RE: [Paddlewise] Knives and tethers

I carry four knives on my PFD! Beat that Brad!! One is big KA BAR Marine
knife and the others are a set of three identical Ninja throwing knives. I
decided to go to throwing knives after playing with pussy-kayaker Tekna and
Gerber models for decades; the throwing knives are much more efficient for
dispatching justice to 1) inflatable Zodiacs buzzing too close (instant poof
and sizzle, glub glub); 2) marauding manatees and other menacing marine
mammals (knives must be thrown hard to penetrate the thick blubber and hit
vitals); 3) bombastic boarders berating me for kayak-surfing "their" spot (I
usually just go for a flesh wound, through-and-through, no arteries; they
see the second Ninja knife come out and back off); 4) bad bandido bandits
(though these days one may need a quiver of throwing knives to deal); 5) and
finally, jetski junkies (I hate these guys - though there are kayakers who
do it too), and here I remain lethal, even while throwing my knives from a
tippy Brit boat. The KA BAR Marine knife you ask. Well, that was a mistake.
I asked the knife store for a marine-grade throwing knife originally and
that`s what they sold me. No, I didn`t mean Marine Corps,  but hey, it is
still a good throwing knife. 

http://www.ehow.com/how_6367001_throw-marine-corp-ka_bar-knife.html

Okay, enough of my fantasy life. I do carry a nice Wenoka titanium with a
proven squeeze sheath. Bombproof, rustproof, ideal blade, seriously razor
sharp. I will not carry any other PFD knife, though I do have EMT scissors
(also very sharp) handy as well on my PFD. Get EMT shears that have heavy
duty rivets and larger handles. My knife:

http://www.best-price.com/product/wenoka-big-squeeze-lock-titanium-knife-tan
to-tip/31058073/1/ 

My back-up, land-duty knife and multi-tool are supplied by SOG, who make
serious-duty knives that are a cut-above, all business (posers please keep
away) - and position me for both deadly-force response as well as more
congenial Mr.Fix It and survival chores with the latter.

Anybody wondering if anyone has ever used a knife in extremis upside-down
might want to also wonder what the difference is between using a knife in a
must-complete-this-cutting-task emergency right-side-up versus underwater.
One can be tangled up in either orientation and need the services of one`s
knife. Yeah, harder to use under water, but what`s the alternative. No
question mark.

Doug Lloyd (who`s mostly just cutting and carving dinner meat these days on
the cutting board in the kitchen as he learns to prep meals and cook for his
family).

Doug`s current favourite knife pair:

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/wugrprii2pia.html  

Brad had said:   


  I carry a Spyderco type stainless steel folding rescue knife in the
mesh pocket of my PFD, which closes and locks with a plastic buckle.
The knife has been on many trips, and can't really fall out of my  
pocket. Because it is well secured, it would be almost impossible to  
access quickly
in an emergency. In addition, it has acquired a certain amount of rust from
exposure to salt water, and has become amazingly difficult to open,
even while sitting on a warm, dry beach. The knife is very sharp, with a
serrated blade, and is excellent for cutting apples and chunks of cheese.
In terms of actually being used in a rescue or emergency, it probably won't
be possible. Maybe it's time to add a second (or even a third) knife.

Brad Crain



Quoting Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz>:

> Peter asked:
>> Do any Paddlewisers clip knives to a holster on their PFD
>
> Peter, I know this is one of the religious debates for kayakers - so let
me
> state at the outset that I'm not trying to make any conversions - this is
> just my point of view.
>
> I have finally found a solution I am happy with. Yes, I have always
carried
> a sheath-knife clipped to my PFD and with a non-stretch lanyard, just as
> long as my arm, which tucks into a pocket about 2" (50mm) below where the
> haft rests when the knife is in its sheath. Until July, it was a cheap
> stainless knife - of the sort that anglers keep in a tackle box - which
did
> occasionally fall out of its sheath in rescues.
>
> This was not good - and I did (a few years ago) buy a lovely Gerber knife
> with an incredibly powerful retaining clip - which in theory would have
> allowed the necessary one-handed 'draw', but would certainly have
prevented
> _any_ inadvertent release. However, the more I played with it, the less I
> liked it - it was too sharp, with a double-edged blade and the release
> required spot-on application of considerable force with/by a thumb-tip. I
> could never bring myself to deploy it and it's still sitting on my 'will
get
> around to it soon' table.

> Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
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