Wenoka
not Wenonah (the canoe company)
steve
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1) There are lots of threads that address this in great detail.
2) Tom Krein. OOOOOHH! Now you’ve got me going. I love his custom knife designs. Clearly he took a lot of Dozier with him from his work there, but he’s got a more modern / tactical style. As for the Dogfish, it looks like a really nice design and CRKT does great manufacturing. The only thing I don’t know about is the steel (3Cr13). Maybe someone with experience with this steel will chime in.
3) I would definitely agree with those who have suggested to look for fixed-blade dive knives.
3cr13
Is pretty much the same as 420J, which is pretty much the same as junk. The problem with way too many production knife steels is that they are selected for easy machining and grinding. Low abrasion resistance means easier grinding, but worse edge holding.
Good steel is not too much more expensive, but processing it is.
Top of the line modern steel now is CPM S30V.
Chris Reeves Knives uses quite a bit of it.
Dozier Knives are awesome too.
You get what you pay for.
CRKT Bear Claw ER Knife Orange Zytel Han
Take a look at this.
How to Attach?
How did you attach the gerber sheath to your pdf? The clip on my gerber sheath does not fit on a standard lash tab. I tried it on my pdf and my wife’s pdf (different brand). It didn’t fit on either.
Figured as much
Thanks.
I like a folder
I’ve used a variety of sheathed fixed blade knives and folders over 40 years of outdoor recreation and I have to say I prefer a good folder. For the past 6 years I’ve had the older version of a Buck Redpoint, a medium sized lockback with a serrated drop point and a metal and nylon plastic handle with a large grommet for attaching a leash . People’s concerns about opening a knife like this are unfounded – I have even opened it with just my subdominant hand under water. It its well in my hand and is great for cutting webbing or cordage, even cutting wood and shaping hard plastic and foam.
My opinion of that little mono-body knife you are looking at is that it would be very insecure in your hand, especially wet and/or wearing gloves. You want something that you can get secure leverage with. I used to sell good knives (Gerber, Buck and Victorinox) and I highly recommend you go and actually “try them on” in a store and not order from the internet. They are like hiking boots – they need to fit comfortably in your hand. and you need to get the feel of the open and shut action.
Dive knives/Sea Snips/Round Thing
Dive knives have protective cases with quick release and can be put inside a PFD pocket or on an outer clip with the case tethered.
Sea Snips are very safe, in a case that can be hung from a PFD strap. But the case does have to be opened.
WW folks and some long boaters I know have gone to a small half loop with an edge that is clipped to a PFD.
IMO, anything that is on other than your body may become hard to access in a real pinch.
CRKT Bear Claw
JEN724’s CRKT Bear Claw suggestion is a good choice for what you want.
- Designed to attach to a PFD Tab
- Has a finger hole to help you hold onto it in an emergency situation.
- Has a blunt tip. Great if you need to slide it down your leg to cut a rope underwater when you can’t see what you’re doing.
- Easy to grab with one hand and release from sheath yet stays put when not needed.
- Curved and serrated so it cuts by pulling away from yourself. No sawwing motion needed.
Don’t worry about sharpening the knife becase it should never get dull unless you need to be rescued on a weekly basis. It should only have one purpose and thats to save your but when the situation arrises.
Get another knife for all the camp chores or for the pride of owning a high quality custom knife. Just my 2cents.
Rescue Hook
A rescue hook attached to the pfd makes more sense to me than a knife, thinking of being in turbulent water, upside down with a rope wrapped around me. I don’t want to have to figure out which side of the knife has the cutting edge. I don’t want to have to saw. I just want to grab, hook and pull. I carry another knife in my kit to spread peanut butter and other essential tasks.
brain fart…
thanks.
I’d have trouble tucking a canoe in my PFD 
Despite my confabulation of names it’s the best
knife for me, so far.
What’s a river knife?
– Last Updated: Jul-28-09 6:06 PM EST –
The only thing I have ever used my so-called river knife strapped on my PFD for, in 30 years, is literally just to spread peanut butter.
The double bladed ones with Swiss cheese metal handles are great for stabbing winos in dark alleys, but they can barely slice said cheese much less a rope.
Cutting your way out of pinned kayak? Charlie Walbridge tested this on a kayak back in the mid-80's with an assortment of the popular river knives of the time. He made almost no cutting progress and concluded he would die.
The knife I actually use on my river trips is a folder that I can whip open with a wrist flick. It has a belt case and second, serrated blade that I can swap in or out. I carry it either on my PFD belt or pocket, my waist belt, my thwart, my pants pocket, my car -- in other words, I actually use it all the time.
The wino stabbing thing is still clipped in its plastic case on my Charlie Walbridge hifloat vest somewhere in the junk pile masquerading as my garage.
An EMT/police rescue knife
– Last Updated: Jul-28-09 12:53 PM EST –
made for freeing trapped people would be a good choice.For instance:
http://policehq.com/ProductDetail.aspx?Catalog=Traffic%20Equipment&Category=RESCUE_KNI&Prod=BM-10105
wrist flick does not work
underwater. One handed openers are definitely the way to go if you are getting a folder though.
Attaching Gerber
At first I thought my new Gerber sheath would not fit in my standard PFD lash, but eventually I crammed it in there. I am trying it mounted right side up, many prefer upside down. I also tie the knife to the PFD, the Gerber sheaths can let loose.
Ah hah!
I ran across a Tom Krein Dogfish in CPM 154 steel. Not surprisingly, it’s quite a bit more expensive than the CRKT version.
http://steeladdictionknives.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4249
NRS Pilot or Co-Pilot
http://www.shopgetoutdoors.com/paddling_gear/paddling_accessories/pilot_knife.html
Boker ResCom
Folding rescue hook type blade with serrated saw blade along inside spine of hook section. Folds to be just a bit larger than the lash tab but open gives a good solid handle feel in the hand. $43
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
Old school
– Last Updated: Jul-30-09 7:18 AM EST –
KABAR https://www.kabar.com/product_detail.jsp?productNumber=1256
or this...
https://www.kabar.com/product_detail.jsp?productNumber=BK3&mode=category&categoryId=1,2,3,7,8,9&categoryName=Military/Tactical
Why does your kayak need a knife?
Got some tough water to cut?