Every seaman needs at least one good knife, and often more than one. Different cutting tasks may be best done with different types of knife blades, and no one knife can be the best at every cutting chore. But by giving careful consideration to your needs you can find a reliable, all-around working knife or two that should handle most jobs for you.
Spyderco makes some of the finest knives I’ve ever used and many of them are particularly suited for use by seamen. They’ve recently added a new kind of steel to their line-up called H-1, replacing most of the carbon with nitrogen, and it is claimed to be truly rust-proof. So far mine have lived up to that claim. All of these models are available with an aggressive serrated edge, the only way to go for cutting through tough and slippery synthetic lines, although you can get them in a plain edge too. Most of them also have brightly colored handles, a major plus if you need to find them in a hurry, like after you drop them. Lanyard holes came about for a very good reason: a knife on the bottom is no good to you whatsoever, so use them. Parachute cord has been the material of choice for this purpose for a long time. Check out their Edge-U-Cation page for everything Spyderco you ever wanted to know.
This series will focus on the folder category, starting out with the Atlantic Salt…..
…..which has a fully-serrated sheepfoot blade to avoid accidentally stabbing yourself or something critically important to your welfare such as the liferaft or your life jacket. It’s yours for $69.95. If you like living dangerously, or simply need or prefer something without the rounded tip, try the drop-point style Pacific Salt for $63.95.
The Saver Salt is a smaller version of the Atlantic Salt with a 79mm blade for $59.95…..
…..and the Salt I is a smaller version of the Pacific Salt, with a 76mm blade, also for $59.95.
The Mariner Salt has a 95mm blade with a stainless handle and an integral key slot for opening small screw-pin shackles. More metal costs mo’ money, so its $95.95.
The Spyderhawk Salt has a 92mm hooked Hawkbill-type blade designed for fisherman to cut rope and netting with a well-controlled pulling cut and costs $76.95…..
…..and the Tasman Salt is the smaller version with a 75mm blade for $59.95.
Although not made of the H-1 steel, the Rescue models may still be to your liking. You can get the Rescue 99 with a blue handle for $38.95…..
…..or the Rescue 79 with an orange handle for $57.95.
The blunt-tipped Assist I is specially designed for paramedics, fire and rescue professionals to make scissor-cuts of seat belts or rope without injuring the person being helped. This is an exceptionally well thought-out design. KnifeCenter.com has it for $79.95.
The Harpy has a 70mm VG-10 stainless blade with a stainless handle with a built-in shackle key and goes for $83.95.
Boye Boat Knives makes a pair of folders with rust-proof dendritic cobalt blades and optional titanium marlinspikes. You can choose the sheepsfoot-style safety/emergency knife…..
…..or the pointed-tip style.
Editor’s Note: none of these knives are cheap, but then you shouldn’t be trusting your life and limb to a crappy, cheap blade either. Make no mistake, a good knife can make all the difference in a life-or-death situation so don’t try to save money on something as vitally important as your primary emergency knife. KnifeCenter.com has a wide selection of many brands for way less than the list prices from Spyderco. There will be a post on inexpensive knives for rough work coming soon…..in the meantime readers should feel free to offer their suggestions for worthy candidates to add to this list.
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