Do you wear or carry a safety-knife when sailing?

[Scotty_Tradewind]

Used the main 'ships' knife - kept companionway....in anger once, 3 years ago.

Spinnaker halyard top sheave broke causing jam, helm lossed control and broached in a sea off St Cats RTIR. F5.. couldn't drop, heaved down on spinnaker till something other than the halyard was about to give.
No. 1 son on crews shoulders lashed spinnaker to shrouds, cut very tangled sheet and guy.
Had main prevented, poled out 140% genny goosewinged, all in about 10 mins... finished 54th overall.

 

[Mariner69]

I use a rigging set on my belt with green river knife, spike and pliers. Can never find a hammer when the rest fail;-)

 

[TeamSpirit]

Gerber safety knife inside the companionway easily accessible, divers knife in the chart table and a gerber always located on my belt or waterproofs ready if required.
Always carry them in the boot when travelling back and forth from the boat, A friend of mine was cautioned for having his leatherman on the dashboard (and so becomes an offensive weapon ?) by the plod.

 

[KellysEye]

We carry one right by the life raft. The raft does have one but it would be quicker to use the one by the raft. We also carry one on the steering pedestal for warps. Both are serrated dive knives, which are purposely designed to cut rope and rust proof. We also carry the normal knife and Marlin spike by the companionway steps.

 

[Slow_boat]

Very sharp Green River in sheath screwed to the companion way opposite the flares, folding knife and shackle key in my pocket, divers knife with screwdriver tip in sheath at the mast, stanley knife with retractable blade by chart table, stainless steel bread knife clipped to cockpit locker lid by fire extinguisher.

Maybe a little OTT fo a 29 footer, now I think about it!.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

Very sharp Green River in sheath screwed to the companion way opposite the flares, folding knife and shackle key in my pocket, divers knife with screwdriver tip in sheath at the mast, stanley knife with retractable blade by chart table, stainless steel bread knife clipped to cockpit locker lid by fire extinguisher.

Maybe a little OTT fo a 29 footer, now I think about it!.

OTT? I doubt it, if we all took those precautions I guess there may be a life saved due to it one day
S.

 

[LadyInBed]

Plod was most interested in the Leatherman on my belt.

I have carried a penknife in my pocket since I was 13 or 14.
This summer holiday I was looking around Rouen Museum of Fine Arts and about half way round I realised that I had my sailing lock knife on my belt

 

[Heckler]

Very sharp Green River in sheath screwed to the companion way opposite the flares, folding knife and shackle key in my pocket, divers knife with screwdriver tip in sheath at the mast, stanley knife with retractable blade by chart table, stainless steel bread knife clipped to cockpit locker lid by fire extinguisher.

Maybe a little OTT fo a 29 footer, now I think about it!.

As an ex, what can plod do if we carry our little swiss army knife at all times?
Stu

 

[Haven't-a-Clue]

Carry a Gerber with me everywhere. If PC Shinybuttons takes it away, I'll get another, I can afford it. The pliers are (and have been on several occaisions, mostly land based) a Godsend. Ditto Swiss army knife, NEVER without it.

 

[prv]

This summer holiday I was looking around Rouen Museum of Fine Arts and about half way round I realised that I had my sailing lock knife on my belt

Surely no problem at all, as the French are no doubt too sensible to have succumbed to "knife crime" hysteria.

Pete

 

[prv]

If PC Shinybuttons takes it away, I'll get another, I can afford it.

The problem is not so much the taking it away, as the arrest, court appearance, and criminal record. Unutterably stupid, of course, but sadly far from impossible these days.

Pete

 

[planteater]

I keep a Gill blunt nosed safety knife in the companionway and a Capt Curry lockspike knife in the toolkit under the companionway step. I also have a Fusion bread knife in the cutlery drawer that has the handle wrapped with grippy tape intended for tennis rackets. So far, it has only been used for culinary purposes but I reckon it has a lot more cutting power than the pocket knives.

 

[Babylon]

Just in case... or better still out of the case!

I've just remembered that I've also got an 8" fixed-blade fishing knife in the tackle-box, which I really ought to keep by the companionway when sailing.

 

[Iliade]

I have always kept a strong sharp knife in Curry's sheath in the companionway. However, I doubt it would be of much use when I got the anchor rode around my foot or something similar.

When flying paragliders we use seat belt cutters kept in a sheath mounted on the harness. These are unlikely to attract the attentions of the boys in blue and you are unlikely to cut yourself in the process of extrication (Nonetheless at least one chap I know managed to practically sever his little finger when not trying to use the thing!)

- The sprung ones where the blade moves relative to the body cut the best.

