Boat shoes used to be my shoe of choice on and off the bike. I kept having back issues and randomly switched to Sanita chef's clogs. Back problems all but disappeared. The clogs are not so nifty on the bike though and I find Chrome Kursk to be an ideal compromise. Walkable but stiff enough to make a difference on the bike. Vans are way too mushy for me.

For me Kursk was the hot ticket. I still wear the clogs but no back issues with the chrome shoes after several months. YMMV. (the clogs are not ideal on the bike).

with wide enough platform pedals offering a solid surface, you can ride quite a while in most any shoe .

+1

The harder and farther you ride the more the shoes make a difference but you can go quite awhile on platforms and whatever shoe, -as long as the pace is moderate and the shoe is comfortable.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the traditional leather upper boat shoe represents the ultimate in cycling footwear, but they do walk a nice line between casual and formal, plus they're fairly grippy. If clipless isn't your thing, they're a reasonable choice.

Not for me. Most days I ride 20+ miles to various destinations and I need a stiff shoe.

If I need to plan what shoe to wear I've lost 2mph on my travel time.
If I need to change my shoes I've lost 5mph on my travel time.

I couldn't even get that kind of speed back via doping if I wanted to.

I switched to the leather upper rockport boat shoes from my old rockports because they were stiffer, lighter, and more breathable while still allowing me to maintain an appearance worthy of the respect I deserve.

Maybe we are. I don't see my particular style listed there. They have dark brown leather uppers with tan stitching, brass grommets, some leather string trimming the back (you know, that boat shoe string along the side thing), and discrete black mesh just above the soles. Hopefully they're not discontinued because I love them.

Agreed. And I don't find the soles particularly grippy on standard metal cage MTB pedals. they slide all over the place. This is one of the reasons I want rubber block pedals for my Beater "around town" bike- so it can be ridden comfortably with inappropriate footwear.

What you are looking for is not really a "boat shoe." It is a more casual dress shoe... by the description, those are actually lousy boat shoes and no self respecting boatman would be caught dead on a boat with those. (the stiff sole is the problem... those shoes are akin to the blue blazer for actual "boat wear.") Those shoes are fine for certain casual wear... wearing around the boat club, but probably not a funeral.