I'm an avid kayaker, and i'm in the market for a durable, high-quality marine knife.

Some requirements:

fixed blade - folders are out of the question. i need quick deployment in case im upside down and submerged.

serrated - it will mostly take on rope and cables, so serrated is the way to go.

corrosion resistance - rust is the enemy

I have my eye on the Myerchin Model A500, and was wondering if anyone has any experience with this blade, or can recommend something better? thanks ets

I have a Myerchin fixed blade and it is a very good knife. Most of the kayak rescue knives are double edged which I find generally pretty useless for most tasks. The Myerchin is not only a good marine knife but its size, shape, grip and sheath all contribute to make a highly useful knife for much more than rescue.

havent tried it, but the spyderco caspian salt looks perfect for your needs.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=289

MSRP $184.95 thats a big number...

I just checked e-bay, lowest "buy it now" price is $107.99, plus $6.50 shipping. Mucho more better price. Intersting looking knife, and Spydercos come SHARP...

That's what hangs of my PFD...

http://www.altrec.com/gerber/river-shorty-knife

Gerber Shorty double edge, doesnt rust, easy to deploy and to attach to my vest. Can be carried upside down. Not much of a camp knife (basic functions but no choping) but because of the double edge I can cut from any angle. It was cheap on ebay and I half expected to loose it or break it but after 4 years it is still going strong.

Well folders in swift water rescue are a no go. Even thou that Spydie folder was made with sailors in mind.

Polak187,

Look again, it is a fixed blade.

Steele,

If you don't like the Caspian (I like the 2 with the blunt tip in this line) look at the Aqua Salt, a conventional setup and my preference.


Respectfully,

Jerry

Benchmade makes their H20 Rescue which I find a good choice on my own vest.http://www.thebladeshop.com/Rescue_Push_Models_s/62.htm

that aqua salt looks a bit pointy... for example: say i flip and the current steals my paddle. if my leash is wrapped around my neck id hate to stick myself



is there anything about this knife that justifies the 2x price more than the mycherin? i know H1 is the newest in corrosion resistance, but is this guaranteed?

thanks to all for your help!

The Mycherin is available for $49.95 at buy now price on ebay. Another one to look at is the McNett Blakely varieties of dive knives. Fully serrated sheepsfoot option available, 420 SS, can be attached to vest. Available on ebay and i think also on amazon. $18-20 plus shipping.

With all due respect the fixed blade requirement is pretty much old school. Todays folding knives, the better ones, are mainly one handed open and not substantially slower to deploy or less stable or durable than your average fixed blade.

You might wish to look into the available folders and get some experience handling them and deploying them one handed. In an adaptation of good SCUBA and swimmer training, under stress if you can manage it.

A good test would be to arrange for a weighted line to be tied to your ankle and then have a friend near-drown you in the deep end of a pool. The weight makes getting air difficult but not impossible. Then your friend repeatedly shoves your head under water. Until you start to panic. Which usually happens after you get a lung full of water. At which point you are to deploy the knife, cut the line and self-rescue. This is good training for anyone who will be around water.

Of course you need a pool and a friend, or friends (even better), who are able to rescue you if you get into real trouble.

You may still decide you simply have to have a fixed blade but there are trade-offs. Fixed blade knives are fairly bulky. Additionally so because they demand a very substantial sheath with a strong retention system if your going to prevent damage to yourself, others, or vital equipment. The retention system can be as problematic when your stressed and inverted as folder. Both folder and fixed blades need a retention lanyard in case they are dropped while being used. Before being deployed a folder is much less likely to come out of its sheath and lay open a major vein while your spinning around on the bottom of a hole.

Neck knives are good in some situations but not so good in others. Unless you use a second retaining lanyard lower on the chest that holds the knife in position they wander around a lot. If your inverted they can fall completely off and be lost. After being thrashed in whitewater or falling down a hillside your as likely to find them hanging between your shoulder blades as around the front.

