Knife with a marlin spike?

[Sparkydave]

Hi all

Could anyone recommend me a good quakity sailing knife with a marlin spike?
Ive been thinking about a vic skipper but it looks a bit chunky to me and dont know how much use of pliers i would get as i have a leatherman on me or in my bag at all times
Thanks al

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[magentus]

How about the Vic Alox Sailor, Seaman, Midshipman, First Mate, Rancher or Pioneer 2223.

SAKwiki page here; http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Victorinox+93mm

I think they are quite rare but if you put a want add on here you may get lucky.

[enki_ck]

Marlinspiked SAKs can get quite pricey and are not that easy to get a hold of.

Maybe a BAK (British Army Knife) would be a better option. You can usually find them referenced as a clasp knife. There are a couple of different models available. You, being in the UK, shouldn't have problems sourcing one.

http://www.fridayfox.co.uk/British-Army-Clasp-Knife

http://www.sheffieldknives.co.uk/acatalog/Folding-Knives.html

[magentus]

Having had a couple of the BAK knives - they are bombproof, but really not comfortable to use for any length of time.

[jerseydevil]

Rough Rider makes at least one model with a marlin spike and sheepsfoot blade.  Nothing special, but their build quality is pretty good as many of us can attest to.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk

[pfrsantos]

You got lots of options. If the spike is the main feature you want, there are some pretty affordable options. Check out HH site for reference:

http://www.heinnie.com/colt-marlin-spike
http://www.heinnie.com/rough-rider-marlin
http://www.heinnie.com/sheffield-knives-genuine-british-army-knife
http://www.heinnie.com/john-nowill-knives-navy-knife

[bmot]

Camillus makes a good looking one, too 


http://www.camillusknives.com/product/86798.0.0.0.0/18670/_/6.5%27%27_Folding_with_Marlin_Spike

[Essexman]

SOG Nautical

http://www.heinnie.com/sog-nautical

[Essexman]

and some more at HH

http://www.heinnie.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=+marlin-spike+

I kinda like this modern style by fox - http://www.heinnie.com/fox-sailing-knife

[toolguy]

The best sailors knife I've ever seen was the A.G. Russell Seamaster.It could be ordered with a titanium or SS frame.Both the blade and marlin spike were of the framelock design.The blade was ATS-34 and both the blade and spike were coated to resist rust.

[getahl]

Would a stand alone marlin spike be a better, more comfortable option? A folding one just seems a bit too fiddly to me.

[nate j]

If you could get your hands on an older marlin spike (A.K.A. rigging knife) made by the likes of Case, Camillus, or Schrade (from when the later two were still made in the USA) at a reasonable price, I believe you would have a decent tool.  Here in the US, there are a number of these on eBay at any given time; not sure how common they are in the U.K. though.

If you would prefer something a bit more modern, I've heard some good things about Boye and Myerchin, but don't have any personal experience with either.

[Sparkydave]

Thanks guys going to have a bit source about

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Sparkydave]

Think i might order a sak helmsman. Doesnt have the pliers and three layers wont be to thick?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[edcgear]

My choice...

Untitled by gojkanstojinovic, on Flickr

[nervium]

İ was looking for a vic helmsman but i found a good skipper, and bought it. Now i think phillips screwdriver and pliers are useful. Go for a skipper i think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheStig]

Spyderco Tusk.

[Mango808]

Spyderco Tusk.

$215-$290, A bit pricey in my opinion.

I'm happy with my SOG Rigging Knife (Nautical) and Camillus Ti Marlin Spike with Bamboo handles I got from West Marine.

[TheStig]

Will probably be a lot cheaper at retail price

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[lanedecamp]

Just happened on this thread, and thought I'd add a few comments from personal experience.

First, choice of knife really depends on how you're going to use it. An old-time rigger has a knife with a nearly straight edge, a blunted tip, little or no guard, and a very thick blade. This is because cutting on heavy lines is best done by laying the knife on the cordage and hitting the back of it with a lignum mallet or marlinspike. A guard gets in the way, a curved blade will slip off whatever you're cutting, and the thick blade is because you are pounding on it. The blunted tip is because every first mate made sure that the tips were broken off a knife to prevent stabbing during a fight.

