Canoe knife

[danc]

I like to canoe as much or more than hiking or even camping. When people talk about a "river knife" the Gerber Shorty always comes up as the knife to have. Although I am sure the Gerber is a fine knife, Clearly it is not in the same league as knives made by John. Soooo with all that said, has anyone thought about designing a knife that would fill the requirement of a canoe- canoe camping knife? My thoughts on a canoe/canoe camp knife are:

Blade- 3/32 OR 1/8 thick, 3-4 inch length, rounded, blunt end( flexible on this) my perception is the blunter end would be better for river-emergency procedures, a knife with a point would be more beneficial in the camp department, so I can't decide.

Handle- it will be a wet enviorment, so it has to have an exceptioanlly "grippy" handle. again, in an emergency, you can't loose the knife. Not a chopper etc, so you don't have to worry about that, you just have to assume that the knife handle will be wet when you use it .

Beer opener- OK, it may be silly, but I really want a built in bottle, beer opener on the knife. I am picturing this on the end of the handle, but I am open to suggestions.

Trying to decide on the next knife, something different that my fabulous mid-size Kepheart/Hiker.

Any thoughts?

 

[JK Knives]

For a "grippier" handle, canvas micarta is the way to go. I`ve done bottle openers on the UBOT, switching to the rear of the handle should not be a problem. Kydex sheath is a "must have." Let`s see if the guys here come up with some drawings for you.

 

[danc]

.....

 

[danc]

John, just reviewed the UBOT. The bottle opener appears to be in the perfect position! Maybe we could round the grip end, craft the handle in canvas Macarta, and lengthen the blade among other ideas. By the way, I am also in law enforcement, what does a UBOT as displayed cost? It's funny, but I used something for prying almost as must as I used a blade for cutting when I was on the street. My Bride is still processing scenes and wrecking things, so the UBOT might be exactly what she needs!
Thanks
Dan

 

[danc]

what do you think of a tip similar to the CB nessmuk? Not the entire blade shape, just the tip which appears roundish.

 

[JK Knives]

Send me an email, I`m sure we can figure somthing out.

 

[danc]

will continue to play with some ideas over the week end and will e-mail you/call at the beginning of the week. Take care
Dan

 

[JK Knives]

will continue to play with some ideas over the week end and will e-mail you/call at the beginning of the week. Take care
Dan

Sounds good, I`ll be home untill Thursday, then off to Tennessee to pick up Connie. I`ll be back from there Saturday or Sunday.

 

[Mentor]

I love this idea.

As a fellow canoeist, I recommend going for a dangler sheath, or at least a low-riding sheath, so that you don't get poked in the side when you're sitting or kneeling.

When I was deciding on the specs for my snowshoeing knife (a JK Anniversary Knife), I asked John to make the handle extra grippy. He used canvas micarta and left a slightly rougher than usual finish on it, and it works great in wet environments. Might be an option worth considering.

Can't wait to see what comes of this!

All the best,

- Mike

 

[danc]

Hey Mike,
Thanks for the input. How do think your handle would compare to a steel handle, like the UBOT, but a little longer, and then covered in paracord?

 

[mqqn]

Hi guys -

I was thinking about danc's request, and if you put a "loop" bottle opener on the butt, that would not be as prone to snagging on things while paddling etc.

What I mean is, for instance, on the UBOT, there is a notched style cap-lifter.

I think it would be better to have a bottle opener integrated into the butt of the knife like the hole on this:

Just my two cents.

best regards -

mqqn

 

[danc]

I am a little slow, but I just saw the aniversary knife contest and saw the drawing of the first contestant, the NoahL. Seems to me, except for the lack of beer opener, It would be a great design for the river knife I was dreaming up. ( I don't usually have any beer on the river anyway, so I am thinking about taking that part of the design out anyway.) I might shorten the blade to be more comfortable lashed to a PFD, but it looks very capable. Tooo many quality designs around this forum, I should start reading crappyknives.com or something so I wont be so tempted all the time!

 

[NoahL]

I am a little slow, but I just saw the aniversary knife contest and saw the drawing of the first contestant, the NoahL. Seems to me, except for the lack of beer opener, It would be a great design for the river knife I was dreaming up. ( I don't usually have any beer on the river anyway, so I am thinking about taking that part of the design out anyway.) I might shorten the blade to be more comfortable lashed to a PFD, but it looks very capable. Tooo many quality designs around this forum, I should start reading crappyknives.com or something so I wont be so tempted all the time!

Well, I can't say that I designed that knife for canoeing specifically, but I did design it to be a sort of "practical tactical do-it-all" knife. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to modify it to have a bottle opener if you so chose, either. I already gave John permission to make the designs I entered in that contest, so if that's what you're wanting, feel free to hit him up for one

 

[danc]

Thanks Noah! If I get one ordered, I'll add a sheath from you business as well as the Kydex one from John. The sheath you made for the Phoenix was amazing! I picture your knife design as being a perfect practial knife for urban rescue, the tip looks strong enough to pry a little with it. I know you are not suppose to, but you will if that's what you have available! Looking at it, I realized, it also has what I would suggest is the perfect point for the river/marine enviorment as well. Great Design! Thanks again for allowing folks to use it. As far as the beer opener, well, I will skip it, and if disater really happens, I can live with either twist offs or improvising a cap lifter!

 

[danc]

If I went to 5/32, or 3/16, what would I gain, what would I lose. I assume the thicker steel would be stronger, but would that compromise the cutting ability any? I have a Kepheart in 5/32, and it appears like it could be pounded through a tank!

 

[JK Knives]

If I went to 5/32, or 3/16, what would I gain, what would I lose. I assume the thicker steel would be stronger, but would that compromise the cutting ability any? I have a Kepheart in 5/32, and it appears like it could be pounded through a tank!

I like thicker stock for heavy use, but it also depends on the blade length and heigth.

 

[dipbait]

I think Johns Scandi in a narrow blade with dangler sheath would be about perfect.

 

[danc]

After looking at some archived threads, I realized that there are about three or four knives that would be perfect for the job! I agree, I want to try a Scandi Grind, and I think the knife you mentioned would be perfect. I was drawing the the possible knife I'd like a few days ago, and when I finished, I realized I almost drew my Kepheart perfectly! I like the looks of the Nekmuk, but maybe a little larger as well. Finally, I have two great midsize knives, the kepheart and the hiker, so I think my next purchase will either be larger, or smaller. I am looking at either a neckmuck or EWOK in the smaller category, and I absolutely must have a Knatchet in the larger category. So the canoe knife for now, looks like it's going to be the Hiker. The Kepheart is my everything else knife.