I have found my life’s work. My passion project. Very rarely does the universe open and exclaim “This is what I need from you in exchange for your existence.” These are the ultimate goals of my grand design:

1. A consumer price point of up to $30
2. A load bearing limit of up to 300 pounds (~136 kg)
3. Portable for hiking

I don’t feel like I’ve wasted the last four years, or even the last 22 since I have only begun pursuing my project now. Instead I’d like to think that all this time has been preparation, mentally and physically. Who knows who I have met in my life that will help me ultimately accomplish my greatest task.

Looking back now, I wonder how close I’ve come to this thought. How often have I almost come up to the idea that I need to dedicate my life to designing boat shoes that will allow the wearing to stand a-top of still waters and maneuver themselves with a long pole only to be distracted by a less pressing issue? It doesn’t matter, I’m onboard now.

I have dug up some recent attempts but have noticed some similar problems my designs will have to improve upon. I am glad, however, to see I’m not alone in my quest.

The issues are as follow:

1. The one commercially available model (or at least formerly available, the link no longer works) retails for $999. Unacceptable.
2. All models are far too cumbersome to be portable. I’m envisioning a product you could wear on your back when not in use.

Earlier today I was excited about the possible use of aerogels, a material I came across when Googling for “what’s really buoyant?”. However, it appears for the time to be prohibitively expensive.

Marketing will also play a major role down the line. While the project is titled “Actual Boat Shoes” I’m still keeping “Jesus Sneakers” in the running for a final product name. I’m also open to suggestions.