More from Snob. Band of Outsider for Sperry Top-sider collection. Coming Spring 2012. “Next to a great denim patchwork style, they present a navy/red stripe version and a series of great tonal color-ups of the boat shoe for the coming season.”

More from Highsnob.

Boat shoe season is nearly upon us, and with it our search for that perfect Summer essential begins. Eastland’s Made in Maine Freeport USA is filtering into stocklists now. As of this weekend, Grahame Fowler in New York will be carrying the Eastland Made in Maine Freeport USA in navy/green as well as brown. The Freeport USA will roll across the United States and Japan as Spring continues into Summer.

Both styles are made using Horween Leathers, sipped rubber boat soles, genuine leather welts, American rawhide laces and true moccasin construction. Handsewn in, of course, Maine.

View the brown after the jump.

Live from (capsule) New York, we get a first look at the fall/winter 2010 Abington Collection from Timberland. The collection continues to draw from New England’s rich tradition of field and factory footwear, and adds new influence via the service industries. Dock workers, police men, and posties bring a new look and feel to Abington (particularly in the 5″ Boot, Oxford, and Boat Wedge models). Another new twist is the use of gore-tex liner in the hiker. Leathers are sourced from Horween and suede from Stead.

Full look at the fall/winter 2010 Timberland Abington Collection after the jump.

While for many men the boat shoe is a seasonal wear, for me it is a year long obsession. I run through them with such frequency that searching for the next pair consumes some significant time. Chasing the holy grail, a Helly Hansen model with padded tongue has proved fruitless, but I’ve become hopefully that the offering from Chatham Marine might fill the void.

Chatham Marine has “traded on the weekend sailor” for the past 20 years from their base in Exeter. There’s an emphasis on function, with their boat shoe manages through the magic of being machine washable. Like my loved Helly Hansen, the Chatham Marine boat shoe also has a padded tongue (essential when boat shoes are also favored biking shoes) and are hand stitched.

While they might not have the style appeal of the completely hand-made, they appear more than ably suited for a variety of uses. Take a walk to No. 6 if they strike your fancy. A few more color choices appear after the jump as well.

Suede boat shoes are always a tough thing to recommend, simply because it doesn’t take much to ruin them. But when they’re as good looking as these, we can’t help but put them up here. You don’t see white suede out much, but the texture of the fabric means that they’ll be far better summer shoes than blinding white trainers. Get these from Forward.

With the renewed interest in classic shoe styles, companies like UK’s Loake are having a renaissance. Loake are the latest to open an online store, selling their full range of well made shoes at relatively low prices. These boat shoes are hand made in Northampton and are made from suede and leather. They’re also competitively priced, costing just £70. Get them from Loake.

These wool lace up boat shoes from Band of Outsiders for Sperry Top-Sider are nice and proper for wearing near the hearth. Check the striped rubber traction sole and the woven cotten lining. Comfy comfy. Find them now at eLuxury for 240$US.

Check out this collection of Boat Shoes from Redwing Japan’s Wabash Collection. Wabasha, MN is of course the historic rivertown close to Redwing. These Redwing Boat Shoes are 100% made in the U.S.A and come in three classic leather colors.

View the Redwing Japan Wabasha Collection Boat Shoes after the jump.

Journal Standard Danassa Deck Shoes bring new life to an old silhouette. This new series of colorways for their standard boat shoes brings some bright light to a shoe that tends to wade between blues and greys. Available now from zozotown.

More detailed views after the jump.