Sailor's knives?

[Jim Walsh]

This is a photo of the three which live aboard Orion. I know some prefer a sheath knife but I prefer a folding pocket knife while aboard and reserve sheath knives for hunting. The stainless folder at the 9 o'clock position is an Ibberson "Yachtsman's" knife which I purchased when I was 14 from a Jay Stuart Haft catalog. It takes a keen edge and I'd swear you could cleave 10 penny nails (a 32 oz. ball peen would be handy here) without harming the blade. This was made in England in the 60's when a robust product was a mark of pride.
Moving to the 1 o'clock position is a Wichard which I purchased primarily for the shackle key which, if you'll notice the profile difference between it and the Ibberson, makes it capable of opening much smaller shackle's. Of course the "glow in the dark" novelty was enough to ensure a sale but the partially serrated blade is pretty damned efficient, though it doesn't hold an edge for very long.
The last knife is one I lust over and would be my choice for any job requiring a scalpel. It is a Camillus "Sailors Jack Knife". One of 698,020 produced under military contract from 1941 to 1946. It sports a rosewood handle, is easy to sharpen, and holds the edge exceedingly well.
Any other interesting sailors knives out there?

[Vincent]

Jim: interesting post. It is too bad there don't seem to be many quality sailing knives anymore. I will post a couple of mine when I collect them and take a photo.

[Klem]

This is an interesting topic. When I worked aboard larger vessels, I wore a sheath knife that I built and a multitool which started as a Gerber but then switched to a Leatherman Wave when they came out. Actually building a knife takes some time and tools that not everyone will necessarily have such as a big grinder and a forge. I have also made knives by starting with a good boning knife and cutting of the end with an angle grinder to make it much more blunt which is something that most people who own boats should be able to do. I then would sew up a leather sheath which held the knife and a marlin spike. I have a spike that I turned on a lathe and another one which I think came from Hamilton marine which is equally good.

I no longer wear a sheath knife aboard our own boat as I need it much less often but it is still aboard. I used to really like having a sheath knife but it is a bit of a pain when sitting down and the modern folding knives are easy enough to open that much of the advantage has gone away. I now wear a leatherman wave. I also have 2 sheath knives with 4" serated blades lashed at convenient locations so that if I need a knife in an emergency, I can grab one.

If you are a sheath knife person and don't want to make your own, I think that the nicest ones out there are made by Mudd in Maine. I believe that he only builds steel blades so you do need to keep them oiled but they hold an edge much better. I don't know enough about folding knives to say what is best there. I would be interested to hear others thoughts on them.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Jim:

I have had these knives for years.

http://shop.myerchin.com/A510P-Offshore ... -A510P.htm

They are indestructible and always work. The only thing I have ever done to mine is keep them lubed with a little WD40. The sheepsfoot is a nice safety feature. I carry one on EVERY dive. I also have one on my PFD. Used it once on a dive rescue. Flawless performance.

Personally, I am not in favor of "folders". Too easy to damage, break, malfunction, rust, etc. You can't do any of those things to a Myerchin.

[Paul Clayton]

I have a post over at my site with some descriptions and pictures of sailor's knives, if anyone has an interest...

http://neuseriversailors.com/special_fe ... nives.html

[John Stone]

Knives . . . oh my gosh, where to begin?

I feel like I have an experienced opinion about working knives. I have carried a knife, sometimes more than one at the same time, my entire adult life. As a teenage attending an Outward Bound style course in Montana back in the early 70s I carried a 6 or 7" blade carbon steel "butcher knife" in a custom leather sheath. At one point, other than the clothes on our back, it was the only tool we had for a week. That was a great knife. And, it's importance made a big impression on me. As a kid sailing on the family ketch I carried a Camillus rigging knife. As a deck hand on a Mississippi River towboat I carried a standard no frills Buck folding lock blade knife. Back in the day, they were the standard American male working folding knife, no clips, we carried them on our belts in a leather case--maybe a stretch to call them the "cat's meow" but it was reliable as the day is long. As a Marine infantryman I, of course, when in the field, carried a USMC K-Bar sheath knife for all of my 26 years of active duty service. A legendary, tough, rock solid, no frills, fail-proof knife. I used it as a dive knife and also parachuted with it on my belt. Along with a K-Bar, I always carried a folding knife with pocket clip. I have carried probably two dozen different folding knifes over the past 40 years--Gerbers, to include their multi tools; Leatherman, numerous models; Bucks, a SS Wave; a Spderco Rescue knife . . . and some knives I have forgotten about. I skinned deer and cleaned pheasant, quail, rabbits, and squirrels with a folding knife. I have never broken a folding knife and let me tell you I have abused them as a pry bar, screw driver, can opener, hammer, awl, wire cutter, etc. My brother gave me a heavy CRKT desert eagle folding knife when I went to Iraq for a year. I carried it on my body armor. I prize that knife though slender it is not. I recently gave my daughter my Camillus rigging knife from my youth. It's a very nice, well made knife and probably over 40 years old. The spike has a locking lever. Very neat. I have a very nice Myerchin combo sheath knife and marlin-spike that was a gift from my sister and best friend a few years ago. It's a tremendous knife. It has a beautiful wood handle and SS blade with a nylon belt sheath. I recently filed a duck bill in the spike point and used the spike, along with my Snap-On A7 awl, to splice eyes in the standing rigging of the Far Reach.