- Not all would be suitable for sailing because you may have to open up the throat to accept your largest ropes.

- Mostly plastic, but the spring and blades will rust.

- Always tie them on with a lanyard because when panic rears its head you *will* fumble and drop it...

- They are very cheap! :0)

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I was looking around Rouen Museum of Fine Arts

name dropper!

 

[rotrax]

The problem is not so much the taking it away, as the arrest, court appearance, and criminal record. Unutterably stupid, of course, but sadly far from impossible these days.

Pete

Hi, As a previous poster stated I have ALWAYS got a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket,to the extent that I feel undressed without it. If the blade of a pocket knife is below a certain lengh and is non locking it is not an offence to carry it on your person in a public place. The much publicised incedent in,I believe, Exeter when a prosecution was successful was because it was a Swiss Army "Skipper" model with a locking blade and above the legal lengh.

 

[Mariner69]

Am I the only one to note the ridiculous way the law has been applied?

We used to be able to carry our knives in sheaths and have stood in a pub in Birkenhead having a beer with my rigging set on my hip. I have no intention of using it in a fight, my feet and hands will suffice, and it is of no consequence.

A few low lifes use knives on each other and instead of arresting and charging the criminal for his reckless actions, gbh, abh etc., we are all now jumping through hoops.

A folding knife without a locking capability is a danger to the user.

All IMHO.

 

[prv]

If the blade of a pocket knife is below a certain lengh and is non locking it is not an offence to carry it on your person in a public place.

Correct, but the poster I was responding to carries a Gerber multi-tool, and as far as I know all models have locking blades.

In any case, not committing an offence does not make one immune from being hassled by the Police these days, even if they do then release you a few hours later when the CPS tell them there's no case. And such arrests show up on CRB checks, so best not have any volunteer work (or worse, teaching career) in mind. I hear that a record of having been arrested can also cause administrative hassles in entering the US.

Since none of this is in theory a punishment, there's no defence, no appeal, no mechanism for the record to be removed.

As a previous poster stated I have ALWAYS got a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket,to the extent that I feel undressed without it.

I used to carry a smaller model of Gerber on my belt at all times, in much the same way. I stopped because after ten years the sheath chafed through, and it was a while before I got round to repairing it. Having done so, I no longer routinely put it on my belt when changing trousers, because unless and until the Police return to operating according to common sense rather than targets, unbending procedural programming, and an assumption that everyone is a criminal, the risk is not worth the benefit.

Unfortunately, such a culture is easier to create than to fix.

Pete

 

[rotrax]

Am I the only one to note the ridiculous way the law has been applied?

We used to be able to carry our knives in sheaths and have stood in a pub in Birkenhead having a beer with my rigging set on my hip. I have no intention of using it in a fight, my feet and hands will suffice, and it is of no consequence.

A few low lifes use knives on each other and instead of arresting and charging the criminal for his reckless actions, gbh, abh etc., we are all now jumping through hoops.

A folding knife without a locking capability is a danger to the user.

All IMHO.

I must disagree. A pocket knife with a non locking blade has never been a danger to me for I understand its shortcomings and adapt the way I use it so it is safe. If your assertion was correct the Ambulance chasing "no win no fee" lawers would have a field day. I witnessed a serious cut when a poor quality lock knife sold at a chandlers failed allowing the blade to fold back and cut the owners hand. If it had been a non locking knife he would have used it upside down so the load was holding the blade open. As it was the lock mechanism was angled so as to unlock under load. I un- riveted it and gave the lock an undercut so it could not happen again.The chandler concerned took them off sale and sent them back.Use any tool properly and it will be safe.

 

[Seajet]

I have serrated knives ( in fact old freezer knives with the tips ground blunt ) in cockpit and anchor locker.

Both are hidden from view of yobs but easily accessible to crew, who I make sure to tell about them.

The only time I've ever really needed a knife, I was on a friends' boat letting go a doubled up line to a pile, in a strong tide.

He hadn't told me the 2 identical line ends on the foredeck were actually 2 lines with a knot in the middle !

We T-boned the boat on the piles down tide at fearsome speed, but somehow our Folkboat bow just rode up, no damage apart from to our trousers, though possibly moreso to the poor bloke's who's boat we hit, he saw us coming and put his feet out, then saw our speed and scuttled back...

Since that day I've always carried the knives at each end of the boat; they don't have to have fancy names, but definitely do need to be serrated, as I say I find Freezer knives razor effective.

I also carry a leatherman & slim Swiss Army knife attached by elastics to a ring in the pocket of my more serious waterproof, but I dread accidentally going ashore like this, so usually have a less obvious waterproof jacket for this.