Fixed blade knives have some good uses in marine use. Something like this:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|119|312085&id=78450

Is particularly good for places where you can lash the sheath in place at locations where a knife might be vital. Like the bitter-end lashings on your anchors rode, at the base of the mast and lashed onto the bindings of the life raft.

From personal experience I have found over time that even my favorite fixed blade knives are increasingly being left behind. There are precious few jobs a good folder can't do and unlike a fixed blade they don't get in my way. Like a good friend a fine folder stays out of my way until I need them.

I have a few folders that are pretty quick and easy to open, but if I am goin' down with a rock in my sock and a lung full of water, trying to find the thumbhole or little switch is just one more thing I don't want to have to worry about. I suspect (and I am not a white water kinda guy, so this is just a WAG) that a good fixed blade, in a good kydex sheath, would be what I wanted...

I've used both the Gerber River Shorty and Benchmade H20 for some years for scuba diving and they both work well and have held up.

Sog seal

The H1 will NOT rust. I promise. I swam and snorkeled with a Pacific Salt for a week in the gulf when I first got it and it doesn't show a speck of rust. I didn't do anything to protect it.

Get one of the Caspian models in your hand and see how it feels. If you don't like the grip, then the steel won't even matter.

The Gerber Shorty hasn't been around this long for no reason though. It is used by many kayakers.

That's the extent of my experience in this matter.

Jeff,

I was talking about their Salt FRN folders someone mentioned. All good,

Matt

Agreed but most of the river knives also have these little release buttons so they lock into their sheath to prevent them falling out. I am not so sure that those are any easier accessible than a folder in the type of situation you describe.

Mind you at least you know where a fixed blade is all the time and won't have to dig into your pockets like you would a folder.

"...most of the river knives also have these little release buttons so they lock into their sheath..."

Doesn't surprise me. If I were in need of such an item, in my minds eye I can see a kydex sheath (that does a good job of blade retention on its own), with a thumb break safety strap, located right where my thumb could hit it when I reached for the blade...

What about an Emerson La Griffe White Water Rescue? I've just got my daughter the standard La Griffe for MBC use and it seems rock-solid. The WWR version has a rounded tip and serrations which seems a good combination to me as I'd rather not stick the standard point into me, emergency or not .

Benchmade switched from H1 to X15 T.N. in the 100SH2O 100SH2O

I know at least one Kydex/Concealex craftsman that is a white water kayaker. He uses a Spyderco in a Concealex sheath strapped to his PFD, or sometimes a fixed blade in another type of Concealex rig. Find the knife you like and then look into whether the sheath is appropriate for you.

My friend has been kayaking for at least 20 years, probably much longer. If I can get a hold of him (busy guy) I'll ask him what he is using right now.

It seems that a new trend in Kydex are sheaths made to hold folders in their open state. Could be a good way to get more use out of a marine knife as you'd have a good folder to carry when you walk away from the water.

Hacksaw,

You are quite right. The sheath maker I'm referring to has made several sheaths designed to hold a folder in the open position. I'm glad you mentioned that.

I'm looking for somebody who can work in Kydex to make me a few things. Would you mind sending me a private message with contact info?

Not sure if it is still the case, but merchant sailors were subject to fines for wearing a fixed blade in a folder. This did not stop many of them, myself included, from carrying a fixed blade. I would take the sheath off my belt when in port and at some other times, and either put a folder in my pocket or put the whole sheath in my back pocket. The law, I believe, was put in place to prevent sailors from having something with which they could easily stab their shipmates. I don't see how it stopped them from stabbing each other with folders. So, the folders were made for those sailors who were following the law and not wearing or carrying fixed blades. Desiging a folder for a sailor, imo, is more of keeping with the law, rather than the practical conditions a sailor faces.

I would not want it to be my only knife, if I were kayaking, but I would like that Gerber hanging onto something about chest level. Seems like a nice practical blade to cut you out of trouble.

When I was at sea, I tended to carrying a high-carbon, fixed blade, and did not really do much to adapt it to the environment, except I used gun-bluing to prevent corrosion.