Which Knife?

[stephen_h]

Am going to SIBs tomorrow and need to get a good sheaf knife.
I like to fix the sheaf to the back of the main cabin door so it always handy. It needs to be able to cut rope etc from the prop.

Any recommendations?

I know YM done a test recently but have given it away and can't remember the verdict.

 

[Gordonmc]

Whatever the make, any knife for emergency use on rope needs a serrated edge.
I would tend toward a diving knife which satisfies the serrated criteria but also comes with a floating handle.
It will also have a plastic sheath... leather won't last long.

 

[Billjratt]

I have a diveing knife aboard and can verify that it isn't as useful as a 'kitchen devil' when it comes to clearing a net from the prop.
Doesn't need to be instantly accessible as the boat will have stopped anyway - galley drawer will do.
However - a big diver's knife is useful for threatening uninvited guests, a la Crocodile Dundee and should be near the companionway..

 

[wooslehunter]

Get a bread knife with a good serrated edge. Also keep a hacksaw ready. Polypropylene line welds itself together when wound round a prop. Even a sharp straight blade won't shift it.

If you want a "dive knife", go online & get a titanium one. It'll be much more expensive but last forever. A stainless knife will not hold an edge anywhere near as well & will need re-grinding frequently. I've had a titanium knife from Northen Diver for at least the last 15 years & it's as good as new despite being used for regular diving in the past.

 

[Roberto]

I have not found an exact picture of the knife I have onboard but to give you an idea, imagine the device of the picture below with a plastic handle and you have it,

It is a knife of usual shape but with a hooked blade, it comes with a plastic cover, by memory 10 euro. Mine has a serrated blade.

Rather than having to balance with your force the seesawing movement of a normal knife while underwater, just grab yourself somewhere (propeller shaft, rudder) and hook and pull whatever is around the prop , rope, net, fishing line, etc






edit
found it, this is it, 14 euro

 

[greenalien]

One of these : http://www.consumableitems.co.uk/twenga/CONS81964/Kitchen-Devils-Roast-Meat-%26-Bread-Knife

Viciously sharp, 2 different cutting edges, flexible and easy to fix onto a boathook with gaffa tape for clearing props. Just mind your fingers!

(can also be used for cutting bread and meat... )

 

[geoid96]

I think the YM best knife was the Gerber E-Z Out Rescue Knife. We have one in the grab bag, but have not needed to use it in anger yet.

 

[Neil]

If you want a "dive knife", go online & get a titanium one. It'll be much more expensive but last forever. A stainless knife will not hold an edge anywhere near as well & will need re-grinding frequently. I've had a titanium knife from Northen Diver for at least the last 15 years & it's as good as new despite being used for regular diving in the past.

Titanium alloys can only be hardened to about 45-50 Rockwell so won't hold an edge very well, whereas a good tool steel can go to to RC 65+. A better compromise is the range of 'Salt' knives by Sypderco, using H1 steel. Expensive though!

The Tasman Salt folder features a Hawkbill blade. This distinctive curved cutting tool has a claw-like tip that originated in the marine/commercial fishing industry. Cutting in and around water involves cutting line, netting and rope and it’s done quickly, often at arm’s length while pulling downward or toward you. The blade’s arcing tip holds what you’re cutting against the sharpened edge keeping it from slipping off the tip. Spyderco’s rustproof Hawkbill blade is made with state of the art non-rusting H-1 steel. H-1 is a precipitation-hardened steel containing nitrogen instead of carbon, which cannot rust. The serrated hollow-ground blade offers remarkable cutting performance in and around fresh and saltwater. The visible marine yellow fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) handle is texturedwith a Volcano Grip pattern. It’s equipped with a reversible left/right hand titanium pocket clip (also non-rusting) that positions the folder tip-up in the pocket. We recommend threading a thong or cord through the lanyard hole for back-up retention around water, where once dropped, a knife is often lost or irretrievable.

 

[PhilipH]

I think the YM best knife was the Gerber E-Z Out Rescue Knife. We have one in the grab bag, but have not needed to use it in anger yet.

Me too.

 

[nigelmercier]

If you want a "dive knife", go online & get a titanium one. It'll be much more expensive but last forever...

Unfortunately this isn't true. My first one fell off my leg, the second got "borrowed"

Seriously though, a titanium dive knife is perfect for cutting rope, it's what it's designed for.

[Later] Found a reasonably cheap and handy one here, it has a plain blade, a serrated blade, and a net cutting notch. Anyone else find one?

 

[yachtorion]

I think the YM best knife was the Gerber E-Z Out Rescue Knife. We have one in the grab bag, but have not needed to use it in anger yet.

Me three.

 

[estarzinger]

I have used one of these seal team knives for 2 circumnavigations, exactly for the purpose in the OP - A go-to-knife when you want a fixed blade that will cut and pry thru anything. I have its sheath screwed next to the compaignway.

I have recently changed my personal knife to a Boye ceramic riggng knife. Its a light and compact knife, the ceramic blade is unbelievably sharp and will cut any of the high tech rope I have on board and the spike is useful for loosening knots and opening shackle pins.

 

[sailorman]

I have used one of these seal team knives for 2 circumnavigations, exactly for the purpose in the OP - A go-to-knife when you want a fixed blade that will cut and pry thru anything. I have its sheath screwed next to the compaignway.

