Aitor Yachtman Knife

[SolomonKane79]

Aitor Yachtman Knife

I came across this knife for the first time some years ago since it was the valued edc of a fellow at work. I loved the design at first sight, for in my opinion it is both classic and modern at the same time. My buddy had it and employed it for almost 20 years. His specimen has been through salt water, rain and weather and even his own blood and it still looks great and almost umblemished. He has recently retired it for fear of finally losing it after so many years, and now it hangs in a glass case in his home, along with other memorabilia. The knife was made in Spain by Aitor, a brand most known for the popular 80ies survival knife "Jungle King" and all those multitask knives that look a lot like saks. Since i saw the knife i began a holy search for one on the net; it has been a long hunt since the knife was discontinued by Aitor years ago. I finally managed to get my hands on one, and i am very happy with it.
The knife itself follows the common pattern of sailor folders, that is a slipjoint sheepsfoot knife blade and a locking marlin spike. Both the implements look and feel very robust and reliable. The few information i found state that the blade steel is "CROMOVA". A really cool feature that takes the boy out of the rigging folders crowd is how the shackle slot is designed. Instead of being cut into the blade as common (and by the way i have never liked this, since if you have to put some torque it is going to stress on blades pivot) it is built on the bottom of the handles so one does not have to worry about putting some strength while using it... I have also wondered if this slot was also intended for keeping the rest place of the blade moisture-free, though even if it does i am not sure if that was intentional. The spike is a remarkable one too... Robust and well designed, only a bit too pointy on my new sample. I have always loved the shape of the blade, even if it is a classical sheepsfoot it has some harder lines which make it look more modern and cool. Overall i say it is a very beautiful and practical sailor's knife and if you work around boats and sea i recomend buying it if you are lucky enough to spot one!
Below are some pics of both my newer sample and the older one from my buddy!
Thanks for reading! 

[SolomonKane79]

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[SolomonKane79]

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[ducttapetech]

Cool looking knife!

[ThePeacent]

That's a nice Aitor. I had a sheepsfoot one with plastic handles and very similar blade.
the "CroVan" in their steel means they've added some extra Chromium (Cromo) and Vanadium (Vanadio) to the alloy. Muela, another big Spanish manufacturer does the same to their steel. It's soft but ver stainless and easy to sharpen   

[SolomonKane79]

That's a nice Aitor. I had a sheepsfoot one with plastic handles and very similar blade.
the "CroVan" in their steel means they've added some extra Chromium (Cromo) and Vanadium (Vanadio) to the alloy. Muela, another big Spanish manufacturer does the same to their steel. It's soft but ver stainless and easy to sharpen   

Thanks for the info! 

[greenbear]

I like the way the marlin spike lies alongside the blade. I've seen this before on some Otter knives and it makes a lot of sense to me.

[Smashie]

That's a cool little knife, looks like a modern version of the British Army knife 

[SolomonKane79]

I like the way the marlin spike lies alongside the blade. I've seen this before on some Otter knives and it makes a lot of sense to me.

I too love that feature! 
The only minor "flaw" i forgot to mention is about the marlin spike, indeed. Not the implement itself, for as i said it's very well made, but the absence of any nail nick or similar device makes it sometimes hard to pull the spike out, especially with wet and cold hands!