RR: Boye Boat Knife?

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Sid Post

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I have carried a Spyderco Rescue off and on for a good while and find I like the general shape and profile. Looking for something similar in style but, better for everyday general utility, I stumbled into this knife on-line. Living in the desert, I don't really need the rust resistance, and I'm not in the military or into Walter Mitty fantasies so, I don't think the magnetic properties are applicable to me either.

Normally, I wouldn't consider a serrated blade but, the "serrations" on this knife look like they would preserve the general utility of a plain edge blade. Add the good cutting properties of Dendritic Cobalt and it starts to look like I wouldn't need to get the plain edge model (I have a Strider AR for backup ;)).

Finally, it appears to be a lockback with a pricepoint of $100 retail. Overall, this knife is starting to look pretty good.

Anybody have user feedback on this knife? What are your thoughts regarding this knife for a non-sailor like myself?
 
I have owned some Boye folders in the past, they are defintely decent knives. If it wa sme I'd have to consider the Salt from spyderco, might be a little cheaper too.

Otherwise got for it! :)
 
The Spyderco Salt looks good but, those serrations are not what I had in mind. I also like the Sheepsfoot blade profile better. The Salt is certainly a tempting blade though. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more talk on the forums.
 
Originally posted by Sid Post
I'm not in the military or into Walter Mitty fantasies so, I don't think the magnetic properties are applicable to me either.
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It was then that I heard the pocketa-pocketa of his dendritic cobalt knife!

Originally posted by Sid Post
I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more talk on the forums.
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In a way, it should, because it's probably the least staining of the stainless steels. My guess is that it's not talked up much because most of us want a steel that will cut through buildings and still cleanly shave off the rest of the knifeknut mange.
 
I don't have the knife in question, but I do have a Boye Zyetel handled knife in dendritic steel. It's a great knife, excellent construction, real workhorse. Boye often has sales, ask if you order from them direct. I've read both knife magazine and sailing magazine reviews of this knife and not a single disparaging word was mentioned. All in all, if you like serrations and sheepsfoot, it shouuld make you happy.
 
Sid Post :

... for everyday general utility
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Boyes knives are among the more efficient in regards to cutting ability, but this comes at a cost of very low durability especially for the Cobalt ones which are *very* soft, softer even than the steel used in the Hibben fantasy knives. That being said they work extremely well on soft materials like ropes, carboard and the like. A similar folder from Sypderco may not cut as well, but will be very close, and will be many times more durable.

-Cliff
 
The Boye serrations can be sharpened on a stone. The spydercos need a special sharpener, either the triangles such as spyderco sells, or a thin rod.

One of the knife magazines cut a lot of rope with a boye cobalt. The dendritic structure of the cobalt helps it cut even when its dull.
 
Don't really know, read it in either in the Boye literature or in a review. From pictures it looks like the serrations are not as deep or as narrow as others.
 
You can't get inside the serrations with a flat stone simply because it is sharpened at an angle, its the same reason why you can't sharpen a recurve like a straight edged blade, you only hit parts of it. The reference probably means you can sharpen the back of the blade which hits the serration in an indirect way. This is how Ben Dale uses the Edge Pro on serrations. This of course works on any serration pattern.

The only serrations that you can sharpen on a flat stone are those made by McClung which have chisel (flat) points. Of course here again you don't hit the inside of the scallop, but this tends to not get blunted as fast as the tips. In any case it is not like it is difficult to make a sharpener for serrations, you just need sandpaper and a round object like a screwdriver, wooden spoon, pencil, etc. .

You can use hone corners, but I really don't like this as they hollow rapidly with such a focused pressure point and there is no way to restore them without a massive amount of work (essentially you have to shave off the sides of the stones).

-Cliff
 
I'm guessing, then, two things:

  1. It's not a job for waterstones.
  2. Using an SiC whetstone, the BDC won't hog off too much of the stone.
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    Maybe a portable croc-style sharpener would be the better solution. Perhaps a Fold-a-Vee or a Lansky Turnbox.
 
The most portable solution would be a strip of sandpaper, you could then just roll it up and use it like rod. For heavy reprofiling you would want something stiffer (just wrap it around a pencil), but for light toughups the paper would do by itself. There was a ceramic sharpener on the Busse forum awhile back that is the most impressive one of its kind that I have seen, it has a ceramic coating on a cery tough metal plate. Very durable for a hone.

