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The
Best Sailing Knife
How to choose the sailing
knife that’s right for you
A sailing knife is a very personal thing. You
can start an good argument in any yacht club bar by stating that
the knife you carry when on board is the best.
The
truth is, there is no perfect sailing knife.
Basically,
sailing knives come down to two types, folding or fixed. They are
further divided into serrated blades and non-serrated blades, sharp
tip or blunt tipped. Folding knives are also available with or without
marlin spike, and with a locking or non-locking blade
And even though they're all marked as stainless steel, check for
any magnetic interference with a small compass before you buy a
knife.
Modern
high tech line is difficult to cut, and your knife’s ability to
cut this line may one day save your life. Good cutting performance
should be right at the top of your list of “must haves” in a sailing
knife.
Lastly,
the most efficient, useful knife you can own is the one you have
on you when an emergency arrives. The best knife in the world is
useless if you’re not wearing it when you need it.
Personally,
I would wear a good fixed blade serrated rigging knife and martin
spike when sailing and have a quality serrated blade folding knife
in my pocket. With lanyards on both.
Here’s
what you should look for in a sailing knife
Fixed
blade knives
Remember,
fixed knives are easier to grab and use in an emergency
- High quality
stainless steel blade, preferably serrated or half serrated
- Blunt (sheepsfoot)
blade
- Comfortable
non-slip handle with thumb stop
- A lanyard
ring or hole in the handle for a lanyard
- An opening
in the handle (NOT the blade) to use as a shackle key
- A separate
marlin spike in the same sheath
- Non-magnetic
steel
Folding
blade knives
- High quality
stainless steel blade, preferably serrated or half serrated
- Both blade
and marlin spike must lock in open position
- Blunt (sheepsfoot)
blade
- A lanyard
ring
- Must be able
to open with one hand – even with sailing gloves on
- Should include
a marlin spike – very useful
- Preferably
include a key for opening shackles
- Non-magnetic
steel
When it comes
to cutting high tech line, there have been some tests conducted
over the last few years and the makes that stand out appear to be
BOYE, SPIDERCO, MYERCHIN and SOG. BENCHMADE was also highly rated
but they appear to have a limited range of sheepsfoot blades.
Boye
knives
 Boye’s
dendritic cobalt blade is not steel, but a mixture of cobalt, chrome,
nickel, tungsten, silicon, iron, and carbon. It cuts high-tech line
easily and is completely impervious to seawater corrosion. Dendretic
cobalt is non-magnetizeable, so there is no compass interference.
www.boyeknives.com
Spiderco
knives
 Spyderco’s
Atlantic Salt is a modified rescue knife made with non-rusting H1
steel. H1 is steel containing nitrogen instead of carbon and cannot
rust. The hollow- ground blade is available serrated or non-serrated.
Both blades offer exceptional cutting performance. The reinforced
nylon handle comes in black or marine yellow and is equipped with
a reversible titanium pocket clip for right or left- handed use.
www.spyderco.com
SOG
knives
 Sog’s
Flash II has a half serrated blade with a glass-reinforced Zytel™
handle. .Although not a true blunt point, the Sog has a very safe
locking mechanism and cuts high-tech line easily.
www.sogknives.com
Myerchin
knives
 Myerchin
make quality sailing knives in all configurations. The Rigging Offshore
kit of knife and marlin spike looks good and works well. The handle
could be slippery when wet though.
www.myerchin.com
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