Hey Guys,

My boy at Stanford has taken to kayak fishing with a couple of his buddies in San Francisco Bay. They are figuring it out, and they have caught a few sharks and some good sized rays.

He is washing all his gear off after fishing, but has noticed his Spyderco Endura (ATS34 steel) rusts like a bugger. He has a nice #7 stag that he has decided to keep on shore after seeing the Spyderco rust. Would salt exposure be hard on the stag?

I already have a #28, and he has a Buxton Special. He could use one of them. His use includes general knife work and cleaning the catch.

I have a #10 5 inch with a rosewood handle, but am thinking a #10 with a micarta or duralumin handle might be better. What is everyone's favorite saltwater user knife?

Alan Grombacher
RKCC-CMI-010
RKS#5531

I have a #10 5 with a micarta handle thats about 40 yrs old that I use around the water regularly.

John Hightower

Hey Alan,

That's cool, I was just in San Francisco two weeks bac and saw some kayaks and windsurfers out in the bay -- looked like a lot of fun. I have a 10-5 with standard red micarta that is my "go-to" when fishing at the beach. The pouch sheath keeps it secure and it's easy to access when needed.

Take care,

Jay

If going for a Randall, then a #10 sounds like the way to go.

If you truly want the absolute best knife ever for saltwater, you need to look at Spyderco's Salt series, made with H1 steel. Completely impervious to rust. I've had mine clipped to my shorts snorkeling the reefs in the Keys for several days in a row and didn't even rinse it off when we got back to the dock. Not a speck of rust anywhere.

It's my kayak fishing, snorkeling, diving, anything around water knife.

Alan,

If your son likes Spyderco, I have heard great things about the Salt 1. Blade material is H-1 and will not rust. Plain edge or serrated and a lot less painful if he loses it in the ocean.

Link

ETA: I see Chad and I posted at the same time. Great minds think alike.

Alan--

My two cents--whatever model you choose for him, I suggest Micarta over natural materials, and also over aluminum since aluminum actually does corrode. (I recall in my youth being tampted to buy an Aston Martin that had seen service in Cleveland--and being put off by the crude repairs to the aluminum body that had corroded due to winter salt. Probably should have bought it anyway since it was a DB4.)

Also, perhaps a call to the shop to learn what recommendations they have for which knives will do best around salt water.

No doubt, they will also recommend that routine cleaning and maintenance be done on any knife you choose.

Larry

If your son loves Spyderco, then maybe Spyderco Phil Wilson South Fork interest him. Steel S90V good corrosion resistance. This is slightly worse resistance than the steel 440B in model 10, but sharp edge retention times in three longer
If he often divides sharks and other fish with hard skin, then this property is useful.

The knife below has seen a lot of exposure to water. It was a kitchen knife for years, but I could never convince my wife that it should be cleaned by hand; it continually found itself being cleaned in the dishwasher, so I finally retired it (with no rust spots evident). I wouldn't recommend this knife for kayak use, though, since it has no hole for a thong.

Have you considered MISSION knives? Mission uses totally corrosion-proof titanium. Their knives have survived soaking in seawater for over four years without a hint of corrosion. The blades are cleaned in concentrated hydrochloric acid ... and you probably know that titanium is used by the Navy Seals and Explosive Ordinance Disposal guys.

Lanyard hole under the model #10 is, depends on the will,
on modern models are everywhere.
http://www.randallknives.com/knives/model-10-salt-fisherman-household-utility/
Titanium knives are good, but there is a minus - titanium is
rapidly losing sharpness and bad cuts.

Micarta Model #10 would get my vote.

TV