Maritime knife - what materials?

[Doc]

If I was after a custom knife for bushcraft, but intended to be going canoeing on sea lochs, what would be the best steel, and what would be the best handle materials?

I have a knife of 01 steel but feel this might be less than ideal in the marine environment.

 

[sandbender]

Hi Doc

I have one of these permanently strapped to my PFD, but I keep my woodlore in a waterproof bag for when I'm ashore.

The Benchmade has been out on the water a few times over the past few months and doesn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from the damp, also if I wash up on some desolate shore with only the contents of my PFD and pockets to get me dry, the back of the knife works very well with a firesteel.

And unlike most bushcraft knives I'm fairly certain I could use it to hack my canoe in half if needed

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=100SH2O

 

[Squidders]

I would go for something in stainless like a Mora... I think that for canoeing or boating, the Mora would be good because when it makes that nice "plop" sound when it hits the water you can say "oh well... easy come, easy go".

More expensive, maybe looking at stainless still, but with a stabilised wood handle or micarta... on water though, i'd go for the cheapie version and save the nice pointy things for land

 

[happy camper]

hello
I can't really answer your question directly unfortunately, i like the fallkniven f1 as a stainless bushcraft knife, its blade is laminated vg10 which is a "supersteel" and apparently very resistant to corrosion.
There's loads of good info over on bb from makers/experts about choices of steels, handle materials etc. there is an article here about steels in general and i'm sure you won't have to dig far to find more over there.There is another fairly clear chart of steel properties here.. http://www.bkcg.co.uk/guide/steels.html
I think micarta is a pretty good choice for handle material, fairly stable in damp conditions and it still feels and looks nice and "natural" when compared to some other more synthetic materials.
Might also be worth looking at the steels used in the more top end diving knives or military/marine knives for an idea about what works. In the meantime, you can get half price knife care stuff here over on british blades at the moment, one of them is designed to help protect against a marine environment.

 

[Ed W]

What about S30V, it does everything you need and it won't corrode in water.

 

[Lost_Patrol]

Almost all stainless steels are actually stain resistant but not stain proof. Salt water will eat into most steels eventually, and does cause pitting, even in "supersteels".

If you are going for the Fallkniven F1, get the black ceramic coated version. Its as ugly as sin, but will be far better in salt conditions than the plain version.

If you want a truely rust proof steel blade, go for one of the Spyderco Salt versions in H1 steel. They will not rust under any conditions, but are not suitable for bushcraft. The best bet is probably to use a Spyderco Salt as your canoeing safety knife and keep your true bushcraft knive dry in your pack.

 

[Nemisis]

I would recommend a grohmann knife with there Xtra resin wood handle thats proofed against salt water damage the blade is a good quailty stainless and as said here with all steels you should take the normal measures cleaning oiling etc. there boat knife has a well designed sheath with a brass loop to connect a lanyard between it and the knife handle.http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/outdoor.html http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/handles.html

 

[RovingArcher]

I would recommend an Eriksson Mora 2000. It's an excellent stainless knife that can weather the elements well. I still wouldn't let it soak in Salt water and rinse the blade with clear water when you return from your trip.

 

[tomtom]

i think people are missing the point here..

If I was after a custom knife for bushcraft

Doc, Gene Ingram does (i think) all of his knives in S30V might be worth asking members here who have them (i think Neil-1 or Leon-1 Schwert have them) how they get on with the steel!?

 

[C_Claycomb]

I do wish that people would stop quoting info off BKCG web site. Their steel info is plane wrong. This is the same place that tries to flog loads of knives as "surgical" steel. What utter rubbish!!

http://www.agrussell.com/knife_information/steel_guide/
http://www.newgraham.com/steel_faq.htm
Either is much better for steel content, but without the half baked opinions thrown in.

I would go with all the guys saying to keep the bushcraft knife in your pack if you are likely to get wet.

For production knives...

I have heard great things about blades of x-15TN, as used on Sandbenders Benchmade. Great boat knife. Boker use the same steel in a number of reasonably priced locking folders.

Also for production, if you have money to burn, how about something in Talonite
http://www.camillusknives.com/1mainframe.htm?cuda/talon_main.shtml~main

For a custom knife, I would be less concerned with the steel and more concerned with the design and whether the maker could apply a protective coating such as Gunkote, even on a stainless blade. G10 and Micarta are probably the best bets for handle material, though there are other plastics and laminated woods.

How wet might this knife get? Are you thinking of using it as your boat knife too? For boat knives you want to think about carry options, visibility should you drop the knife, and cost of replacement should the same happen. A nice leather sheath isn't going to be good to get soaked with salt water. Maybe better to have a boat knife for the boat, with a resistant blade, and a bushcraft knife in the pack for use on shore?

