Paddling knives:pointy or blunt

G

Guy Thomas

Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
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I really want to hear what your opinions are on whether a knife taken canoeing or kayaking should be pointy or blunt. I'm looking to equip my family, (myself, my wife and two teenagers) with paddling knives and I'm somewhat torn. You see, the part of me that uses knives (and I make knives too) always sees a point on a knife, it's part of what makes it useful. However, I suppose the main function of a paddling knife should be safety in an emergency situation and that would probably mean the ability to cut rope or webbing 90% of the time. So a blunt knife with only a serrated edge would be the best choice. That other part of me though says "Knives are multifunctional tools and a knife that only has one function is a handicap as well." That part of me wants the point and a portion of the blade to be a plain edge and feels knives are tools and the danger can be minimized with respect to the tool.

Of course I'm never opposed to carrying more than one knife, perhaps a blunt fixed blade serrated edged knife fixed to a pfd for emergency use only and a fixed blade utility knife on a belt, in a bag or box and even a multi-functional folder in the pocket. Heck, I'm almost always carrying more than one knife!

However, if you were limited to putting together bare essential equipment, would you want your family wearing, let's say, the blunt Gerber River Shorty or the pointy Gerber River Runner? You can substitute any manufacturer or even custom made for the knives of course and I'm considering making my own as well. I'm leaning strongly toward the blunt serrated form to err on the side of safety after doing some reading. What about the rest of you?
 
I would say point vs. blunt is a very personal issue. For example, I would definately carry a pointed knife, unless possibly if I was using an inflatable of some type, possibly. On the other hand, if I was buying a river knife for my girlfriend, it would definately be blunt-tipped for saftey. I would evaluate each of your family member's qualifications/dexterity/coordination/etc and determine on an individual basis whether pointed or blunt is more appropriet.
 
For sure blunt tipped, to many things can go wrong with a point when in water, especially on a river.
 
You should send runningboar an e-mail or pm and ask him. He does a lot of canoeing and does a very good job of describing what gear he likes, and why.
 
I have been trying to remember the name of a book on survival at sea that I read. This book was written by an Air force pilot who tested his theories by sailing his life raft from California to Hawaii with only his survival kit. of coarse there was years of prep and many interviews with survivors of marine disasters. An issue that he spent a lot of thought on was knives with or with out points. Most military pilot survival kits of the time had a knife with a blunted point and were found lacking in there usefulness. The blunt points were of course to protect the crewman from puncturing the life raft but the need of a tool with all the working attributes far out weighed the need to protect someone from themselves.
On a note of personal experience, I build my own canoes, dingies and kayak's and try to spend as much time afloat as I can. I really cant see any value in a knife with out a point of some type.
When my children were old enough to bate there own hooks I gave them there own belt knives and it was never an issue.
 
bikermikearchery said:
I really cant see any value in a knife with out a point of some type.
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the first thing I can think of is either stabbing your self trying to cut tangle rope, or strap from a pack, or someone else. Or when using a inflatable dingy, I think of a river knife as a Safety knife.
fixed_blade_rescue_knife.jpg4
 
Myself, I would equip with blunt tipped knives that are designed as river knife for the safety standpoint as mentioned above. But, I would also have myself a good bushcraft/survival blade, waterproofed and tucked safely in my pack.
 
I have had a variety of knives for canoeing and kayaking and even rafting (didn't like the rafting) from Ellesmere Island to Antarctica and a few places in between. My favourite is a custom Neil Blackwood stellite double edged, one serrated one not. They've all been sharp ended. Very versatile. that is an advantage when you're wearing a drysuit or a survival suit and the 1 knife you'er wearing or have lashed to your pfd may have to do several things. In a crisis, or a swim, it may be your only knife.

But more than once I've actually thought it would be better to have a blunt nose, like a dive knife shape. When you really need that knife, you might be all tangled up, swimming, upside down, or just a little too busy to be careful enough to avoid that sharp point. There have been times when i've been a little nervous about it, and I worry about kids or people with a little less experience.

Personally, I'd really like to get a blunt nose for myself. The Blackwood is maybe a bit sharp for an old fat shaky shlepper like me :)

But I'm with Longbow, they'll be at least a couple of sharp ones lashed &/or packed elsewhere.
 
longbow50 said:
Myself, I would equip with blunt tipped knives that are designed as river knife for the safety standpoint as mentioned above. But, I would also have myself a good bushcraft/survival blade, waterproofed and tucked safely in my pack.
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Definetly, something like this you want to be as safe as possible, a bad cut or pierceing wound on a river is bad news, even worse if its a loved one :(
Find something with a safetip, that can cut strapping and rope with ease, of cousre this is a situation where serrations come into play, cutting things fast.
 
Guy Thomas said:
I really want to hear what your opinions are on whether a knife taken canoeing or kayaking should be pointy or blunt. I'm looking to equip my family, (myself, my wife and two teenagers) with paddling knives and I'm somewhat torn. You see, the part of me that uses knives (and I make knives too) always sees a point on a knife, it's part of what makes it useful. However, I suppose the main function of a paddling knife should be safety in an emergency situation and that would probably mean the ability to cut rope or webbing 90% of the time. So a blunt knife with only a serrated edge would be the best choice. That other part of me though says "Knives are multifunctional tools and a knife that only has one function is a handicap as well." That part of me wants the point and a portion of the blade to be a plane edge and feels knives are tools and the danger can be minimized with respect to the tool.