I have recently changed my personal knife to a Boye ceramic riggng knife. Its a light and compact knife, the ceramic blade is unbelievably sharp and will cut any of the high tech rope I have on board and the spike is useful for loosening knots and opening shackle pins.

for $160 i would want a canteen of cutlery

 

[William_H]

Knife

Well for me the cheapest is best in that it won't jump overboard if it doesn't have any value. I have quite a collection from swimming around a local jetty used for fishing.
However for cutting rope I think you need to look outside the box. I reckon that long handled garden secateurs would be far better for cutting rope around a prop. The bypass type kept sharp will I think cut easily. Or a hacksaw especially the type with only one end of blade secured. But most of all for rope on prop you need the ability to get in the water and wrestle with it.
I think you need more than an expensive knife taped to a boat hook.
I carry a knife on my boat because it is a safety requirement but I can say I have virtually never used it for what it is intended.
good luck olewill

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Am going to SIBs tomorrow and need to get a good sheaf knife.
I like to fix the sheaf to the back of the main cabin door so it always handy. It needs to be able to cut rope etc from the prop.

Any recommendations?

I know YM done a test recently but have given it away and can't remember the verdict.

Do you really want a sheath knife??

If so how about this, NOW, That's a knife

The Outback™ features a forged, dual heat treated 440C stainless blade honed to a razor sharp edge. The back retains some spring to it while the edge has been made hard enough to withstand hundreds or thousands of cuts with no perceptible dulling. This is not a wall hanger - we set out to create the most devastatingly effective Bowie knife ever produced, and designed every detail like we mean it. Hack, slash, chop, cut, crush... This is one blade that will never let you down. We believe in putting our money where our mouth is, so we back this claim with a full five-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
The handle is skillfully crafted out of genuine ebony, leather and brass with an ultra-strong tang that will not twist or break in heavy use.
The solid, bead blasted brass handguard and pommel complete the distinctive look. The Outback™ is truly both a great example of the knifemaker's art as well as the most rugged, dependable tool an outdoorsman could wish for.
The Outback™ comes with a genuine heavy leather sheath patterned to resemble crocodile skin. The sheath features an integral retaining boot for the included high quality sharpening spike.
Overall length: 16”
Blade length 11”
Blade thickness: 6mm
Weight 800 g / 28.2 oz
Material: 440C dual heat treated (edge 58-59 RC / back 45-46 RC)
Solid brass guard and pommel, ebony & leather handle
Genuine leather sheath with sharpening spike
Price: $239.00

http://www.kizlyarknifestore.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=37

 

[KAL]

Whatever the make, any knife for emergency use on rope needs a serrated edge.
I would tend toward a diving knife which satisfies the serrated criteria but also comes with a floating handle.
It will also have a plastic sheath... leather won't last long.

I dunno. Bought one of the Gill folding knives because it also has a good spike. The cutting edge is heavily serrated and takes five times longer to cut through line than my Swiss army knife! Not too impressed. Not at all.

 

[Babylon]

The Outback™ features ... edge has been made hard enough to withstand hundreds or thousands of cuts with no perceptible dulling.

This is nonsense. No blade will hold its edge for "hundreds or thousands of cuts" without being regularly sharpened.

("We believe in putting our money where our mouth is, so we back this claim with a full five-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship." This is very cynical marketing. For the odd knife that is returned with a claim, many thousands more will have been sold to people for whom the product description - with the knife kept almost permamently in its sheath rather than regularly used - is the 'value'.)

A good knife will have a blade that can be easily sharpened. The harder the steel, the longer it will take to put a sharp edge back on.

Knives with serrated edges aren't easy to re-sharpen; but if they're designed for cutting soft bread or emergency use only as 'safety' knives then this isn't an issue.

 

[vyv_cox]

Having twice had ropes around our prop and cut them off, I found our bread knife to be far more effective than a couple of sailing knives. One had a straight blade, the other was the serrated one on a multitool. The greater blade length of the breadknife made the job considerably easier and it is still used for its original purpose. One rope was polypropylene, about 14 mm, the other was one of our warps, braid on braid 16 mm.

 

[geoid96]

I agree that a good bread knife is probably the best tool for clearing the prop, but both the bread knife and the sailing knife have their place onboard. We have a bread knife in the tool drawer with landyard ready attached for prop clearing and a Gerber folding sailing knife in the grab bag pocket for emergency cutting of safety lines, sheets or liferaft lines.

 

[ffiill]

Get a bread knife with a good serrated edge. Also keep a hacksaw ready. Polypropylene line welds itself together when wound round a prop. Even a sharp straight blade won't shift it.

If you want a "dive knife", go online & get a titanium one. It'll be much more expensive but last forever. A stainless knife will not hold an edge anywhere near as well & will need re-grinding frequently. I've had a titanium knife from Northen Diver for at least the last 15 years & it's as good as new despite being used for regular diving in the past.

Second the bread knife-keep it sharp with a knife sharpener or a rat tailed file.
I also carry a real bowie knife which my Dad sourced from someone during the war-not a Commando dagger but certainly designed as a lethal weapon-scares me to death-razor sharp.
Plus his standard issue pocket knife.Both are non stainless steel so you have to keep them oiled but hold a good edge.