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BOA wading boots and sand, workaround.

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HansB

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5 mins ago, ThrowinPlugs said:

I will personally NEVER used boa laced korkers again after this season. Sand absolutely destroys the mechanism and fouls the **** out of it. Plus the wire chews through the plastic guides like butter through the season. I'll stick to regular laces.

I am certainly still on the fence with the BOA boots as well.  First year for me using stocking foot waders and wading boots.  Will use the lace up boots at the start of next season and then weigh the convenience/maintenance factor of BOA vs standard lace ups after using them for a while.

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I like laces for the beach.

 

I do have the Hodgman Aesis boots with BOA (which I love) but don't use them on a sandy beach surf type scenario.

 

I did have problems in the past with eyelet corrosion over the winter from salt residue left in the laces and boot leather despite heavy freshwater rinsing.

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Wonder why a buckle/latch like on a ski boot hasn’t been tried on a wading boot? Seems like it could work. I haven’t used a BOA boot in couple of years and have removed the systems from my Korkers boots and punched holes for laces. I’m thinking of going back to some bootfoot waders just because they’re faster on and off and I’m getting lazy ha.

No Bait. No Barbs. No Buckets.

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I had a pair of Korkers Darkhorse BOA boots that I loved in almost every situation.  Sand was the exception... I had several successful beach outings, until the time when the sand buggered up the ratchet mechanism and a boot was stuck on my foot. I was wearing Simms waders with the normal gravel guards that hook onto the tongue area of the boot.  I must have looked comical as a I fell over trying the wrangle off the boot.  I finally found a flat screwdriver and it worked to force the release knob up.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that after a thorough rinse the BOA mechanism continued to work just fine.  I did later became suspect though when I heard that BOA would send out a free mechanism and tool for free just to have on hand.  That makes me thinks they must have a lot of failures.

 

I'm back to laced boots only now for and beach trips.  I’m a huge fan of Korkers still.

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/3/2018 at 1:39 PM, HansB said:

 

 

I’m using a 5 1/2 inch mini pry bar from Dasco (Dasco Pro 222) that came with a set.

Did you have to file the pry bar down to make it thinner? I read your post and ordered one which seems to be a great fix for the problem. The bar is too thick for me to slide it between the dial and its casing on my Korkers Darkhorse boots.

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EZ

 

I did not have to modify it. 

 

The bevel on the edge when pushed in the gap between the dial and the body pops the dial up. 

 

I have used it several  times and it always does the trick.with the Orvis Pivot boot, should have the same mechanism as the Korkers.

 

HTH

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I have been using the BOA system on a pair of LL Bean boots for 7+ years. They get used in the salt (sometimes on the beach), a lot in sandy silty rivers and streams, and in stone lined rivers.

 

The boots have had a rough life living in the exposed bed of my truck most, if not all of the year, and the BOA system has never had an issue. 

.

Theses boots have been great for me and I will definitely buy another pair with the BOA system again. 

 

 

Embrace American Privilege

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46 mins ago, HansB said:

EZ

 

I did not have to modify it. 

 

The bevel on the edge when pushed in the gap between the dial and the body pops the dial up. 

 

I have used it several  times and it always does the trick.with the Orvis Pivot boot, should have the same mechanism as the Korkers.

 

Thanks Hans, I was using the other side of the pry bar. It seems to work now, the real test will come when its jammed with sand. Thanks for the great tip! Will be using the trash liners as well.

 

In terms of convenience, the Boa system is awesome. With these hacks, the sand-pain should be lessened or non-existent. 

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Sand does gunk up the mechanism even with the measures i use, so does require occasional maintenance.  Salt is hard on these boots.  Just wonder how long BOA will provide parts and the kits for free.

 

I've had a couple of the small screws rust out that hold the front of the body onto the backplate.  CSR at BOA  was very helpful and sent me several spares as they are not on their parts website.  I used a drill bit to break off the head of the screw..  Which then allows you to take apart the mechanism, then used vice grips to remove the shaft of the screw.  New screw installed no harm done.

