Knife floats

[atv223]

I've lost 2 Spyderco Knives in the ocean so far. None while fishing oddly enough since I use them kayak fishing, but I've don't want to lose anymore, so after some experimentation, here is where I ended up. A short piece of 95 Paracord, tied to a key-chain float and the knife. I bought a pack of 10 key-chain floats off of Amazon and the Paracord from Hobby Lobby. Seems to work well and I can easily untie the knot from the knife when not needed.

[Enactive]

I've lost 2 Spyderco Knives in the ocean so far. None while fishing oddly enough since I use them kayak fishing, but I've don't want to lose anymore, so after some experimentation, here is where I ended up. A short piece of 95 Paracord, tied to a key-chain float and the knife. I bought a pack of 10 key-chain floats off of Amazon and the Paracord from Hobby Lobby. Seems to work well and I can easily untie the knot from the knife when not needed.

Nice!

Do they list a buoyancy rating (say in fresh water) or have you tested? My curiosity is partly about how big/small a float you need/can get away with for a given weight of knife.

[Doc Dan]

This is a good idea. How large of a knife do you think could be secured in this manner?

[Enactive]

Another thought... you could expedite taking the float on/off the knife by using a girth hitch-- although your existing knife-end loop looks too small to pass the float.

[VooDooChild]

Ive done this. Its about the only option with a folder. Mora makes a floating boat knife fixed blade with a cork handle. Im also going to attempt to do a floating handle on a mule team if I ever get around to it.
Im curious what the smallest most bouyant thing you would need to float a sub 5oz folder is. It would be cool if you could attatch something to the spydie hole or along the spine of the blade but im just letting my immagination run wild.

[atv223]

Well this is embarrassing. I never actually tested the float on the Pacific Salt (though I repeatedly rinsed it off the side of my kayak in 60 ft of the Atlantic ocean). So I just tested it and it sank like a stone!

I did some experiments with the floats in freshwater:

The floats will float 1 oz of lead, but will since with 1.25 oz of lead.
One float will float a Dragonfly Salt which weighs in right around 1.25 oz
Two floats will float a Pacific Salt which weighs in at 2.91 oz
I'm assuming the discrepancy is the desity of lead vs grfn/H1 steel

Sorry for the confusion!

[Enactive]

Things are less buoyant in fresh water than in salt water, so freshwater is maybe the safe baseline 'minimum buoyancy requirement' per given weight of knife.

[VooDooChild]

I know Ive seen sunglasses that float because they have air in the frame. Theyre not great but it got me thinking. What if spyderco attempted to do a small salt series knife that floated. I only say small cause im not sure if you could pull it off when you start getting too big. But an extra wide and extra tall handle on a small folder, with 3 piece frn construction, where each scale and backspacer had a sealed air chamber. (Preferably those air chambers would be filled with foam, so even if the handle gets punctured water intrusion is limited and it still floats.)
Something to think about.

[Dodge]

Or a foam Spyder that can attach and detach quickly

[VashHash]

I usually just tie my knife to my shorts when in the water. Leave about 3' of paracord so I can work with it. I pass the paracord through the drain hole in the pocket and make a knot. Then I put all the cord and knife in that pocket. I also have a lanyard on my dragonfly salt so I can wear it like a bracelet. Keeps the knife handy and secure.

I don't have my dragonfly today but it's the same concept with my lady hawk salt

[Surfingringo]

I just dropped my Salt 2 in the ocean yesterday. I think that was my third that I have lost overboard, but that’s over about 7 years. Honestly, I’m ok with those numbers. I use the **** out of these knives and after two years and HUNDREDS of sharpenings I’m usually ok with replacing it with a new one. Don’t get me wrong, this one would have been good for YEARS more service had I not thrown it in the ocean but the fact that it was a relatively inexpensive knife that had seen countless hours of hard use made it at least a little less sickening. I have a lanyard system like that but I usually reserve it for my fancier and more expensive knives like the Autonomy 2 or prototypes that I am testing. With the frn Salts I just live life on the edge. Sometimes it ends in tears.

[standy99]

I just dropped my Salt 2 in the ocean yesterday. I think that was my third that I have lost overboard, but that’s over about 7 years. Honestly, I’m ok with those numbers. I use the **** out of these knives and after two years and HUNDREDS of sharpenings I’m usually ok with replacing it with a new one. Don’t get me wrong, this one would have been good for YEARS more service had I not thrown it in the ocean but the fact that it was a relatively inexpensive knife that had seen countless hours of hard use made it at least a little less sickening. I have a lanyard system like that but I usually reserve it for my fancier and more expensive knives like the Autonomy 2 or prototypes that I am testing. With the frn Salts I just live life on the edge. Sometimes it ends in tears.