-Cliff
 
There is a thread in the custom forum about boye dendritic cobalt. The blades can cut mild steel w/o dammage.
 
Mild steel is at the lower limit of the HRC test it is that soft and it can be readily cut with a Hibben fantasy knife. The cut was also well controlled and doesn't well represent possible EDC impacts like zipping through a box and hitting a heavy staple (note Will didn't argue that it does).

Will's design for his Cobalt blade is perfectly optomized for the materials properties however it is far from a general purpose EDC blade. There is a world of difference between the tasks it is made for and a general purpose knife like the Spyderco Military or similar.

-Cliff
 
I’m in total agreement. The cobalt is not as strong as hardened blade steel, period.

My concern for the modified chef’s knife design I described in the Custom Knives forum was whether deflection off bone, or nicking bone while butchering an animal, might deform the edge. Cutting the mild steel plate indicated to me that, with care, those kinds of contacts with bone shouldn’t be a problem. As David told me, though, the blade on my fixed hunter is not meant to be an ax. The blade is ground very thin to the edge, which is the foundation for its impressive cutting efficiency. But that thin edge on a 40 Rc material, like David’s cobalt, is certainly subject to damage by cutting very harsh materials, or by heavy torquing against hard objects, or by chopping. It has to be treated with respect for what it is--a precision cutting instrument.

As far as the folder goes, to me the concept of a “strong folder” is an oxymoron. I take care not to stress a folder if I can, because they’re inherently subject to damage from stress. Obviously, some folders are stronger than others. That said, a serrated cobalt blade on a folder is a good choice for me, because to cut rope, cardboard, open packages, and zip through seatbelt material in an emergency, it’s very efficient. And in a humid, rust-prone environment like coastal South Texas, it’s also very durable from a corrosion standpoint.

David’s lock-back designs and synthetic handle materials are also very rugged for the weight--light, efficient cutters, reasonably priced, that won’t rust and will stand up to most long-term use very well.

Whenever I go hiking or back-packing, or hunting in remote mountain areas such as the Rockies, I always have a Busse Basic #5 in my pack, because in a survival situation I might need a tool that I can count on to stand between me and anything nature can bring. Whenever I’m in my vehicle, I have a Busse or two under the seat. They do yeoman service for me all the time against heavy, tough stuff that needs be cut.

But short of that, a one-hand-opening folder in my back pocket for EDC and a very fine-edge fixed blade knife for my hunting needs--mainly butchering game animals taken on South Texas ranches--fill my needs very well. Oh, and a good machete and stainless filet knife!
 
WILL YORK :

It has to be treated with respect for what it is--a precision cutting instrument.
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Indeed, I think Boye defines this aspect for many types of knives. Consider quite simply that what many of the top production and custom knives which are rated as having thin edges are *five* times as thick as the edges Boye grinds.

That being said though, I would take care to refer to them as EDC knives. Of course they can easily be used as such if care is taken, quite frankly if someone you didn't know asked you for a lend of such a knife for a week of EDC use how confident would you be in general of giving them such a knife.

Personally I would not as I would have visions of a large piece missing from the hollow primary grind. This isn't a selective criteria on Boye of course, I have a nice small fixed blade from Wilson which I use extensively, but which I would never lend out as an EDC knife. For something to have that label in general I would want a profile like the Howling Rat.

Boye is a great knifemaker who knows what is is trying to achieve and does it to a very high level. Just be sure that you also see the same in regards to expected performance and you will be very pleased with the performance.

The question I would ask about a knife such as Boye's boat knife is what is the gain in performance over a knife such as the Spyderco Military and for which tasks would the Boye get damaged where the Military would not. It would be an interesting review to perform, however I would be hesitant to do so with one of Boyes knives simply because they are so well optomized for what they are designed for and quite frankly he doesn't hype them as anything else.

-Cliff
 
I've used my Boye cobalt lockback now for years as my primary "house utility" blade. It is the drop point model with no serrations. I reprofiled it for an even finer edge. I use it regularly for opening cartons, cutting cardboard, etc. and have never had a problem of any sort. It seems like a tough hombre for my needs. It's easy to touch up the edge, and holds an edge for a good long time.

I will point out that although the dendrite cobalt is easy to sharpen to a great utility edge capable of shaving hair, the dendrites seem to create an edge more suited to draw strokes (like sawing) rather than push strokes (like shaving). It really does excel at holding an edge.

It has a good blade design, and a good solid lockup for a lockback. I really like mine.
 
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