 

[Shing]

Most diving knives I've seen use 440A stainless, the most stainless of the 440 series steels. I would suggest 440 series stainless steel, micarta handle and Kydex sheath.

 

[Grooveski]

Picturing you on a sea loch in a canoe Doc, I'd have thought there'd be a fishing knife in your kit .

I'd probably go for a cheapy but in an inflatable a letter opener would be best , even pulling up a hand line is scary stuff.
A lanyard would be a must for anything nice.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Something that FLOATS??

K

 

[MagiKelly]

I have a Bushcrafter on order from Allan Blade that is the same as my current one but with S30V steel. I ordered this for the specific reason that I might end up using the canoe on the sea. The kydex sheath with multi carry clip that comes with it is also good for attatching to your PFD etc.

That said for a proper emergency knife you should be looking for a serated blade for rope cutting and as Sandbender said sawing though your canoe if required.

 

[tomtom]

its important to remember that a knife sutible for canoe/kayak safty use is a very different thing to a bushcraft knife suited to being used in/around a salt water enviroment.

 

[gregorach]

Most diving knives I've seen use 440A stainless, the most stainless of the 440 series steels. I would suggest 440 series stainless steel, micarta handle and Kydex sheath.

And a liberal application of silicone grease. Even diving knives don't last that well - keeping them well greased helps.

 

[leon-1]

i think people are missing the point here..


Doc, Gene Ingram does (i think) all of his knives in S30V might be worth asking members here who have them (i think Neil-1 or Leon-1 Schwert have them) how they get on with the steel!?

Neil1 has a Gene Ingram #5 in S30V, I know he rates it highly as a very good smaller knife (3 inch blade) that will take a large amount of abuse, it is comfortable in use and easy enough to keep sharp.

I have a larger version model #6 in S30V which has been modified (as has Neil1's) to my spec, both knives have linen micarta handles which are still quite grippy (surprisingly) when your hands are wet and cold.

The spine on Gene's knives generally are not brilliant for casting sparks from a firesteel, but I asked for about an inch and a half of straight cut file work on the spine which serves 2 purposes, firstly to solve the problem of casting sparks and secondly it gives a nice area of grip for resting your thumb on when the knife is cold wet and greasy. The straight cut file work is very efficient at casting sparks.

The only thing that I would say is that the sheath would not suite unless you get one made in Kydex for your purposes.

I like Allan blades Scandi Pak Pal and think that it would be a very good for what you are considering the knife for, infact I have ordered one in S30V with a micarta handle and the normal Kydex sheath, because with it's size not being massive and the handle being synthetic with the S30V for the steel it would make an ideal knife for pretty much all conditions when combined with a folding saw.

My thinking is, S30V high corrosion resistance which can be sharpened to a good edge with good edge retention, Micarta handle as it is not subject to ingress of dirt, water or anything else and will not warp with heat, as some natural materials will, finally Kydex sheath as it is relatively easy to keep clean, will provide a good grip on the knife no matter what and will not rot because of constant exposure to water, salt and general outdoor conditions .

Either of the makers above would do you a good service as would most any of the custom makers as long as you know what you want

I hope this helps,

Leon.

 

[pteron]

I have both the Benchmade that Sandbender recommends and a Spyderco Salt I. They both use the H1 steal and it simply does not rust. On one of the forums somebody has it sitting in vinegar to try to make it corrode.

I use them all the time when sailing. Excellent knives.

 

[Doc]

Thanks guys - excellent information and and just shows how valuable the forum is.

I raised the question thinking about a bushcraft tool, but as has been mentioned, marine safety knives are serrated, for obvious reasons. Sandbender's Benchmade looks like it could, in a pinch, be pressed into use ashore, and like him I would anticipate having a bush knife waterproofed away in the pack. It is as ugly as sin (the Benchmade, I mean, not Sandbender.... ) but I guess practicality is rather more important in this situation.

That said, a s30V custom job would be nice too.

Now, re cutting the canoe in half - it is always good to practice emergency skills before the emergency arises.......could I borrow your Old Town Pack, John??

 

[MagiKelly]

Now, re cutting the canoe in half - it is always good to practice emergency skills before the emergency arises.......could I borrow your Old Town Pack, John??

Actually in all seriousness now that I have the Pack you are welcome to borrow the coleman if you want. It would give you some time to practice and get a feel for that size of canoe before you buy one.

I am also toying with the idea for a canoe based mini meet over the Christmas break and I had thought you may want to use the Coleman then to get some practice in. It would also give me a chance to take some pictures for an upcoming project.

Either way drop me a PM if you are interested.