Rigging Knives -- Straight vs Serrated?

[Shawn67]

Greg,

How is the durability of that ceramic knife edge. I had a ceramic Boker pocket knife a long time ago and would agree that it was very sharp but it was also very brittle. Using the knife to simply cut around the insulation in a small 16 or 18 gauge wire ended up taking little chips out of the blade. I think the knife was ever so slightly cutting into the copper and any side force at cracked the edge of the blade. To resharpen it it had to go back to Boker.

Shawn

[Shawn67]

BTW, this is more the style of rigging knife I was talking about when I mentioned hitting it with a mallet. Very heavy duty blade.



Shawn

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by Shawn67

BTW, this is more the style of rigging knife I was talking about when I mentioned hitting it with a mallet. Very heavy duty blade.



Shawn

Nice looking knife. Same basic idea as my grohman. Ceramic knife I think would be dandy in the kitchen, but using it as an awl, saw, hammer, pry bar or screw driver sounds like a good way to get a broken knife and an unexpected task unfinished.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[a64pilot]

I'm a knife guy, or used to be. I have somewhere around here an antique oil stone used for sharpening scalpels back 100 yrs or so, I can put an edge on a good knife blade that you can shave with, cuts paper cleanly etc. I enjoy sharpening, it's relaxing
Now this is where I'm going to make enemies, from my experience, really good edge keeping, really good blades will rust if you look at them sideways, I guess they are high carbon steel.
I haven't found a stainless that is a superior knife, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just I haven't run into one. But I haven't looked either.
My Buck rigging knife, which I don't think is made by Buck, is a terrible knife, the blade as far as putting an edge on it, is junk. Now Buck is not a high end kinife, but as a consumer blade they are usually OK, but not this rigging knife.
If you want to get through a big heavy line in a hurry and don't mind it being ragged, then you just can't beat a serrated blade. But if you want a nice clean cut, that's hard to get with a serrated blade.

Opinions of a used to be knife guy, that doesn't know much about rigging knives


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[ryon]

You'll probably want several knives. I have a heavy one with a broad back for slugging, or whacking with a mallet. I wouldn't think of doing this with my other knives. I like a sheepsfoot knife for general rigging use, the dropped point is handy for getting behind seizings without damaging the other parts. The turned-up point of a hunting knife is just wrong, and was generally discouraged aboard traditional sailing vessels. For a survival knife, yes. You bet I want that sheath knife with the serrations!

[Suijin]

I too carry a Boye sheepsfoot serrated. It's scary sharp and will rip through 5/8" double braid like butter.

I've owned fistfuls of boat knives and all of them are compromises in some way or another, and that's why I keep a number of different ones on the boat. The Boye is the best compromise I've found and the one I reach for more than the others. It's light, it's rustproof, has a titanium marlin spike and shackle key, is completely rust PROOF, is exceptionally well made, and is easy to sharpen. The blade holds it's edge very well...it's dendritic cobalt, whatever that is. It does not look like ceramic.



There is no doubt that a serrated blade will make much shorter work of line than a straight edge. If you're buying a knife as a safety knife, make sure a usable length of the blade is serrated.

Myerchin knives are gorgeous but they are so damn heavy and bulky. I received one as a gift and it just proved impractical. Seemed a shame to keep it stuffed in my nav station so I sold it.

At half the price of the Boye, the Spyderco Atlantic Salt looks pretty good. Anyone have any first hand experience with them, and how they hold up offshore?

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I'm a knife guy, or used to be. I have somewhere around here an antique oil stone used for sharpening scalpels back 100 yrs or so, I can put an edge on a good knife blade that you can shave with, cuts paper cleanly etc. I enjoy sharpening, it's relaxing
Now this is where I'm going to make enemies, from my experience, really good edge keeping, really good blades will rust if you look at them sideways, I guess they are high carbon steel.
I haven't found a stainless that is a superior knife, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just I haven't run into one. But I haven't looked either.
My Buck rigging knife, which I don't think is made by Buck, is a terrible knife, the blade as far as putting an edge on it, is junk. Now Buck is not a high end kinife, but as a consumer blade they are usually OK, but not this rigging knife.
If you want to get through a big heavy line in a hurry and don't mind it being ragged, then you just can't beat a serrated blade. But if you want a nice clean cut, that's hard to get with a serrated blade.

Opinions of a used to be knife guy, that doesn't know much about rigging knives


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Your not making enemies with me. I totally agree high carbon steel keeps a much better edge. That's why swords were made out of high carbon steel and oiled daily.

Imo, stainless is much better for the marine environment- not because it keeps a good edge, but because it keeps a decent edge and doesn't rust. I keep one high carbon blade in the work shop for its superior edge, but don't take it out on deck.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I too carry a Boye sheepsfoot serrated. It's scary sharp and will rip through 5/8" double braid like butter.

I've owned fistfuls of boat knives and all of them are compromises in some way or another, and that's why I keep a number of different ones on the boat. The Boye is the best compromise I've found and the one I reach for more than the others. It's light, it's rustproof, has a titanium marlin spike and shackle key, is completely rust PROOF, is exceptionally well made, and is easy to sharpen. The blade holds it's edge very well...it's dendritic cobalt, whatever that is. It does not look like ceramic.



There is no doubt that a serrated blade will make much shorter work of line than a straight edge. If you're buying a knife as a safety knife, make sure a usable length of the blade is serrated.