 

The gear on the inside of the knob plus the main gear that tightens up the laces rust out as well.    Parts are in the free replacement kit.

 

The biggest problem I have are the laces fraying.  Not from actual mechanical stress failure, but from rubbing against the small pebbles that get stuck in the tracks on either side as I tighten them up.

 

Anyway, going into year 3 with these boots which are used 1-2x week for 6-7 months of the year.   Fortunately haven't had any wire failures in use or where I couldn't remove the boots with the mini pry bar handy.

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Strange how this past thread has been re vitalised.

 

FWIW this boot lacing system is plain unsuitable for fishing sandy beaches.

 

The clue is all the issues expressed above. To make it even possible to work it is farcical to have to play around with garbage bags and additional gators on your waders.

Only a person who has never fished in a surf before would recommended add on gaiters. The surf just does what it likes with them and is no protection at all.

 

In the confines of a dealers shop these mechanisms are just great on the beach different matter.

 

If you ever  God forbid need to get your boots off in a hurry you need to know you can get them undone for sure. Don’t ask me why.

 

mike

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Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

These boots are not the best in the sand but they work for me. I’m still getting the mileage out of what was paid for these boots, but will not go BOA again.  As you stated, the evidence is there and it needs to be known for those considering purchasing them to not use them in the surf.

 

I got these Orvis Pivot as a gift.  I basically wanted  to throw these boots in the trash after the first use in the sand.  But found a workaround,  so just sharing it.  Isn’t  that what these forums  are for?   I’m betting there’s a few folks out there in freshwater situations that have that mini pry bar in their kit now just in case.  If you can get one tidbit of helpful information from a post from all the nonsense on the internet then it’s a good thing.

 

In regards to the garbage bag.  There are a lot of people that use the that trick in fresh water for lace up boots.  It makes entry and exit out of a boot a lot easier , saves wear and tear on the bootie and helps keep silt, sand and rocks out of your boot.    The old times swear by this and a steelhead guide on the Rogue up in Oregon showed me that trick.   Wet the boot, use the bag and it's like putting on slippers.

 

As far as the gaiters. my Orvis gaiters are the best I've found and stay on fine under the gravel guards on my waders.    Never lost a one and they stay fastened even when I’ve  fished 6-7 hours  in heavy surf.   Without the outside gravel guards covering them, you are right the surf would blow them loose in seconds.

 

I can slip in and out of the boots in seconds about 75% of the time without a fouled dial.    So  one out of four times I pop the dial with the bar.  What I do usually do now is just use the bar since it’s so easy.     Pop the dial, lift the tongue, and foot and garbage bag out slide out in just a few seconds.   I can beat anyone with lace ups getting out of these boots.   Going on my third season with them.  Others have used them for years.  Wish my waders lasted as long;  

 

For those looking for a workaround, that already have a BOA boot, it works.   What’s so farcical….meaning ridiculous or absurd about that? 

 

Hans

 

 

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I took a look at my fishing logs since I bought the Korkers DarkHorse boa boots.

First 175 hours on soft sandy beaches, no problems.

The next 100 hours or so, maybe 1 out of 4 trips I'd spend 2-5 minutes trying to loosen the Boa at the end of the night. Most of that was me being lazy, never washing the boots with the hose when I got home. I now wash my lures and boots every single trip. The frequency of problems went way down (and less rusty hooks!)

The last 50 hours, I'd have issues every trip. I attribute that to my initial laziness allowing sand to accumulate. Now that I know the garbage bag trick, the pry bar, and, found out from this thread you can call Boa and they send you a free kit to disassemble the mechanism and clean it, I suspect my issues will go down to a rarity. For the amount of hours I got out of these, and they are still going strong, I would get another pair for the ease of use. I'm sure laces have their own issues with breakage over time, no? Thank you Hans for the tips.

 

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