Buck River Rafter - reveiew

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
I received a free Buck River Rafter Crosslock model with the purchase of some other blades. Unfortunately the liner snapped past the blade tang.

I sent it back to Buck and they sent me a replacement. I'll do a little review here.

The knife uses the Cross Lock handle which is a smooth black and yellow torpedo shape. The blade is a sharp, and very sturdy sheeps foot blade. It's at this point that some aspects of the knife become difficult to review.

The problem is that by the name River Rafter I would assume this model was designed for use while rafting or while being around water.


If I where designing a knife with this is mind I'd made sure the handle was no slip of some kind, this handle is "slip". I would probably put some sort of guard as an extra precaution to keep the hand from sliding up on the blade. There is no guard. I would probably make it so that it would be easy to open with cold and or wet hands. Well it's not bad to open, but the thumb stud lies right against the handle and in fact I think it doubles as a blade stop. So any kind of one handed opening while cold and wet would be more difficult.

When I received the knife the liner locked up at about 50% in the center of the blade. After 5 openings it now is at 75%. It seems to have stopped further movement, and it survives a light spine whack without any problem.

Overall the execution of the knife is good, but for some reason I just can't figure out why it was designed the way it was since it's called the River Rafter.

I wonder if the crosslock series was created, then they added different blade shapes for different functions, while leaving base handle design the same.

Update:

This replacement knife developed the same problem as the first knife, that is liner snapping past the tang after about an hours worth TV play.

So, it goes back someday, I don't think I'll ask for a replacement.
 
DaveH, thanks for the review. I share your concern, or at least puzzlement, that Buck markets this folding knife with the model name "River Rafter." I'm not a whitewater expert myself, but have been on a few trips, & to my recollection the guides all carry *purpose-built fixed blades* in sheaths strapped directly to their PFDs.

There is a lot of great information on Bladeforums about bona fide paddling/whitewater knives. Try searching on keywords such as "whitewater rescue."

hope this is helpful,

Andrew
 
Thanks, I am not really looking for a whitewater knife, i just got this one so I thought I'd try it out.

As for making sense, it does if you're the manufacturer, because then you just put a different blade on and call it something else. Less cost then designing a purpose built knife.
 
Hi Dave -- Andrew again. Even if you aren't shopping, I think your honest review will be very helpful & educational to people doing research on this kind of knife. On that note, as long as I'm here, some of the whitewater rescue knives that came up in Bladeforum & Google searches include:
Emerson LaGriffe Whitewater Rescue
Gerber Rivermaster, River Shorty, etc.
Benchmade River/Rescue
CRKT Stiff KISS

I'm sure there others but this will give the general idea. Note that these are all fixed blades for instant action, & with serrations for sawing & rope cutting, & typically with a dull or chisel point.

Hope this helps, best,

Andrew
 
Dave,
I appreciate the honest review of your Crosslock. Without this kind of feedback, we would be going at this blind. The Crosslock River rafter has been discontinued. It may come back some day as we evaluate design changes in the Crosslock family. I would think that some of the items you mentioned might be incorporated if we decide to reintroduce this model.
Take care,
 
Joe Houser,

I appreciate your reasoned reply, I was concerned with being perceived as a troll or sh!t stirrer. I'm glad this didn't happen, and that it might have helped.

Thanks,
 
I really appreciate getting this kind of company response here.
Does Buck make a fixed blade comparable to the River Shorties?
 
Joe H -- your post to this thread was extremely classy and professional. More companies should listen & respond to their customers this way. Also thanks to Gypsy9590 -- the Buck Tiburon looks like the real thing for a paddling/rescue knife.

Andrew
 
Originally posted by andrewb
... the Buck Tiburon looks like the real thing for a paddling/rescue knife.
A lot of people are ranting over the Buck/Mayo collaboration new for this year, but don't realize Buck has had many collaborations over the past several years with not just Custom Knife Makers, but with the people that actually use the knives. The Tiburon is one such knife. Ed Gillet, a sea-kayaker who has paddled unassisted from California to Hawaii assisted in the design. It should be the LAST water sport knife you buy.

If you are interested, you might want to contact Larry Oden, a member of these forum who is also a Buck Dealer, and member of the BCCI. I'm sure his price will beat any price you might find on the web or a retail outlet. Tell him I recomended you to him...
 
Thank you very much Gypsy. I don't know that much about Ed Gillet but I remember his name from my kayak research. The Tiburon looks like a very nice tool.
 