Myerchin knives are gorgeous but they are so damn heavy and bulky. I received one as a gift and it just proved impractical. Seemed a shame to keep it stuffed in my nav station so I sold it.

At half the price of the Boye, the Spyderco Atlantic Salt looks pretty good. Anyone have any first hand experience with them, and how they hold up offshore?

I had/have a couple of Spyder Co Assists. Good knives, very good factory edge that lasted for years of heavy (commercial shipping) use. They did rust over time. I often carry a spyder co in addition to my grohman. They have a nice clip that keeps them in your pocket, the assist has a pealess Whitley and a carbide tip glass breaker in case you need to get through a windshield or ventilate a space (more power boat issues).

They are very light knives which has advantages and disadvantages. Generally good knives.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[FamilyVan]

Here's a good comparison. The Bowie knife and of course the kitchen knife are stainless. The Kukri is high carbon. You don't have to be a metalurgist to appreciate the finish of the Kukri blade, but as a boat tool, it would just get ruined.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Steadman Uhlich]

The video that was linked above shows how some knives were tested and found to be better cutting the rope..

Here is the article about that test.

Noteworthy is that the very inexpensive west marine knife cut the prope in one stroke, the same as the very expensive $300+ Boyes knife. West marine had their knife on special sale for less than $10 at one time. Similar performance cutting dyneema or Kevlar core ropes.

My choice would be a blunt tip, fully serrated edge knife. Serrated for synthetic ropes, blunt tip for safety.

The Spyderco Atlantic is about $65 on Amazon. It comes in yellow or black. There is a similar rescue version in Orange or black.

Sailing knives

There are two other folding marine knives I find interesting and they are not expensive. One is by Gill (tested in the video). The other is by Wichard. The Wichard has spike and key and bottle opener for beer on board and is glow in the dark too. It is about $50. The West Marine that cut so well is about $24.



I had a heavy Camillus folding knife with marlin spike. I did not choose it , it was a gift. I did not like the straight edge blade for cutting and it was heavy bodied, heavy in my pocket, too uncomfortable to wear daily. I switched to lighter body like the Spyderco.

[FamilyVan]

I think it also depends on how one prefers to wear their knife.


Something like a Spyder Co makes an excellent pocket knife.


I rarely leave my cockpit without a life jacket on, I can't help it. I keep a pocket knife with me all the time, some times 2. I always have a plain jane life vest sitting next to me in the cockpit with a rigging knife and VHF attached to the belly strap. If I leave the cockpit, I throw on the life vest and buckle it (takes less than 5 seconds). It's like my bat belt.


Many sailors, don't like the way life jackets restrict their movement and don't often wear them. I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, that's just my system.

[CarlF]

+1 on the West Marine knife in the magazine review. Astonishingly good at cutting rope including weird new fibers. On sale for $10 about every four months -- usually hanging at the cash registers. Doesn't rust. Lock functions very well. Good non-slip handle. Sheepsfoot point.

It's not a Crocodile Dundee "That's a knife" knife. Very light and compact. Slips in any shorts pocket. My wife carries one too.

Whenever I see it on sale for $10 at West, I buy another figuring it's some pricing mistake that West will eventually fix. I think I've bought 10 of them so far.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by Shawn67

Greg,

How is the durability of that ceramic knife edge. I had a ceramic Boker pocket knife a long time ago and would agree that it was very sharp but it was also very brittle. Using the knife to simply cut around the insulation in a small 16 or 18 gauge wire ended up taking little chips out of the blade. I think the knife was ever so slightly cutting into the copper and any side force at cracked the edge of the blade. To resharpen it it had to go back to Boker.

Shawn

I have carried it everywhere for about six months every day, everywhere. I don't keep a log anymore, but figure five or six fishing trips at least. 14 days out on the trimaran including stripping the boom and spicing all new running rigging (endurabraid). 30 days or so on the Beneteau, a few races as RC and whatever other random stuff it has been used for.

While I dont abuse it, and make sure to use the spike as a pry bar instead of the blade. I certainly don't baby it either.

So far the blade is still flawless, and will still shave the hair on the back of my hand (I just checked). I actually thought about carrying a spare blade, but now I am glad I didn't, I can't see any reason to think I would need it.

The guy who makes them suggested strapping the blade with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and normally I would. But I figured I would see how long it takes to dull, at this point I am just getting impatient.

[roverhi]

Tried the Boye folder at the Boat Show. That knife cuts dacron like it was butter. Was truly impressed with its cutting ability compared to my Myerchin and ceramic knifes I've got. Just can't talk myself into spending 1 1/2 big ones for a knife but I came damn close.

FWIW, friend was on a hotshot racing boat with all the latest and greatest in running rigging when a chain plate failed and they lost the rig. Had no problem getting the standing rigging free by pulling the pins on the turnbuckles. They had some very tight jaws moments cutting through the high tech running rigging with the mast banging against the hull. They went through every knife they had on board as all the blades dulled almost immediately when they tried cutting the line. He said it was like cutting down a tree with a dull knife. None of the knives were Boyes though didn't find out who made the knives that they had.

[Kenomac]

We have several Cutco drop point serrated knives on board. Some with orange handles, some black. They cut through line and rope like butter and have a lifetime warranty that includes lifetime sharpening. One swipe and even one inch and inch & 1/2 rope is cut easily.