Knives For Emergency use

Looking to put knives in certain places on the boat for emergency needs. I will hang them and when I need a knife I will know where to find one.
Not knowing much about knives what brand should I buy?

Different uses demand different blades.

Jack of all uses blades?

You can get away with a single knife for most purposes. Folding blade, easily opened with your thumb. recurved blade, half the blade is serrated, the other half wit a knife edge and a bit of belly. Keep it in your pocket.

It will slice what needs to be sliced and cut through rope. It is always available and can be reached from anywhere and opened with one hand.

Leaving knifes stashed around the boat is a good way for someone to accidentally cut themselves.

kartracer said:

Looking to put knives in certain places on the boat for emergency needs. I will hang them and when I need a knife I will know where to find one.
Not knowing much about knives what brand should I buy?

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depending on the port of call; I'd say K bar.

I leave a big no-name diving knife by the lower helm. I also carry a locking one-hand opening Kershaw with the tip ground down to a sheep's foot. (actually the tip broke off)

Shrew said:

You can get away with a single knife for most purposes. Folding blade, easily opened with your thumb. recurved blade, half the blade is serrated, the other half wit a knife edge and a bit of belly. Keep it in your pocket.

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Agree, folding, half serrated. I keep a small one in my pocket for everyday usage. It would have trouble slicing through butter. I keep another hanging on a long nylon strap by lower helm. I can hang it around my neck if needed. . Only used if a rope wraps around the prop or have to cut anchor rode in a hurry.

Used it once when poly line wrapped around prop. Like sawing through iron but it worked.

We keep a Morakniv knife, with a 4” blade, on the back deck. I’ve had it for 20 plus years and gets used for cutting, opening paint cans, as a bait knife, scraping things, etc. For me it’s a utility tool. I can just grab it if there is something in my other hand. UV has chewed up the handle a little but it will still hold an edge.

Knives are a lot of personnel preference. Some like the serated blades or knives that fold. This one works for us.

kartracer,
i'd have to echo Shrew on type of blade. its okay to maybe velcro a blade somewhere it might be very useful but we also always have one with us when we cruise. For emergency purposes on a boat IMHO, it absolutely must be able to be opened with one hand and at least a portion of the blade should be serrated (to more easily slice through various kinds of dock line).
There are several good suppliers, in fact there's a failry good inexpensive one at Westmarine. I also like CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool).

Navy MK3 Mod 0 diver's knife with issue scabbard. Cuts, saws, punctures, hammers and (except for the tip - notorius for breaking off) takes substantial abuse without damage. It stays in a dedicated puka handy to the helm.

Also have a folding Gerber that stays in my pocket.

Dexter-Russell 3 1/2 inch Tiger Blade Utility knife w/sheath. About $10 online. Try one on some line. We keep one strapped to the Sampson Post in the bow so everyone knows where it is.

I always have a Kershaw chive folding knife in my pocket, and an Eagtac flashlight in the other...

The Kershaw is an old style locking blade knife with half serrated blade that holds a good edge. Good for cutting lines, roots, cables, etc.

sbu22 said:

Navy MK3 Mod 0 diver's knife with issue scabbard. Cuts, saws, punctures, hammers and (except for the tip - notorius for breaking off) takes substantial abuse without damage. It stays in a dedicated puka handy to the helm.

Also have a folding Gerber that stays in my pocket.

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Same here, but with broken tip.

Puka? Were you stationed in Pearl Harbor? I still use the term.

you guys are crazy with the nice knives! We keep a few of the cheapie blue handled bait knives (~$4, with sheath) around. You're going to float test it, it will rust, you'll cut stinky bait with it. Dont get attached.

Gabe n Em said:

you guys are crazy with the nice knives! We keep a few of the cheapie blue handled bait knives (~$4, with sheath) around. You're going to float test it, it will rust, you'll cut stinky bait with it. Dont get attached.

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My Navy dive knife was free; it only cost me 11 years of my life.

But yeah, knives and flashlights are almost communally shared property. Have lost and found many in my time.

I had a variety on board, but used a Myerchin rigger type knife and a Dexter filet knife the most. You want at least one knife handy that can cut any line you have on board very quickly. It also never hurts to a few Swiss Army type knifes and all-in-one tools around as well/

Defender.com Search Results: knives

Opinel, the knife of all trade

https://www.opinel.com/en/pocket-knives-and-tools/tradition/carbon-steel/n8-carbon

L

High Wire said:

Dexter-Russell 3 1/2 inch Tiger Blade Utility knife w/sheath. About $10 online. Try one on some line. We keep one strapped to the Sampson Post in the bow so everyone knows where it is.

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I second these knives. Sprinkled about the boat in various locations. Doesn't take the place of a personal knife but very nice to have handy. Cost is peanuts.Hamilton Marine has the red handle "Lobster knives" by the case. Similar to these but blade is a little more brittle.

That's funny I do the samething, but with guns.

High Wire said:

Dexter-Russell 3 1/2 inch Tiger Blade Utility knife w/sheath. About $10 online. Try one on some line. We keep one strapped to the Sampson Post in the bow so everyone knows where it is.

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Probably a very good choice for the bow. The serrated blade makes a quick cut on an anchor rode or safety line when in a hurry. I’ve tried cutting poly or nylon lines with different blades and the serrated blades win hands down.

Yepper, Spy - bubblehead out of Pearl for a good while.

We carry Boye Cobalt 3's on our life jackets and one at the cabin door





Cheers
Eric

It might sound strange to some of you guys, but I keep knives all over my boat.

I have a heavy (but cheap) SS knife from Harbor Fright Tools at the door to my anchor locker. It's great for cutting the poly trailer on my rode. It even has matches and a removable compass in the handle!

I have two very sharp knives in my galley junk drawer plus a pair of Buck Knife scissors that are used every day on the boat! There are two more - fish cleaning knives on the countertop by the twin-aft doors...one's a razor sharp 12 " Forschner cimeter blade for filleting sturgeon. It's the most amazing knife I have ever owned!!!

IMO, sharp knives on handy locations are very good on a boat....but that's just me.

I bought one of these not long ago it has a sturdy blade, and a good plastic sheath, it stays sharp. Inexpensive enough to have a few in different spots. Dexter knives are good too. I keep a good sharp Machete on board too.
Morakniv® Companion Fixed-Blade Knife : Cabela's

We have several of these around the boat, in the dinghy, ditch bag, etc. great knives.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAW5EUY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My boat is pretty small compared to most of the responders so I keep one by the helm and one at the stern. My choice is the Kershaw dive knife, around $20 to $25 depending on where you buy them. Serrated edge and line cutting notch.Can also be had with a blunt tip.

I bought a big (10-12"?) serrated meat knife from a commercial fishing chandlery. I have never had to use it, but I bought it so I could zip tie it to the end of a boat hook, and hang off my swim step with my head in the water, and cut a line out of our props. I think it would have a much better chance of actually working with a huge knife. It has been handy a couple times for cutting up big fish we caught.

I like the Plastimo Floating Safety Knife
Plastimo Floating Safety Knife

I always wear my leatherman. It has a straight blade and a serrated both in positions for quick deployment. Plus all the other useful tools. Feel naked without it

I always have my spyderco Atlantic salt with me.
https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C89YL/172

I keep a couple of knives around the boat. One is always clipped to my wife's pfd because she's the one who is on deck when we are going through the locks.


Keeping with my role as resident TF Cheapskate, the knives are nothing fancy, just a couple of $15 folding knives with half the blade as a smooth edge and half serrated.