My two PFDs have a piece of plastic sewn on the front, about two inches square. The squares have a slot along each side. Please let this dummy know their purpose. I imagine they are for attaching something?
It’s called a lash tab
and it is used as an attachment point on your PFD. I use one on my shoulder for a strobe.
Many whitewater boaters use the front one for a knife. As a sea kayaker, I used to carry a knife there, but after several discussions with Wayne from the University of Sea Kayaking, I took it off. There is greater risk of it interfering with a re-entry than there is of my actually needing a knife to get free myself from something.
Couple of suggestions for waterdoc
If you,ve got a bit of bucks check out the emerson lagriffe wwr in the new sheath. It’s a flat piece of steel only 1/8 inch thick sharp as can be!(not like taiwanese knick offs) and about 5 inches long. very low profile. index finger hole nice design.
I Keep mine on a shoulderstrap with a teclock. One stop knife shop is a good source. You do not saw rope with this knife, you cut it even if it’s been sitting on your pfd for years!
My best suggestion is a pair of emt shears sea snips have big handles for glove users. Cheap safe cut something not under tension. Just hit them or any knife with boeshield t-9 for protection.
I’m more worried about cutting off a tow rope than anything.
Tow ropes can be a problem,
espeically if it is a deck mounted one. In that case I would want a VERY sharp knife handy. That’s the main reason that I use a waist mounted tow system.
There are disadvantages to the wast system too, you just have to decide which one is better for your particular use.
The knife you recommended looks interesting, although I have a Gerber Ed Gillette model in my day hatch.
I’ll have to see if I can get some of that T9 at West Marine locally. It sounds interesting too.
Thanks, Peter.
Finger Holes
Finger holes are an absolute no-no. I’m not trying to rain on your parade or be disparaging, but seriously, there is no funtionality added other than phalange breaking. Same bit of advice goes for the Karambit.
That said, Emerson knives are wonderful. The CQC-7 is one of the greatest folder designs of all time, and they have a reputation for very high QC and workmanship. The Sark is probably a great knife for this application. The LaGriffe is probably a fine task knife, but I cannot emphasize enough that for combat, rescue, or other hard use situations, finger holes should be avoided. They are a trend in the knife world, and not a good one.
Just as an example, if your knife is mid-cut on any medium, say a rope, and a strong sudden force is exerted on that medium (a nice big wave) pulling it away from you, it is going to pry that knife right out of your hand. If your finger is in that hole, well, you can kiss that digit goodbye.
My recco for lube/rust inhibitor is MD Labs XF7. This stuff is absolutely amazing. Outdoes Marine Tuff-Cloth by a long shot. Tuff-Cloths are stil handy things to have around though.