So fast forward to the present time. Assuming you're a basic recreational yachtsman and not a rigger. In this case you are using braided lines that don't cut worth a dang without serrations on the blade. Second, you aren't likely to want to have a scabbard on your belt or forearm, so you want a folder. Now bear in mind that when you need a knife the most you don't want to find it slipped off the clip on your pocket or that you can't get it open. Offshore regs now require knifes, and many people get super-cheap folders, but the better knife is a fairly short fixed blade. Everything else is really for the marina. Plus, a modern sailor leaves her/his knife on the boat when going ashore -- that's because in too many places, almost any kind of knife is illegal -- the exception is if you need it for your work and you leave it at work, and that's what you do on your boat.

You don't pound your knife with a big lignum marlinspike to cut braided rigging and running lines, but do realize that a small serrated knife isn't going to work well on a 1" or 2" anchor line or even on a decent sized mooring line. So it's a good idea to keep a small stainless machete or axe near the bow should you ever have to chop a big line. But back to your belt knife ...

Nowadays there are a lot of shackles in sailing, and a shackle key is very useful. But it has to have a wide enough range of sizes, and it has to be sturdy. The Spyderco Tusk is an example of a shackle without a big range (maybe large enough for a smaller boat) and without enough leverage to work a really stubborn shackle. I've seen shackles that are integrated into small marlinspikes simply bend or snap the marlinspike. Frankly, one way to deal with shackles is to carry a relatively small crescent wrench -- it fits better than a shackle key and can fit anything from a tiny baby shackle up to a good sized anchor shackle.

As for a marlinspike, the old ones were pretty fat at the base and stayed pretty fat almost to the tip. Partly this was a way to avoid a stabbing weapon again. Partly it was because back in time, people were using them to splice big three-ply cordage. Today, cordage is a lot smaller in diameter and when braided, it really jams tightly together. Those marlinspikes (like the typical one on most of the pocket rigging knives) just aren't easy to use when you have a gnarly knot in braided Spectra. You really need something skinnier and with more of a point so you can get it in and lever it to loosen the jam. You won't really find these at West Marine, but professional rigging and sail shops usually can find you a good one.

So if you have the shackle and the marlinspike taken care of, I'd suggest you go for a custom knife. This is MTO, after all. Custom knives pop up all over eBay and any Google search. Find someone whose product you like. It's not a sophisticated knife and shouldn't cost that much, but it should still be pretty sturdy, stainless, and preferably have a blunt tip. It should also have a big (and I mean really big, like to fit a half-inch tether) hole. For a sheath, leather lets a steel rust, but is probably the best choice. And you can have a sheath with a separate pocket for one or even two good marlinspikes. Some knife makers use heavy synthetic webbing because it drains and dries out, but I find it starts to fray or gets hard cracked edges that continually have to be repaired with a lighter. Kydex sheaths are ok, but as divers know, any stainless will rust in the tight confines of kydex or plastic sheaths.

For an interesting alternative that I've been trying lately, check out the Jumpmaster Black FRN H-1 SpyderEdge. It's made with the same kinds of situations in mind and it really does a nice job. It's a little bold for sitting at the Starbucks in the marina, but if you're on a night watch in a squall and in the middle of a big crossing, I'd rather be safe than sorry. This one is thought out pretty well.

My perfect knife has about a four inch blade with strong serrations, 3/16" blade, and a blunt tip, a big beefy handle, brass bollard in case it's needed, a lignum handle (just feels good, and waterproof), a big ferruled hole for a lanyard, a separate marlinspike, and a sheath to hold both. There are makers out there who do a nice job for the whole thing for well under $100. It's a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Get some cheap Myerchin folders so your crew have something, but don't expect them to be used for more than peeling fruit. Yours gets used, and with a good one designed right you'll see how it can be more than marina jewelry.