what knife for paddling?

I would think something in a large heavy duty stainless(if salt water) folder or perhaps fixed blade with kydex sheath would be good. Make sure you lash it to something. Think about secured waterproof matches and lighter as well. If you capsize, it's nice to know you won't lose it. Making a fire and warming up can be paramount sometimes.

I would choose Spyderco military or similar in a folder.

If FB I would look into a CS Master Hunter in either SS or CarbonV. The CarbonV blade may be an inland advantage as you could make sparks with it and a piece of flint(check this first - i don't know if it works with the CarbonV alloy). I also think the CarbonV does not have the same epoxy coating as the SRK/Tanto varieties. Sheaths are lashable and tough. Blade thickness is awesome if you have to do any minor chopping or use a baton on the back of the blade.

Just my two cents.
 
I think that I'd choose the massive Coleman/Camillus/Western W-49 Bowie, as it has a VERY wide (9 & 1/2 inch-long) blade that would be your best choice as a paddle.:D.

If you mean a knife to take with you "just in-case", a Spyderco Rescue would be a good choice, carried on a cord around your neck.
 
I can usually be found with one of the Benchmade Ascent folders on me when I am on the water. BM also makes the river rescue knife and the sheath is built to attach to a PFD. I like the Ascents as they are great cutters but cheap enough to replace if lost. Whatever you choose use a lanyard to attach it to yourself in case you go swimming unexpectedly :)
 
As a whitewater junkie of 20 years, the knife I use on the rivers has primary purposes for rescue and freeing from entanglement. In either of these cases time and a secure grip are paramount. I do not use my white-water knife for any other purpose.

With that train of thought, I am not a fan of folders on a class III or higher river since I do not have the confidence to manipulate one while circulating in a hole which can be violent at times. If I have to free myself from an entanglement, I want to be able to grasp a 2.5 to 3 inch double edged fixed blade with a solid purchase and not have to worry about anything but retention (i.e. unfolding the knife or being sure of where the edge is on a fixed blade. I also am not comfortable with a lanyard. Should I drop the knife (which is not likely) in a situation having the thing circulate violently attached to me me in a hole is not a good thing. In calmer water I would use a lanyard. If I have a pinned raft that is keeping me or my passengers from surfacing, the need for quickness and a secure grip at all times is the same.

Whitewater safety and rescue is a learned skill that takes constant practice from being able to hit a target with a throw rope (since most times you only get one chance) to setting up Z-drag rescue ropes. For me a double edged fixed blade in a secure sheath attached to the left breast of my P.F.D. is the only way I can feel comfortable.

For white water I would consider a Gerber river master or a custom. My brother who is an avid ocean kayaker in the northeast enjoys the Emmerson Lagriff with a blunt tip. He has introduced other members of his club to it and they have ordered them to replace some of the other models that they carry.
 
I like the BM River Rescue it attaches well to vests and what have you plus it has a thumb lock that keeps it with you. never used it for rafting but that's what it was made for.
 
Do a search on the web and look for the Boker Orca or Boker Beluga. That's one heck of a defense/harsh elements use knife.
 
Smokey Mountain Knife Works has the Spyderco Remote Release for only $29.99. Might be worth looking into as an inexpensive alternative or as a backup.
 
I have been looking at the SOG pentigon & mini pentigon.

The full sized model is a satin-y finished stainless steel & the mini has a powder coat that might be more rust resistant.

The thing I really like is that both are fully serrated on one edge & plain edge on the other edge.

Gerber also has a small twin edge with a wide scalloped serration on one edge & plaine edge on the other, but the handle is skeletonized with the sheath retention latch in the middle.

I don't white-water, but do kayak & connect my knife to my pfd's shoulder strap & use a streachy lanyard so it wouldn't end up on the bottom of the lake/river, just my personal preference.

Hope this helps.
 
One with a REALLY wide blade.



(I apologize in advance - it is one of those days where I just cannot help my self - I will take a pill and call the doctor now)
 
I don't raft, but I read a story that stuck with me a while. To summarize, a kayaker got himself in trouble, was out in the spray injured and couldn't get out of the skirt. A rescuer cut him out of the skirt, but in the process, cut his leg deeply as well. Can't remember what ended up happening, the kayaker might have died due to blood loss from the leg wound. Made me think if I ever took up the hobby, I'd have a fixed blade with either a sheepsfoot shape or maybe no point at all.

Joe
 
I've been kayaking whitewater since the mid-eighties, have been involved in several rescue situations, and have worked with the Whitewater Safety crew at the Ocoee Race Course. I like the Spyderco Merlin/Harpy as being the best blend of efficiency and versitality for a whitwater resue knife. The incident Joe described happened on the Ocoee River, a fixed blade was used, and the victim died of a severed femoral artery. Hindsight being 20/20, no blame was put on the boaters trying to do the rescue because the victim would have died had they done nothing. In that same situation, the Merlin could be used with thumb on top of the blade spine to control the depth of cut to no more than 1/4" (victims legs probably won't be where they should), and the sprayskirt could have been safely cut off. There are other safety aspects with the curved blade that will keep the edge away from the victim when removing clothes or cutting rope, webbing, etc. from tangled limbs, and they curve adds to the efficiency of the cut. This subject comes up about every six months or so, and if you do a search, you'll get a lot of different answers. Bottom line - take a rescue course, do some experimentation and situational thinking, then use the tool you are most comfortable with, based on your experience. After you decide, use it only for rescue, hope you never need it, and keep it easily accessable.
 
Spyderco now makes the remote release with a serrated sheeps foot blade. The remote release seems to be better that a clip knife because the shackle would have security that a clip. Just shackle it to your PFD and forget it is there until you need it :)
 
I just purchased the Victorinox One Handed Trailmaster. It went with me wade fishing in the Gulf of Mexico last week and held up well. Just rinsed off with fresh water when returned home. It would serve well for paddling in my opinion. It has a partially serrated blade, front portion of the blade that would cut rope or entanglement easily. It also has a saw blade which works very well for cutting fire wood if you are camping along with your paddling trips. It also has a flat blade and phillips screwdriver if you need to make repairs on any of your equipment. I would also take along a Leatherman pocket tool with me for the same reasons. You never know when something needs fixing, and if you are anything like me, it always does.
 
This might be silly, but does anyone use EMT shears (or other big scissors) for whitewater rescue?
 
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