As I add a anchor trolley, anchor lines, paddle leashes I’m definitely going to add a boat knife for cutting lines in a emergency. Looking for ideas. Inverted knife attached to pfds? Pop riveted to the cockpit side? Clipped to the strap on the seat side webbing? Specific brands with safe quick release sheaths? One brand I’m kind of interested in:
http://www.1sks.com/store/crkt-krein-dogfish-2370.html
knife
Lots of rescue knives on the market just for kayaking. You definately want it on your pfd, having it in the boat will do you no good if you wet exit and get tangled in line.
Bill H.
Folding Utility KNife
– Last Updated: Jul-25-09 6:00 AM EST –
http://tinyurl.com/n6knef
Ideal. Waterproof. Easily sharpened (i.e. add new blade). Lightweight. Some w/ caribiner built in. Many with sheaths. Cheap.
Repeat...ideal.
folding knives
In a situation in which a person had one arm entangled or were pinned heads down or both, I wonder about one’s ability to get a knife out of a pocket on a PFD and unfold it.
knife
best to go with a fixed blade rather than a folder. fasten it to your PFD. If it is inverted make sure the sheath will definitely hold it. Even if you find a knife that you like with an unacceptable sheath, you can get a Kydex sheath made for very little.
One thing I have got to say about the knife you are looking at…Knives with no handles can be a bad choice. If your hands are cold they can be difficult to hold securely, and if your hands are wet the edges of the handle can really chew up your skin.
I carry a Cold Steel Master Hunter, in VG1 San Mai 3 with no gut hook.
Works great.
Gerber River runner
with sheath on sale at REI outlet under $30 - i have a spyderco folder and a river shorty (blunt end).
boat-cutter?
If you do a lot of hairy whitewater, you might want to consider getting a knife capable of cutting plastic boats (to free someone pinned in their boat). Such a knife would be strong, have a serated blade and usually a rounded tip (to avoid wounding trapped paddler).
Gerber River Runner
I have a Gerber River Runner on one of my PFDs. Hope I never have to use it.
It takes a very determined pull to get it out of the sheath. Probably a good thing. In the event it was needed I suspect adrenaline would make it seem easy to remove.
boat knife
I carry a OLD TIMER BEAST ON MY PFM IN A CHEST POCKET BUT ALSO HAVE IT ATTACHED WITH A LAYARD. THEN ON MY BELT I CARRY A GERBER GATOR THEY BOTH HAVE RUBBER GRIPS AND PARTIAL SERRATED BLADES. PADDLING A FLOODED CREEK I CAME UPON A LARGE ROPE STRUNG ACROSS. THE SERRATED BLADE CUT LIKE A SAW. WITH A KNIFE ON BELT AND PFD YOU SHOULD NEVER ALWAYS HAVE A KNIFE WITHIN REACH BELT KNIFE ON RIGHT CHEST POCKET KNIFE ON LEFT.
Wenonah Squeeze Lock
Blackie Collins design.
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/SQTKSL.html
yes it is a diver’s knife, but easily modified to fit on a PFD. The double squeeze keeps it very secure, it is smaller than most river knives. Serrated and smooth edges, along w. a line cutter.
Stainless steel (fine for fresh water) & there is a titanium version.
I went thru two Gerber river knives before I found this. For me the Gerbers are bulky and do not stay on while shimmying around the boat during rescues or just doing balance foolery. That’s my experience, anyway. The Squeeze is always there yet easy to release, and with its low profile it is out of the way.
the problem with folding knives…
…is that they have to be unfolded. If your hands are cold, it can be difficult. And if you need it in a hurry, you might bobble it.
For my WW vest, I have a Ka-bar 3" blade which I cannot find on their web page. Bummer, it was a good knife.
for my sea kayak, I carry my USMC issue full sized Ka-bar. Best knife I ever had.
Wenoka
not Wenonah (the canoe company)
steve
Search the archives
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.