sailing knife

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I'm with Skip. My knife, that goes everywhere with me, is my Leatherman Charge. It has two blades (one serrated, one straight), both of which can be opened and closed with one hand. But it is also a small toolbox of useful items. I use this far more than ANY other tool on board.

Personally, I find the pliers (needle nose) to be the single most useful tool to have on hand on the boat. I use this way more than my knife. But a quickly-accessible knife is an essential safety tool, so I have both in one package.

I went into the knife shop to buy a new Leatherman since the old one was about 30 years old and some of it's appendages were getting a bit ragged. The nice lady there sent it back to Leatherman and they gave me a new one. Apparently the older ones have a lifetime guarantee.

I also posted them a blade I'd broken off explaining that I'd tried to use it as a crow bar and they sent me a new one gratis.

Great folks to deal with.

[Dockhead]

I carry a Myerchin given to me decades ago by my father. I actually have two of them -- a folding one and a straight one. https://myerchin.com/



Beautiful, relatively expensive rigging knives, but to be honest I think the inexpensive serrated ones with plastic handles are functionally better, at a fraction of the cost. I keep carrying the Myerchins not because of their functional properties but because they are beautiful objects with, besides that, sentimental value.

[dfelsent]

I had a Myerchin folder. Beautiful knife. Solid.
I had the half serrated blade.
These days I carry a Spyderco Atlantic Salt. It’s a folder that opens easily with one hand. Sharp. Works. Great.
But I drool when I look at the Boye rescue folder.

[Benz]

I like multitools, but hate the weight in my pocket, so I carry around a Swiss Army knife and keep it sharp. I've tried a Gerber with half serrated/half straight blade, but found that that simply does neither sort of cutting well--gotta go all or nothing.
If I wanted a one-time-use gotta saw though this dyneema shroud NOW knife to keep in the cockpit, I'd buy a Farberware ceramic paring knife. It would never rust, and brand new they melt though any synthetic fiber--we use them in the splicing shop.
For everyday use in my own shop, I have a 6" Henckels santoku style chef's knife--expensive to begin with, but I can hone it up each day and save a bundle over buying endless ceramic knives. It takes less than half a minute to restore the edge to razor sharp, and it will cut for hours before the next honing.

[Hartleyg]

Not a fan of serrated blades myself, though they're probably faster with a "panic cut" on line. But they're annoying to properly sharpen, and any knife you use every day will need to be sharpened!
I used to carry a Leatherman Wave, and I still have it, but my daughter & BF gave me a Skeletool for Christmas a couple years ago, and its now my everyday carry. I also keep a Kershaw Dividend clipped in my pocket - the "assisted opening" makes it one-handed, and they're cheap enough I won't cry if it goes overboard. Needless to say, I keep all the blades shaving-sharp.


For Dyneema, unless you're working with really big stuff, the "kevlar cutting" scissors sold on Amazon and at fishing stores work a treat. Single-edge razor blades work well, too, but keep a pack handy, they only work a few times before becoming dull enough to not work well on HMWPE.


Hartley
S/V Atsa

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I'm with Skip. My knife, that goes everywhere with me, is my Leatherman Charge. It has two blades (one serrated, one straight), both of which can be opened and closed with one hand. But it is also a small toolbox of useful items. I use this far more than ANY other tool on board.

Personally, I find the pliers (needle nose) to be the single most useful tool to have on hand on the boat. I use this way more than my knife. But a quickly-accessible knife is an essential safety tool, so I have both in one package.

Yes forgot to mention the one[-handed operation. Very useful. And agree about the pliers. I use them at least as much as the blades.

Have only tried the Wave. Have you compared the Wave to the Charge? What advantages or disadvantages to either?

Another thing I like about the Leatherman. It sharpens easily but also holds the edge well. I used to keep a SS Buck sheath knife on the boat and it was almost impossible to sharpen. Was almost glad when it decided to go swimming.

[skipmac]

Have seen several mentions here and elsewhere for the Leatherman Wave but also the Leatherman Skeletool and at a couple for the Charge.

Why the Skeletool or the Charge instead of the Wave. Additional tools? Better shape or design? The pliers on the Wave will pinch and draw blood if you grip too close to the hinge. Did the Skeletool or Charge fix that?

[Spot]

On my first sail in the dinghy, I took off from shore before I figured out that I needed to rig a traveler. I had plenty of rope and a small block, the boat has pad eyes, but no knife...
As I sat in the middle of the lake, not looking the part of a sailor, one of the others in my group (turned out to be the event organizer) sailed up and asked if I needed assistance. He threw me a small folding knife, took my picture for the event photo album as I was hove to, and sailed off. When I got back to the group on shore I went to return it and he said he gets them cheap at Walmart and that I should keep it.