These days I find myself almost always carrying a Dozier Design Kabar 3 1/2" folding knife or a 3 1/2" gerber folding knife--both with clips. None of the knifes I have owned were/are fancy. I would call them blue collar working knifes. I am not a knife nut by any stretch. I don't collect them . . . I carry a knife as a tool. I sharpen them when I remember but usually they are not as sharp as I would like . . . sharp enough to get the job done.

And with the Far Reach about two weeks from launch I have been thinking about what knife I will carry. Nothing beats a sheath knife for strength and immediate access. But, I am past the point where I want stuff hanging off of me. I don't plan to wear a belt while sailing unless I happen to have one on at the time. Most of us, I think, these days wear nylon shorts when we are sailing. It seems like a lot of my nylon water shorts don't have belt loops on them anyway. So, I'll carry a folding knife because I know I can/will carry it no matter what I am wearing at the time. It will always be in my right front pocket where it has always been. But, I have not really found the perfect sailing knife. Rigging knives that don't have clips are too bulky and they end up horizontal in the bottom of my pocket. And, if they have a clip on them they take up so much room I can't get my hand in my pocket to get my pen or pencil or whatever it is that I am carrying in my pocket at the time. The Boyle knives I have seen have a spike that folds out sideways that will jab you if you are not careful. If I need a spike I'll get one of the two I already have.

I think what I want to carry is a 3 1/2 - 4" folding knife with pocket clip and lock blade. A single SS blade I can open with one hand. I'd like 1/2 of the blade (nearest the hilt) to be serrated and the other 1/2 to be standard, like my Gerber. I'd like it to have a drop point. And, I would like it to have a slot on the bade (a shackle key) for opening shackles. It needs to well made and strong enough to take the abuse I will heap on it but not so thick that I can't cut apple slices cleanly. It needs to be comfortable in my hand, easy to open, with the handle not to thick and not to thin . . . just right.

If you see that perfect knife, let me know. Sure, this is a tome about a simple question. But, it was enjoyable to remember the knives I have had and interesting to think about what the next one might be.

[pjust]

I have been carrying this Meyerchin folding rigger for about a year now. It has performed well.
Reviews I've read heap praises on the Boye Cobalt folding rigger, (https://boyeknives.com/) but they're quite pricey and the factory burned down a few months ago so the knives are unavailable at present.

[tjr818]

[quote="John Stone"]Knives . . . I think what I want to carry is a 3 1/2 - 4" folding knife with pocket clip and lock blade. A single SS blade I can open with one hand. I'd like 1/2 of the blade (nearest the hilt) to be serrated and the other 1/2 to be standard, like my Gerber. I'd like it to have a drop point. And, I would like it to have a slot on the bade (a shackle key) for opening shackles. It needs to well made and strong enough to take the abuse I will heap on it but not so thick that I can't cut apple slices cleanly. It needs to be comfortable in my hand, easy to open, with the handle not to thick and not to thin . . . just right. /quote]

This is the knife I carry. This K-Bar was given to my Father at the start of WWII and it is still in fine shape. Easy to sharpen and it stays sharp.

K-bar.jpg

If I think a knife might get dropped overboard I reach for my $14.95 WM rigging knife.
I meets all of your requirements above, except for the pocket clip, and if I drop it overboard it can easily be replaced. I am not fond of the slot in the blade, pushing or pulling on anything that sharp seems to be asking for trouble.