried out overseas. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything else regarding its manufacturing. So while it may manufacture its boat shoes in the USA, it may also manufacture them overseas.
Here’s a link to Sperry’s boat shoe products and here’s another link to the company’s contact details. I’d recommend reaching out to the company and asking them directly where its boat shoes are made.
Boat Shoes that Are Mistaken as Being Made in the USA
One company kept popping up during my search for American made boat shoes. However, upon taking a closer look, the company actually manufactures its footwear overseas. I also found one other company whose manufacturing seems to take place overseas. Here’s what I found.
Sebago
Sebago is a well-known Portland-based company that manufactures clothing and footwear for men and women. As a part of its footwear range, Sebago offers a handful of boat shoes.
I saw the company featured on various third-party websites as an American boat shoe manufacturer. However, according to the company itself, this isn’t the case.
Sebago’s footwear is produced in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, and Southeast Asia. I am unsure where the misinformation stems from as Sebago is very open about its manufacturing locations.
Eastland Shoe
Eastland Shoe is a family-owned business that was founded in 1955. For over 60 years the company has been solely focused on producing high-quality shoes for people all over the US. From loafers and slip-ons to clogs and boat shoes, there’s not a lot that Eastland Shoe doesn’t have when it comes to footwear.
At first glance, it looks like the company is an American manufacturer. Across numerous pages on its website, there are phrases such as ‘Since 1955, Freeport, Maine.’ And ‘Based in Freeport, Maine.’
However, after noticing that there’s no ‘Made in USA’ label on its website, I decided to dig a little deeper. I found an Amazon Q and A page that was filled with comments stating that the products customers receive were made in China.
I found the same on several of Eastland Shoe’s Amazon product listings. So, it seems like Eastland Shoe manufactures most if not all of its shoes overseas. If there are any readers out there who know more about Eastland Shoe’s manufacturing locations then let us know via the comment sections below.