I now keep a cheap folding knife clipped to my PFD. I should really get a couple more and lash one to each boat to use or give away if needed.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Hartleyg

. . .For Dyneema, unless you're working with really big stuff, the "kevlar cutting" scissors sold on Amazon and at fishing stores work a treat. Single-edge razor blades work well, too, but keep a pack handy, they only work a few times before becoming dull enough to not work well on HMWPE.. .

Bit of thread drift, but the D-Splicer dyneema shears were a revelation for me for cutting dyneema. Like 10x easier than other methods I had used.


When those eventually got dull, I found the exact replacement on Amazon for 3x or 4x cheaper, without the D-Splicer stencil. I eventually replaced those (yeah, I do a lot of dyneema splicing) with a different type off Amazon, sold as kevlar shears or fiber optic shears, and these were even better, and cheap as chips.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Have only tried the Wave. Have you compared the Wave to the Charge? What advantages or disadvantages to either?

Another thing I like about the Leatherman. It sharpens easily but also holds the edge well.

Great point about keeping an edge. That's one of the things I like about my Swiss Army pocket-knife.

Here's a Wave vs Charge comparison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUJfDtWLUCc

They look lovely, but when/if one goes splash, that's ~CDN$200.

(... and waay in the back of a drawer is my original Leatherman, complete with leather case. Still awesome; I particularly like the file. And it's a multi-tool that's actually pocket-size.)

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Great point about keeping an edge. That's one of the things I like about my Swiss Army pocket-knife.

I still keep a Swiss Army knife as well and can get it sharp enough to shave.

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Here's a Wave vs Charge comparison:

They look lovely, but when/if one goes splash, that's ~CDN$200.

Thanks for the link. And by the way, I lost a Wave a few years back and found a replacement on eBay for US$60 with a nylon case. Last time I looked there were lots. I think security picks up a lot of knives at the airports that people forget in their carryone and the knives all end up on eBay.

[Hartleyg]

Skipmac:


"Why the Skeletool or the Charge instead of the Wave. Additional tools? Better shape or design? The pliers on the Wave will pinch and draw blood if you grip too close to the hinge. Did the Skeletool or Charge fix that?"


I don't know about the Charge, but the Skeletool is about half the weight and significantly smaller than the Waves I've owned (though I see that the ones I have are truly ancient in terms of features). It comes with a decent, usable belt sheath that uses a SNAP instead of velcro. Since my primary use of a multitool is the pliers and screwdriver (I keep a better pure knife elsewhere on me), the smaller package works well for me. Leatherman tools have always been corrosion-free for me (and we're liveaboards) which was not true of a couple other brands.

Yes, it will still pinch you


Hartley
S/V Atsa

[Wckoek]

I use a mora, this one:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt...fety-knife.htm
I only trust in fixed blade

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Hartleyg

Skipmac:


"Why the Skeletool or the Charge instead of the Wave. Additional tools? Better shape or design? The pliers on the Wave will pinch and draw blood if you grip too close to the hinge. Did the Skeletool or Charge fix that?"


I don't know about the Charge, but the Skeletool is about half the weight and significantly smaller than the Waves I've owned (though I see that the ones I have are truly ancient in terms of features). It comes with a decent, usable belt sheath that uses a SNAP instead of velcro. Since my primary use of a multitool is the pliers and screwdriver (I keep a better pure knife elsewhere on me), the smaller package works well for me. Leatherman tools have always been corrosion-free for me (and we're liveaboards) which was not true of a couple other brands.

Yes, it will still pinch you


Hartley
S/V Atsa

Thanks. If the Skeletool is noticeably smaller I think I'll stick with the Wave. For me I find the blades just the right size. If you like or can use a smaller blade I think the Gerber multitool is a much better made tool and the pliers don't pinch. Not quite as easy to open one handed though a little adjusting and lube might fix that.

I also find the Wave generally corrosion resistant but did have a problem once. Was out in the dinghy and needed to rinse off the knife so dunked it in the ocean. Didn't think to do a fresh water rinse later, didn't use the knife for a few days and when I did it was really hard to open. Light corrosion in the hinges. Oil and working for a few minutes fixed it but now I always remember to do a fresh water rinse if it gets dunked in salt water.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Wckoek

I use a mora, this one:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt...fety-knife.htm
I only trust in fixed blade

Floating knife is interesting.

I share your concern about the blades, having cut myself badly once with a pocket knife when the blade folded back. However, the blades on the Leatherman and indeed many other knives, lock very securely and I have no concerns about accidental closing.