Best Sailing Knife Under $100

Sailing knives are useful in splicing rope, cutting nets, or in emergency situations. Undoubtedly, a good knife is one of the most indispensable tools a sailor can have. In fact, many boat race associations recommend every sailor on deck carries a knife for personal use while sailing.

The best sailing knife under $100 is the Gerber Prodigy Survival Knife. This full-tang knife is made of high carbon stainless steel, suitable for a multitude of tasks, and comes highly recommended. Features include a partially serrated edge and textured handle with a lanyard hole.

The only instances I wouldn’t recommend the Gerber Prodigy Survival Knife (66$) is if…

• You need a multi-use rigging knife made specifically for sailing. Consider the Davis Instruments Deluxe Rigging Knife or the Maxam Sailor’s Tool (both available on Amazon).
  You need a lightweight option that anyone can use. Consider the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2 Rescue (available on Amazon).

That being said, there are many things that make a knife good or bad for sailing. Keep reading to see details on the types of knives sailors use, as well as some recommendations for different types of knives that are useful while sailing. 

Here is my complete Must-have catamaran sailing gear list!

What Types of Knives Do Sailors Use?

Sailors mostly use serrated folding knives for cutting rope, yet many different features make for a useful sailing knife. 

The two main types of knives sailors use are folding knives and full-tang (or sheath) knives. Folding knives have a blade that folds down into the handle for portability, while full-tang knives feature a fixed blade for greater control and durability.

For most knives, full-tang is considered better due to the increased control and durability. However, this depends on the context. For sailing, a folding knife can be preferable in certain situations due to the increased portability. This is especially true of folding knives that can be opened with one hand. 

Sailing knives themselves are used in a  number of different contexts.

The main usage for a knife on a sailboat is to cut and splice ropes. However, some situations call for an emergency cutter to cut lines or materials in order to keep people safe in an emergency.

Accordingly, it is generally recommended that multiple types of knives be kept aboard a ship. 

Best Sailing Knives Under $100

There are many qualities that can make a knife good or bad for certain contexts. Some people might find it more useful to have a buoyant handle, whereas others prefer to have a straight edge in addition to a serrated edge. Below are some of the best sailing knives you can find for under $100.

Best Folding Knives for Sailing

Folding knives are more portable than full-tang knives, but are less durable and harder to control. Folding knives that can open with one hand are especially valuable for a variety of situations while sailing. Here are some great folding knives available on Amazon:

Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2 Rescue

This lightweight folding knife from Spyderco features a 3.88-inch (9.85-centimeter) serrated blade with a bright orange polymer handle. The blade has a sheepsfoot shape, intended to avoid unnecessary puncturing while slicing with the knife. 

The serrations themselves are shallower, allowing for easier cutting and sharpening. The blade is made from heat-treated 8CR13MOV steel, a high-quality stainless steel designed to retain a sharp edge while being resistant to the elements. 

The blade folds out and locks securely into place, and the knife is designed to be used by both right and left-handed people. There are also multiple mount options for the belt clip, allowing it to be worn in different positions. 

The handle comes in multiple colors, although the orange is recommended for increased visibility. The only things lacking with this knife are the absence of floating material and the lack of a straight edge. For a boat knife, both of these things are minimal issues.

Davis Instruments Deluxe Rigging Knife

If you’re looking for more of an all-around rigging knife, this option from Davis Instruments is an excellent deal for the price. It has a shorter, straight-edged blade with a sheepsfoot shape to prevent puncturing while using it on deck. It also has a spike for puncturing or prying. 

The blade and the handle are made from high-quality stainless steel. The spike and other components are also stainless, so this knife should have no problem standing up to water damage. The knife is made in China, so the blade may need to be sharpened before use. 

The knife does lack a serrated edge, and the blade doesn’t have a mechanical lock. However, the blade does sit securely in the handle housing, which still makes it a safe option to consider. Overall, this knife is a good choice if you’re looking for a good boating knife without having to pay a hefty price. 

Best Full Tang Knives for Sailing

For more control over the blade and increased durability, a full-tang knife is recommended. Here are some excellent options for full-tang sailing knives:

Gerber Prodigy Survival Knife

If you’re looking for something closer to a standard survival knife, but one that is still useful for sailing, this option on Amazon is a great choice. It has a partially serrated edge on a 420HC stainless steel blade. The blade is finished in black to help prevent light reflections. 

The handle is textured with soft-grip overmolding to give it an excellent grip in any weather. The handle also features a lanyard hole. The entire knife is 9.75 inches (24.76 centimeters), with a drop-point pinched-end blade measuring 4.75 inches (12.06 centimeters).

The knife is made from a high carbon stainless steel, meaning that it will have superior hardness and edge retention, but at the cost of some corrosion resistance. 

Force 4 Race Safety Knife

This is a full-tang serrated safety knife from British company Force 4 is an excellent option if you’re looking for a good all-around sailing knife. The 3.8-inch (9.65-centimeter) serrated blade is finished in black, intended to reduce reflections to stop the light from getting in your eyes. The knife fits snugly into a positive-locking sheath. The finish also helps prevent corrosion. 