I hear you. Lost several Pacific salts off bait boards over the years when moving between spots. ( usually a deckie forgets to put it away )
Same, they get used hard and one a year or two doesn’t hurt that much.

Do have one of those floats on my boat keys

[araneae]

Why not just rig a tether to the boat on an S Biner or something similar? Enough that you could use it freely, move it around, but always have it secured either to yourself or the boat.

[Surfingringo]

Why not just rig a tether to the boat on an S Biner or something similar? Enough that you could use it freely, move it around, but always have it secured either to yourself or the boat.

Strings and lanyards on the kayak are dangerous when you are dragging big powerful fish into your lap. Imagine a 50 lb mahi gets away from you and starts doing backflips while tail wrapped in your knife lanyard. It’s not as implausible as it sounds. I’ve had that very thing happen with a pair of pliers and they hit my shin so hard I thought I might have cracked my tibia. That was unpleasant but better pliers than an open spyderedged Pacific Salt! :eek:

[JD Spydo]

This is a good idea. How large of a knife do you think could be secured in this manner?

And I'm not saying that this isn't a good idea. And it may work really well in many different applications. But I have one big question?

Why wouldn't just a really good "LANYARD" set up be just as useful?

But I am going to look into this more to see what, if any advantages this might have over a typical lanyard system.

[JD Spydo]

Why not just rig a tether to the boat on an S Biner or something similar? Enough that you could use it freely, move it around, but always have it secured either to yourself or the boat.

Strings and lanyards on the kayak are dangerous when you are dragging big powerful fish into your lap. Imagine a 50 lb mahi gets away from you and starts doing backflips while tail wrapped in your knife lanyard. It’s not as implausible as it sounds. I’ve had that very thing happen with a pair of pliers and they hit my shin so hard I thought I might have cracked my tibia. That was unpleasant but better pliers than an open spyderedged Pacific Salt! :eek:

Hey I'm wondering about a "lanyard" type set up with either a rubber or elastic type cord that would have more versatility?

When I did a lot of work on a big wetlands project we even had a type of buoyant chunk of rubber even attached to the starting keys of the boat we were using. I've often thought that would be great for an EDC in uses around any body of deep water.

I lost one Spyder in the Missouri River ( an SE Endura) and it was so gut wrenching that I never want that to happen again.

[NorthShoreBoiBoi]

They have self inflating floats that have more buoyancy, but they are single use and I don’t know how reliable they are. Two brands off the top of my head are Key Buoy and WaterBuoy

[Tdog]

Why not just rig a tether to the boat on an S Biner or something similar? Enough that you could use it freely, move it around, but always have it secured either to yourself or the boat.

Strings and lanyards on the kayak are dangerous when you are dragging big powerful fish into your lap. Imagine a 50 lb mahi gets away from you and starts doing backflips while tail wrapped in your knife lanyard. It’s not as implausible as it sounds. I’ve had that very thing happen with a pair of pliers and they hit my shin so hard I thought I might have cracked my tibia. That was unpleasant but better pliers than an open spyderedged Pacific Salt! :eek:

Bad enough to land a big slammer or cobia in a full size boat. Guess you really need to have an equalizer ready in a kayak. I'm sure you have your routine down. Things can go downhill very quickly on a boat. Be safe.
Wish I'd had a floater for my glasses last month. I'd taken them off and put them in my shirt pocket because they were spotted with blood from mahi. Bent over and watched $350 sink to 600ft. If I wouldn't have been wearing hearing aids I would have jumped in. When on a bite it's easy to do stupid things. :o I keep my Waterway in a knife rack when not using it.

[atv223]

I was unhooking a 3 foot thrashing spiny dog fish in the kayak that knocked a cheap pair of scissors sink into the abyss. My current total number of lost Spydercos is 3 - In in Jamaica, one in OBX, one I dropped at work. Hoping this number stays flat!

[Doc Dan]

This is a good idea. How large of a knife do you think could be secured in this manner?

And I'm not saying that this isn't a good idea. And it may work really well in many different applications. But I have one big question?

Why wouldn't just a really good "LANYARD" set up be just as useful?

But I am going to look into this more to see what, if any advantages this might have over a typical lanyard system.

See Surfs response above... because it’s dangerous and also in the way. No way do I want a cord on a sharp knife that could get tangled or whipped out of my hand. I like the idea of a float secured with glow in the dark para cord or glow in the dark beads.