Of course I'm never opposed to carrying more than one knife, perhaps a blunt fixed blade serrated edged knife fixed to a pfd for emergency use only and a fixed blade utility knife on a belt, in a bag or box and even a multi-functional folder in the pocket. Heck, I'm almost always carrying more than one knife!

However, if you were limited to putting together bare essential equipment, would you want your family wearing, let's say, the blunt Gerber River Shorty or the pointy Gerber River Runner? You can substitute any manufacturer or even custom made for the knives of course and I'm considering making my own as well. I'm leaning strongly toward the blunt serrated form to err on the side of safety after doing some reading. What about the rest of you?
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I used to do quite a bit of whitewater kayaking back east (New River Gorge, Gauley, John's Creek, etc.) and just about everyone I knew (including some of the local county whitewater rescue team) carried the Gerber River Shorty. I believe the reasoning for the blunt tip would be to lessen the chance of cutting yourself or another person when blindly reaching under violent, fast moving water and cutting through webbing, plastic, etc in the shortest amount of time as possible. Fortunately, I have never been in a rescue situation that involved having to cut someone out but it wouldn't hurt to clip one on your PFD and forget about it.
P.S. Plus it makes a really cool looking accessory for your PFD.;)
 
I don't own a Sog Seal Pup, but I've always thought that the way the shealth is designed so that you can cut rope without removing the knife from the sheath is a great design for use when a pucture might be an issue.

M37-Sheath-Focus.jpg


Sean
 
I keep a CRK&T Bear Claw http://tinyurl.com/89ec3 on my pfd for use as a rescue knife. I use something different for my camp knife. I like leaving the knife on the pfd because I tend to be a bit absent minded and that increases the odds of the knife being there if I need it.

I know a lot of folks like the Gerber River Shorty, but the clip on the back of the sheath is too big to fit through the lash tabs on most pfd's - unless they have changed the sheath. Since that is how I like to attach my rescue knife to my pfd, the Gerber won't work for me.
 
My river knife that I use for paddling or float tubing is a small fixed blade knife, pointy tip. I sometimes use it to jab into a log for a teather anchor. But I also have a sheepsfoot serrated blade for cutting rope on a bathtub chain attached to my vest, or onto my belt loop to cut rope or line. I usually carry a heavy knife or hatchet in a canoe in case i get trapped in a "strainer", which are the submerged branches of a blown down tree.
 
I always carry one of each while kayaking.

If I only carried one knife then on my PFD then it would have a blunt tip

As other have stated, the blunt tip is safer and better for most situations. I carry the blunt tip lashed to the outside of my PFD, because it is the first one that I would need in the overwhelming majority of situations. Also, if I'm incapacitated and need to be rescued by somebody that doesn't carry a knife then I definitely want their unaccustomed hands using the knife with the blunt tip. (OK, I just thought up that second part while typing, but I think it carries some validity.)

The pointy knife rides in a pocket on my PFD. It's rare, but a broached boat may need to be punctured before it can be extricated.

The pointy knife is also for use against pirates!:D
 
Great feedback guys, advice speaking from personal experience is exactly what I was after. Heck, I couldn't even be sure how I'd handle an emergency cutting situation in rushing water or underwater and I'm comfortable using knives, so the safety features should be paramount. Seeing as we (meaning me and my family) are all relative newcommers as well with canoeing I've been leaning toward the blunt serrated Bear Claw or River Shorty as "emergency" only type knives attached to the pfds. There are some great bargains for them on the Net as well so it would be relatively inexpensive to outfit everyone. Hmmm, I still may have to break out that 440c I've got laying around here somewhere and grind out a knife as well.
 
Blunt tip, straped to the PFD is what everyone I know use when whitewater canoeing.

As for the SOG shealth, I have one, it's sucks. It won't cut fishing line off with that thing.
 
I'd go with a more blunt tip knife. On my PFD is a Gerber Shorty and it still has enough tip to pierce when needed.All the paddlers I know carry the same.
 
Im a part time kayak instructor and spend a lot of personal time on the river. A Gerber River Shorty with the blunt tip is permanently affixed to my pfd. The new sheaths have a button thru hole attachment system that seems to work great. I modified the blade by sharpening the blunt chisel point and the back false edge. The un-serrated edge also needed some serious sharpening as it was dull from the factory. I also have an Al Mar ultra light folder clipped to the webbing of my pfd when a pointed blade is needed.---Good luck and be safe on the water--
 
I have a Benchmade River Rescue knife attached to the left shoulder of my PFD. The knife has a sheepsfoot tip on it, so I guess you could say it is more blunt than pointy. However, The blunt/pointed tip issue was not a consideration when I chose this knife for my PFD. I chose it because of its size, it's combo edge, the toggle lock on the sheath, and because it felt comfortable and easy to control in hand.

I keep a 5" or 6" stainless steel Frosts Sportfishing knife in the pouch on the back of my PFD.

Now, I do not intend to start an argument here, but I've made an observation and I am curious: Why is everyone so 'safety' (blunt favored over point) conscious when referring to the use of knives in boats? Granted, water can make things slippery, but so can sweat and blood, too. And if boat stability is in question, the last thing I'm going to do is deploy my knife. I would imagine that far more knife accidents occur on dry land than in boat or in the water. As with any knife in use at any time, one must be careful and aware of what they are doing. Again, I'm not trying to 'get all up on' anyone.

Blunt or pointed, I see it as a personal preference. Think about what you see yourself doing with the knife, and your intended application(s), and go from there. My Mora knife in the back pouch of my PFD gets used way more than the knife mounted on my PFD. I mostly do touring stuff, so I don't require the use of a knife much at all between point A and point B. I have it there more or less just in case.
 
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