A PFD knife revisited...
 

I'm kind of nuts about safety since I like to paddle alone. After a discussion about PFD safety knives here at BWE I rethought the idea, and essentially bought one for my vest. It's a Spyderco hawkbill or more technically a Byrd Crossbill folder, which I got from Sierra Trading Post during one of their daily sales, for $13.

Just got it today, and I'm already very pleased.


Did a little demo vid which you can see here:
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The deal with a safety knife for me is I wanted something that could cut me loose in a hurry if I tangled in a rope or line in the water, but that I could carry kind of hassle free. So the knife is just what I wanted. It fits great on the vest, no sheath, easy to use one handed, light weight, low profile, big enough blade to do the job....etc. So I can clip it to my vest when yakking, it's easy to get to, and I have the safety of a good knife without the bulk of a sheath knife.

Works for me..


Jim

the new "Billy Mays":D

Good life saving info. Got a little scared looking at this video. Never seen a
kayak ninja man. :afraid:

Hey, Jim. Do you have the part number for that knife? Thank you.

Thanks for the post Jim.:)

Loved the cameo walk on from Rin Tin Tin :D

Do you have 9 or 10 feet of grade 70 transportation chain in that vest ?
lmao.

Love the video. Kind of a spinoff of De Niro :)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0...D720/ry%3D480/

Just an observation.

The knife looks like a clip-on, I think a non-folding squeeze lock knife that sits in a sheath would probably work best in a life or death situation. If I'm being held under water by kelp, rope, or being tossed about I would prefer to just grab, squeeze, pull and cut.....these four things can be performed in a single, swift move.

I believe that the chance of loosing a clipped on item will greatly increase as your tossed or bumped around. Furthermore, having a knife that requires you to open it brings in the fumbling factor. If your in need of your knife: grab(and hope its there), pull, attempt to open (as you gasp for air and are being tossed around) and cut.

Again, this is just an observation.

I bought my knife using the "O-shit" scenario not the will it cut bait, fillet a fish or cut spectra scenario. I normally carry two knifes on my yak: one for the day to day stuff and the other for the O-SHIT!!!! days.

Ha!
 

And I thought I had too much spare time on my hands :biggrinjester:

In Jim's defense, though, at least he goes fishing on a regular basis and, for the most part, knows what he's doing. Unlike the majority of the safety squad and tinker'rs around here.
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I've never carried a knife on the kayak (unless I know I'm going to be chumming for hours on end). Then again, I'm pretty good at not getting wrapped up in loose lines and don't have a great fear of the unknown.

While I appreciate all the go, go, go-safety guys (ya' know, guys who bring multiple GPS units, multiple radios, flares, two bilge pumps, extra batteries just in case?)---we're not exactly roping Great White Sharks!

Kayak fishing is as dangerous as you make it, I guess :D.

X2... most guys are trying to squeeze the Queen Mary into their kayaks instead of fishing:rolleyes:.WTF. A folding knife will almost all the time take two hands to unfold, I'll take any straight knife anytime.

quick search found this knife http://www.outdoorplay.com/Stohlquis...shoppingdotcom

from this site http://www.thefind.com/sports/info-squeeze-lock-knife

there's more than 1 way to............

http://ajadorseyjackson.com/wp-conte...Skin-A-cat.jpg

If there's anything that I like...I mean really really like, its humor.:D

Thats not a knife, THIS is a knife!
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/p...&pictureid=432

one thing I will point out from your video, and this isn't knocking you at all just what I saw, is that you acted in a panic wrapping your hand up, but as soon as went for your knife you acted calm when opening it up and cutting your rope. train how you fight, fight how you train. I am not saying go out and put yourself in a dangerous situation, but everyone should keep in mind that once panic and fear truly sets in, your brain reacts to the situation differently than it normally would. Keep in mind that you may not have the motor skills to open that knife one handed once you really begin to panic.

other than that, I say nice knife! You can tell it is definitely sharp by how it went thru that rope. I am a knife guy. People were commenting on prices of knives, but there are reasons some knives are expensive. I have never gotten a sale knife at Big 5 that has lasted more than 3 months. But I have a Spyderco that has lasted 10 years.

I have a handful of great knives, and a bunch of crap ones, but I when I fish (from a boat or a yak) I have a folding knife and a filet knife. On my yak the filet knife is by my left hand, and the folding knife is in my pant or wader pockets. I would think a decent filet knife would cut through kelp or rope if it is kept sharp. You can get an easy to use sharpener for a couple of bucks, and when you are out fishing you should always keep your edge sharp.

I am also a flashlight guy...and if I told you how much I have paid for some of my flash lights you would look at me like I have three heads. But in my line of work, we have a saying, "one light is no light, two lights is one light, and three lights is a minimum."

Jim, thanks for the comments. I was recently hooping with pretty rought seas. Bringing all the nets on board the kayak, my leg got tangled up in all the loose line. I was alittle freaked by the risk of going over with the nets dragging me down. I made into the harbor but realized I needed a knife; especially when hooping.

I enjoy all your posts. Thanks for the great info

Hey thats my knife!

So they tell me... :D

I hear that. :cheers1:

Actually there is kind of a tongue and cheek aspect to my post and video, but you know how it is: no-one ever get's my sense of humor. :cool:

I've been fishing small craft near and offshore for a few decades now in So. Cal. Often way offshore. I've been caught in storms even gales with forty to sixty knot winds. You know how many times I have needed a knife in a emergency situation? Not once!

The closest to an emergency I've used a knife is when I had to cut a hoopnet rope off some other knuckleheads prop after he ran over my hoonet :D

Irritating as hell but not all that dangerous.

Saltwater Kayak fishing is not white water rafting. Its not like your going to get tangled in a web of gear ropes then get beat to death as the raft runs the rapids out of control.

Like I said in the other post..... I use a knife on the kayak for only a few basic things. Cutting bait, gutting fish, or sometimes stabbing it deep into halibut, or T sharks to severe their spinal column to incapacitate them.

My take is there is nothing wrong with clipping a knife to your vest, and yes maybe in a emergency situation a knife might come in handy, but if I'm going to carry a knife I want it to be a real knife that's balanced has a point and feels good in my hand.

A knife is just a tool, and I like good tools. My new knife will probably do more damage to halibut then any ropes that cross my path. Hey and look on the bright side... If I end up in the water far offshore, drifting in my PFD waiting for the inevitable scavengers to come, at least I'll have something to stick in their eye before they chew my leg off.


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j2...6/ahabpeck.jpg

"From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Ye damned whale. "

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the xxxx do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? OK.

:sifone:

Spyderco makes great knives. My Byrd mine was made in China but the attention to detail, and quality is still Spyderco. This knife shaved right out of the box, I could not of made it any sharper, and I love to sharpen knives. It's really immaculately well done, a beautiful knife if you are into knives, now I'm wishing I bought two of them :D

Jim

Hahaha funny, Andy.

I carried a Spyderco knife for many years. Best knife to cut away a seat belt, or commence with some great bodily injury. Don't think I would carry something like that on a yak for fear I might injure myself, or have the blade open up while I am being tossed in the surf. Yes, after time the blade will loosen, if not tightened regularly. If and when I carry a knife, its usually just the cheap plastic handle bait knife from Long Fin or local tackle store.