As a whitewater kayaker and sometimes raft guide I've complained to manufacturers before that their whitewater/river rescue knives fall far short of what a knife needs to be for use on the river. The Stiff Kiss, Intreped, River Shorty (the original version), and other knives that lack adequate guards, are too heavy, or have lousy sheaths for holding the knife securely yet ready for use are dangerous to the person carrying them.

Buck's Tiburon is one of the very few knives that I would consider carrying while boating. It's only failing is not having enough to hang onto with cold wet hands.

A whitewater/river rescue knife system needs to do only a few things, but it needs to do them well. The sheath needs to hold the knife securely yet make the knife readily available while you are being "window shaded" in a rapid. Most sheath fail dismally in this area. A draining synthetic with a large readily accesable positive lock is just the thing. The knife needs to be extreemly rust resistant since it will sit in the sheath and be thrown into the gear bag still attached to you PFD. The knife needs to be serrated for it's full length because it is a gross cutting tool with the primary purpose being to cut rope, raft patch, and sometimes clothing. It may be a folder, but I prefer a short bladed fixed blade even if the handle is longer than the blade (what do you need more than 3 inches for in a water knife?). I prefer a blunt to rounded tip for safety.

The fellow that taught me to fly sail planes had taken up whitewater kayaking again. He got stuck in a hole and was being window shaded when something happened and he took a whack to the head. The folks that attempted to rescue him tried to cut him out of his spray skirt and stabbed him in the femoral artery. It's questionable if he would have survived the whack on the head and the drowning, but he sure didn't have a chance when the last thread to his life was cut.
 
Hso,
what is the sheath like on the Tiburon? Does it have a lock, or just work by friction?
What you said about the handle is the other thing that worries me.
I wonder about putting some rubber on the handle to make it warmer and stickier. Would that interfere with getting it into and out of the sheath?
 
johnniet,

The Tuburon has a positive lock for the sheath. I'm not sure that the sheath would have problems with building up the grip. You could epoxy neoprene panels to it in thin layers that would ally you to "tailor" the thing.

Another good knife for whitewater is the CRKT Bear Claw with the rounded tip and full serration. Handy little piece that would strap to your PFD well.

I always carry a folder sealed in the pocket of my PFD as a "utility" knife and leave the rescue knife alone. I carry an old Blackie Collins designed RiverMaster with the round tip. Flat, sharp, very light.

Mike Sastre is an Olympic whitewater coach that makes thermomold sheaths for a lot of knives. The fit is so good that a lock is not needed. His work allows you to pick a good knife with a lousy sheath and have him make one that will keep you safe in the water. He is a proponent of using a folder with a large opening mechanism (e.g. Spyderco Rescue)kept in one of his sheaths. He makes some good arguments about this approach. His company is River City Sheaths (http://www.rivercitysheaths.com/ours.html) and I like his work. That said I just realized that I should have Mike make a sheath for my RiverMaster so that I can find out if it would be as secure as the locking sheath that came with it.

There's more than one way to "skin this cat", but you want to make sure that you don't end up being the cold wet skinned cat on the river so safety is the primary rule in selecting a knife.

BTW, what do you boat?

Mike
 
I'm a sea kayaker so far, but want to try river kayaking when the season comes.
Why a folder in a sheath? Wouldn't that be slower than a fixed blade?
Hso, where are you in Eastern Tennessee? I have family friends in Nashville who also like kayaking, although probably not whitewater.
 
Knoxville - less than a days drive from all the best whitewater in the the east.

Sastre explains that the folder adds an extra element of safety and compactness. If the knife were to come out of the sheath in heavy water it would be closed and not represent a hazard to the boater. If it's a small package it's easier to carry. If you're in a situation that allows to you use it you'll have the extra time to open it as well (being rolled under water isn't really a situation that you'd need a knife). My one reservation is that all fine motor skill will be gone when the adrenaline floods your system and you might fumble the knife while opening. Of course the counter to that is the more you're used to higher adrenaline levels the more normal you fine motor skills become under any stressful situation and we wouldn't boat whitewater if it didn't get the adrenaline livels up :p . The best answer is to train with the knife with your hands cold, wet and when you're nearly exhausted (the same for fixed or folding blade).
 
Originally posted by hso
Knoxville - less than a days drive from all the best whitewater in the the east.

A strong argument for looking for jobs around there. :D
Thanks for all the info.
 
Back
Top