Re: [Paddlewise] Knives

Julio MacWilliams wrote:
> 
> My experience with knives is that they provide a false sense of safety.
> Most people put knives on their PFD, but have never tried them
> in simulated or real situations.  When the time comes, you may be
> in for a surprise. An example follows.
> 
> In hangliding, the knife fashion is still alive. As kayaker do, many
> hanglider pilots carry a knife in their chest.  One day I decided
> to try one.  I hanged from my glider in the back yard, and had someone
> measure the time it would take me to cut my attachment to the glider.
> Surprise! The glider's strap was much stronger than what any knife
> could cut in four hours.  Then I repeated the test with a scuba diving
> knife, and I did cut the strap that tied me to the glider in 40 seconds.
> That is more than what most people can hold their breath under stress.
> 
> 
> Back to sea kayaking, have any of you ever tried to get out of
> a fishing net, or any entangling rope, at least in a simulated
> and controlled scenario?  Are you sure your knife is going
> to cut the ropes in a reasonable amount of time?

I regularly check that my knife will cut through any thickness of line
or webbing that I use inside and outside my folding kayaks as well as
all tethers.  About 1 to 2 seconds to cut through any of the lines and
about the same for the webbing unless at an awkward angle where it takes
a second or two longer.  I have not tried entangling myself in the stuff
just dry runs on land.

My knife is the result of long search for something practical in and
around folding kayaks.  What I have is what is called the Survivor model
from Gerber (was arond $60 when I bought it in 1990 or so).  It has a
blunt point.  Its cutting surface is only on one side and consists
strictly of broad serrations, i.e. no sharp honed edge.  I can grab the
knife by its blade and not cut myself and I can run its cutting surface
across my hand in a light fashion and not slice skin.  It is tethered to
my PFD and on a shoulder mounted sheath.  My guess is that in a capsize,
if entangled in some webbing or line, I would likely reach for the knife
and, in a worse case scenario, wind up dropping it at first.  I then
could retrieve it by its tether, grab the knife even accidentally by the
blade, re-orient it to a cutting position without cutting myself and
then cut through whatever is entangling me even close to the skin since
there is no point to jab me either.

Will it work perfectly in a real life situation...probably not.  But
knowing that it will slice through anything but not likely cut or jab
me, is comfort enough.  Consider the alternative...entanglement and
nothing to release yourself with except the hope that someone nearby is
in a position to rescue you and help you work out of your entanglement.

ralph diaz
-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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