The ultimate Sea-farers knive

I

iMarcoU

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Dec 28, 2015
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Hi everyone!

I suggest, that between al these thousands of knife enthausiasts, there must be some sea-farers between us.

My working knife is the Gerber Paracord, personally i'm a spyderco fan, but can't get it over my heart to abuse my folders on board, so a fixed blade is the better option for me. Tried some, but the paracord has good grip in all conditions, to bad it is not so good in holding a sharp edge for long.

Btw, i am a maritime officer on a anchor handling tug supply vessel.

So, whats your favorite Sea knife, and what is your job on sea?

Would be great to hear! [emoji106]🏻[emoji16]
 
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one of my best friends is joining the coast guard, an I plan on gifting him a spyderco tusk once he finishes basic

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David Boye BDC (cobalt) knives...

Or one of the Spyderco salt's in H1 Steel


Either one won't rust...
 
spikebot587 said:
one of my best friends is joining the coast guard, an I plan on gifting him a spyderco tusk once he finishes basic

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Click to expand...

Really love that knife, but here in holland it costs more than 350 euro's... To expensive and to beautifull for me to abuse on deck :-(
 
My credentials - I used to be a dock builder on the jersey shore...

For budget, anything in 440c has good enough corrosion resistance with minimal care to withstand the forces of the salt water air, along with the balance of toughness and edge retention, without the cost and dread of losing a very expensive knife over the edge and into the drink.
 
I was a shipscarpenter in the Swedish Navy and I served onboard a Mineship.

This one: HMS Älvsborg
ATTACH]© Folke Österman


During my servicetime,I never saw any fixed knives except for a few Mora 511's.
One of them was in my toolbox and I used it frequently as a carpenter.
The Bosun had one for ropework.

If it would be today, I would bring a Leatherman Charge Multi-Tool and a Mora Pro S.


Regards
Mikael
 

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I would recommend something from the Spyderco H1 line as that particular steel is impervious to rust.
 
I usually carry a Victorinox Skipper or Victorinox Swiss Tool.

I'm not on an anchor handler, just a regular 240' OSV in the GOM.
 
I assume most people on bigger vessels dont dip their knives in sea water too often, but as for me having kayaking as a hobby, paracord wont work like we see it in the case of the Gerber Paracord.
No matter how tightly wrapped, paracord will shift when wet. I tried wrapping my kayaking knife with cord. No good.
A solution is to epoxy the cord, but that is no real solution for other reasons not belonging in this thread (except IMO in the case of some beautiful Japanese inspired carry knives, but again not pertinent in regards to this thread).

For kayaking all year round, I use one of my MISSION Beta titanium knives. They are excellent and only gets rinsed with fresh water along with the buoyancy vest after each use. Not that the ti knives needs any maintenance what so ever, but simply because it sit in the vest which gets liberally sprayed with salt water each and every use.

Ive also got a Boye Cobalt knife, which I look forward to use for kayaking, as its supposed to be excellent for that use.

The MPU handle holes were widened slightly to accomodate chain ring bolts.
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After:
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With the temperatures being freezing or below, kayaking makes for a cold hobby this time of year!
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I own several H1 Spydercos, and a couple of Ti fixed blades....but my vote, hands down, goes to my David Boye folder. The knife has lived in my bathing suit pocket all summer long for several years now. I live on the Delmarva Peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, so I spend a LOT of time in and around the water. This knife has never developed even the slightest spot/discoloration, and the Cobalt alloy that David uses is phenomenal. The carbide structure allows this knife to out cut any other that I have owned...and I have tried out just about every steel under the sun. This knife, even when dull enough to see light reflecting off the edge, still out performs most of my "shaving sharp" steel blades....its almost bordering on bizarre...and as an added bonus, its incredibly easy to sharpen. I like it enough that I bought two more of the same configuration(blue handle, drop point, no serrations, no marlin spike) just so I wouldn't be without this particular blade for many years to come. I am glad I did, because, very unfortunately, Mr. Boye's knifemaking shop burned to the ground last year. I got an email recently saying that they are rebuilding, and plan to be back in full swing some time in the next year or so. I believe he may still have some limited inventory at the moment, and I think there are a couple of online dealers that stock his knives.
 
I've hear that a rigging knife is most useful for sailors.
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[not mine. example image]
I wonder if that is firstly true; and secondly if it's the same for boaters. Or if there are substantially different enough needs that it has to be another type.
 
I've been on work boats in the GOM oilfield for going on 25 years now. I've seen folks carry everything from $5 gas station knives, Gerber, Spyderco, Benchmade and more. I have only run across 2 that carried a fixed blade. Then there are some that seem to forget to buy anything but are quick to borrow yours. Some of the major charter customers don't allow knives and some allow anything less than 3". On those job that don't allow knives, they use a box cutter or utility shears. There seem to been more knife related hand injuries in galley than anywhere else. Someone drops a kitchen knife in sink of soapy water, then someone reaches in to wash dishes.
 
3.5 years aboard a USN destroyer went just fine with a Buck 110 and a marlin spike. If I were in today, I'd carry a Leatherman Surge, which didn't yet exist during my hitch.

No stainless knife is going to rust if you rinse your knife in fresh water at the end of your day. I'd only go exotic if I was on a sailing vessel that couldn't spare a cup of water per day for such maintenance.
 
I'm a Machinery Technician (MK) in the US Coast Guard and my daily carry knives are a Ontario Utilitac II with the tanto blade and a SAK Cyber Tool 34. When doing boardings/LE my gunbelt has a pouch with a Spyderco Resilience in it. The unit I am currently at operates on the Mississippi River and on two occasions we have had 3-4" diameter synthetic line get tangled up on the outboard props so I have started carrying a fully serrated Byrd Rescue in my gear bag. As you can see I've opted to go with good quality budget knives that won't make me cry if I drop them overboard. I work around fresh water now but all my prior units were in salt water and I found that corrosion wasn't a big issue as long as I did a little maintenance on my knives.
 
David Boye's pocket knives are the best for any application, but he comes from a seafaring family and has perfected a folding and straight knife for that environment.

I have a lot of pocket knives, but if someone asks which is the all around best, it's my David Boye.
 
During the short time I worked on a container ship, I carried a Learherman Wave on my belt, and a Tasman Salt in H1
 
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