First one: A month or two ago we all had lots to say about knives. I said I carried a 3" one handed lock blade to avoid the rambo effect. We I went paddling in salt water for the memorial day weekend and discovered that after three days in and out of the salt water my high quality knife was stiff to open. Not from corrosion but from a build-up of salt. If I had needed it in an emergency (esp cold water) I may have been in trouble. I'm going to order a river shorty from Gerber. Second more serious one: Some if not all of us paddle alone some times. This is the reason for the next story. A women I work with just lost her husband. He was fishing in what we call a pull-over. It's a small pond formed when the water drops. It traps and concentrates the fish in these marshy areas. He was fishing alone in a small flat bottom boat with only a paddle. They found his boat and two days later his body. Most likely he drowned after having a heart attach. This was a young man 30's with no prior heart problems. I'm not drawing conclusions on what he could have done better. I'm posting this because it makes me sad that this happened to someone I know well and that it could be me as I frequently paddle and mountain bike alone. I always thought that doing these things alone was safe as long as I knew my limits. ie no open water alone and no stupid risks on the bike. In fact I was proud of my self sufficiency. I won't stop these activities. This just makes me see them differently. I think I be less proud. It won't make me safer just a better person. Jim *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 10:31 PM 5/29/98 -0700, you wrote: >Jim, > >After reading the exchange on knives I came to a similar conclusion and >also considered getting a Gerber River Shorty. When I went to a local >paddling shop to find one, the sales person told me that a number of >customers had returned them (or complained that they had lost the knife) >because it did not stay securely in its sheath. Seemingly like EVERYTHING on my boat. . . I secure my Gerber River Shorty to the sheath with a lanyard. All the boaters with whom I paddle use the "Shorty" and secure the knife to the "loop" in the end of the seath. I additionally secure the loose ends of the lanyard through this loop so that they're not liable to hang up. A large bowline loop passed through the handle to form a clove-hitch allows removal of the knife from the lanyard for necessary tasks like slicing bagels and cheese, putting points on roasting sticks. When the knife is placed securely in the sheath it is held very fast by about three "detents." Only the most vigorous pulling or snagging will pull it loose. . . although I can see how it might come loose in serious white water paddling. Ironically, all this securing with lanyards may be the reason for having a knife to cut loose of entanglements in the first place! Be careful!!! Geo. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Particularly for ww, you also have to consider what will happen if the knife gets loose while you are being trashed. Will the lanyard break, or will it hold? If the knife gets free but the lanyard holds, you could be repeatedly and severely lacerated. I use a lanyard that is so weak that although it can catch the knife when I drop it, it breaks if I tug on it. Even with this, I am not convinced that I should be using a lanyard at all in ww. Richard Culpeper Geo. Bergeron wrote: > At 10:31 PM 5/29/98 -0700, you wrote: > >Jim, > > > >After reading the exchange on knives I came to a similar conclusion and > >also considered getting a Gerber River Shorty. When I went to a local > >paddling shop to find one, the sales person told me that a number of > >customers had returned them (or complained that they had lost the knife) > >because it did not stay securely in its sheath. > > Seemingly like EVERYTHING on my boat. . . I secure my Gerber River > Shorty to the sheath with a lanyard. All the boaters with whom I paddle use > the "Shorty" and secure the knife to the "loop" in the end of the seath. I > additionally secure the loose ends of the lanyard through this loop so that > they're not liable to hang up. A large bowline loop passed through the > handle to form a clove-hitch allows removal of the knife from the lanyard > for necessary tasks like slicing bagels and cheese, putting points on > roasting sticks. > > When the knife is placed securely in the sheath it is held very fast > by about three "detents." Only the most vigorous pulling or snagging will > pull it loose. . . although I can see how it might come loose in serious > white water paddling. > > Ironically, all this securing with lanyards may be the reason for > having a knife to cut loose of entanglements in the first place! Be careful!!! > > Geo. > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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