Nautical-inspired boat shoe In 1935 Paul Sperry invented the world's first and most enduring boat shoe. Where all other footwear brands have laid claim to every inch of terra firma, from the highest snowcapped peaks to the lowest desert valley, from baseball diamonds to basketball courts, Sperry Top-Sider has flourished by helping all who love the water master the world's final frontier -- the oceans, lakes and streams of Planet Earth.