The handle is made from polypropylene with a TPE overmold. The grip is fantastic, and the handle is nice and thick. The blade also comes in a hooked version as well as the standard sheepsfoot. The sheath is made from ABS plastic and is designed to attach to bulkheads or life jackets. 

Overall an excellent boating knife, although it may be a bit large for emergency cutting or personal carry.

Like the Cara Cara rescue, this knife will not float, so you should be careful about dropping it in the water. 

Best Value Knives for Sailing

Sometimes you just need a low-cost knife to keep around in case of emergencies. Here is a couple of the best value low-cost knives available: 

Opinel No. 8 Stainless

This is a beautiful stainless steel folding knife from the French company Opinel. It features a drop-point folding blade made from a high-quality stainless steel. The overall construction is very attractive, and the knife is very durable and sharp for the price. 

The lack of a serrated edge is a bit of a bummer, but the actual knife itself is high quality and very pleasing to look at. It’s the quintessential French pocket knife. 

Maxam Sailor’s Tool

This is a great multi-use knife available on Amazon that’s designed for just about anything a sailor could need. It has a honed blade, marlin spike, pliers, and a 2.25-inch (5.6-centimeter) serrated blade. The construction is robust and ergonomic, as well as compact. It’s a great rigging knife with multiple tools that can be used for poking, cutting, pinching, or anything else you might need. 

The sheepsfoot blade is made from 440C steel, high-quality stainless steel that should hold up well to the elements. Really, there is nothing lacking from this knife except perhaps the lack of floating or high-visibility materials. 

If you’re looking for a good all-around knife for sailing that won’t break the bank, then this is an excellent choice. 

Buy the black finish on the blade. 

How To Choose a Knife?

Sailing knives can sometimes be very different from knives used for general utility or self-defense. Since the things they’re used for are quite specialized, it’s recommended that you take some time to choose the right knife for the situation when sailing.

To choose a knife for sailing, consider its sharpness, durability, edge retention, and blade material. Typically, it’s ideal to choose a portable, serrated knife to cut rope effectively. However, the most important aspect of any knife is that you’re comfortable using it.  

At the end of the day, choosing a knife is mostly a matter of balancing utility with personal preference. 

Steel comes in many forms, and some types are more suited to sailing than others. In general, you will want to go with a high-quality stainless steel (such as LC200N). This will ensure your knife can withstand the wear-and-tear of regular use, while being able to resist corrosion from the elements. 

Emergency knives can also benefit from other features like buoyant handles or glow-in-the-dark sections. Buoyant handles make it easier to retrieve a knife that was dropped into water, and glow-in-the-dark knives are excellent for visibility in dark areas. 

What Is Specific With a Sailing Knife?

Knives that are designated as ‘sailing knives’ generally have a few recognizable characteristics. Since sailing knives are used primarily for cutting rope, almost all sailing knives feature a serrated edge or partially serrated edge to assist in the cutting of robust materials. 

The specific qualities noted with a sailing knife include a serrated edge, folding blade, rubberized handle, and possibly a buoyant material to keep it afloat when dropped in water. Another important specificity is that the blade is made with a steel to resist the elements.

Many sailing knives also lack a sharp tip. There are a couple reasons for this, mostly related to safety. If you’re in the market for a sailing knife, you will have to consider whether or not you need a sharp tip on the end of the blade, or if a non-tipped version may be preferable. Many jobs on a boat will require either one or the other, so it is sometimes recommended to have both. 

What Makes a Good Boat Knife?

A good boat knife can take many forms. Like any knife, the most important things to consider are sharpness and durability. That being said, sailing on a boat involves a lot of different activities that can be approached with a variety of different knives.

What makes a good boat knife are specific features like partially serrated edges, blades made from high-quality stainless steel, and good grips. Folding knives also make for good boat knives because of their increased portability. 

There are also some contexts on a boat that can call for specialized knives, such as emergency cutters. These are designed to free somebody or something caught in ropes or nets. They’re an essential element of any boat’s safety kit. 

Do Nautical Knives Have Tips?

Since nautical knives will be used in a wide range of situations, it’s important to consider whether to use a sharp-tipped or blunt-tipped knife. Using a sharp-tipped knife while being rocked around by the surf may not be the safest idea, after all. 

Some nautical knives do have tips, but it’s possible to find both sharp-tipped and blunted varieties. Using a sharp-tipped knife on a rocking ship can be dangerous. However, sharp-tipped knives can be useful in some situations as well, so nautical knives come in both varieties.

Some folding knives used for sailing feature a spike that can be used for puncturing or poking. In the end, it’s up to you whether or not you use a sharp-tipped knife, or one with a shortened or blunted tip. You may want to keep knives of different types around for different reasons, as well. 

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right knife for sailing is all about finding the right balance between utility and comfort. Most sailing knives benefit from a robust, serrated edge, as well as a rugged construction with portability. However, different situations call for different knives. 

It’s a good idea to spend time thinking about the different situations that call for a knife when sailing. You might want to keep a variety of knives on hand with different practical applications.