Don

 

I love the site,  and enjoy reading about your long boat adventures.  I just read your review of the NRS Copilot knife, and,  I hear you!  I am primarily a whitewater guy and have gone through a ton of knives.  When I started guiding rafts,  state of the art was an Extrasport Highfloat, and I strapped a scuba knife to it.  The knife was sharp,  but it was also huge.  (it looked like a bowie knife, honest)  so, I moved on to a little Tekna knife.  It was decent,  but had a lousy grip.  From the Tekna I went on to a Gerber River Master,  which had good sides and bad sides.

 

The good:

1. •Scary sharp, 
   

2. •Edges on both sides
   

 

The bad:

1. •Awful to grip,  slippery and sharp at the same time
   

2. •Quite possibly illegal in some states due to size and shape
   

3. •Sometimes if hit,  it will accidentally deploy (big bummer in a whitewater raft) 
   

 

I still have a few of these floating around on old pfds  I checked out the Gerber River Shorty and was entirely underwhelmed,  it wasn’t sharp,  had a plated edge,  and the sheath was not that positive when it was latched.  It was a knife I did not buy...

 

The only time I have ever had to deploy my knife in an emergency was to cut a spectra rope,  and the Rivermaster sliced through it. My standard test for river knives now is, will it cut spectra rope under load.  I have settled on two knife options. 

 

On the vest I wear on the river guiding and play boating I use a Benchmade fixed blade.  It is sharp, well made and has a really well thought out sheath. It can get snagged,  but most of the time I don’t know it is there.

 

http://www.clavey.com/product_info.php?products_id=345

 

It is quite visible though,  so,  when I am doing kayak support on the Hudson River I tend to carry choice number two.  I always paddle with a knife,  but,  when I don’t want to look like a swashbuckler or if I’m concerned about grief at the put in or take out,  I will bring a Spyderco Rescue. 

 

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=71

 

This is by far the sharpest knife I have ever had,  and will slice through any cordage.  The opening is easy,  and can be done positively without looking.  BUT it rides in a pocket in my pfd,  so to deploy the knife,  I have to unzip the pocket,  get the knife,  open the knife, and slice something instead of just yanking out the Benchmade.   I do trust both knives with my life,  and have since stopped looking at other options.

 

If I was still shopping I would look at the Bear Claw by CKRT

 

http://www.crkt.com/Bear-Claw-Sharp-Tip-ZytelSheath-Razor-Sharp-Edge

 

with the hook I imagine it will tear through cordage

 

Happy Paddling!

 

Jeff Robbins