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Practical Sailor magazine gives both the model 1757 U.S. Navy issue and the 1758  marlin spike with East Indies Cocobolo handle two thumbs up!  "great gift ideas"

 

 

OAR Northwest  rowing team  members, sponsored by Colonial Knife-carry the model 1758 as thier primary cutting tool.

1757 U.S. Nay issue 

model A1757

$49.99 USD

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model A1758

$69.99 USD

1758 Marlin Spike with East Indies Cocobolo handle

Collector's Corner by LeRoy Thompson            

Most of us wo are interested in the history of knives are probably somewhat familiar with the traditional Sailor's Folding knife, which generally has a sheepfoot blade and a folding marlin spike.I'm sure there are specialized collectors who know a lot more about the Sailor's Knife than I do. I have to admit, though, that I was surprised how little historical information I could find when I consulted my fairly extensive collection of knife books and spent a couple of hours on the internet. 

  A similar knife seems to have been used at least as far back as the 19th century. Although yacht and small boat sailor's continue to have use for a knife with a marlin spike, for general naval usage, the spike has exited stage left. I seem to remember seeing a photograph of a civil war sailor's knife that incorporated the marlin spike. I have also seen photographs of fixed blade sailor's sheath knives with a marlin spike that folded into the handle. The U.S. Navy contract for the style of Sailor's Marlin Spike Folding Knife most familiar to me dates from 1910.

    Early examples seem to have been made by many of the well-known sheffield cutlers, including Joseph Rodgers and Wostonenholm IKL, H.M. Slater of Sheffield made a Boy Scout Sailor's or Riggers Knife of typical pattern. Whittingslowe of Australia made a popular version of the sailor's knife that incorporated a bottle/can opener blade as well as the sheepfoot cutting blade and marlin spike. Other makers seem to have included a second blade as well.

    U.S.-Made Sailors

Virtually all of the well-known U.S. makers of folding knives seem to have offered a sailor's knife at some point in their history. In some cases  the knives were supplied to the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard. A lot of members of the Navy seem to remember the Colonial Saliors knife. Most ex-sailors from the World War II era I've talked to, however, don't remember the sailor's knife as being issued. Instead, it was available for private purchase from the ships's stores or from Navy Exchanges. Since two of these veterans were ship's storekeepers, they should know. I would assume it was quite possible that there were some issued to personnel who still worked with sails and ropes.

    Behind The Sail

I did run across two interesting pieces of information about the Sailor's Knife in gathering information for this article. Sailor's lore has been that the sheepfoot blade on the sailors' knife came about because sailors were not allowed to have pointed blades.This restriction was an attempt to keep sailors from stabbing each other when they were cooped up for long periods at sea and tempers grew short.  I have read of 19th-century-ship's mates breaking the points off of sailors' sheath knives for this reason, so there is some likelihood of a degree of truth in the lore. On the other hand, slashes from a blunted blade and stabs from a marlin spike would likely have been deadly prior to the availability of good antiseptics and antibiotics.

     There also seems to have been a long tradition of tying decorative lanyard knots for the lanyard ring of the sailor's knife. Some could be quite ornate.

               -Colonial Knife Treasures-

The reason I got interested in researching the sailor's knife is that I have sitting here two examples from Colonial Cutlery of the knife they are currenlty under contract to supply to the U.S. Government. This knife is based on the original 1910 Navy design contract.

      There are actually two versions of the Colonial Cutlery knife. The first with brown plastic handle is the military-style version and carries the markings "Gov.Issue" and NSN number on the blade. The other, designated the "Riggers Knife", has a cocobolo handle. The latter is considered the civilian model and is popular with yachtsmen.

      Both knives have the traditional  Sheepfoot blade of about 3 inches. Blade, frame, and other components are of 440 series stainless steel, with blade hardness Rockwell 58-60. There is not a blade lock. The hand-forged marlin spike is slightly curved and is about 2.75 inches long. It does have a lever lock with the shackle/lanyard ring being pressed to release it.

    I'm not a yachtsman or a sailor, I have worked a few yacht security jobs, though I was hired to my expertise with weapons and tactical skills rather than for sailing skills. Generally, I carried the same type of fighting knife I would have on land. Despite my lack of experience with sails and ropes, though, I do find the Colonial Cutlery Sailor's Knife very intriguing. Certainly for anyone who sails, it would serve as a useful tool, but also on with the cachet of following a naval tradition of a century or more. I can certainly think of uses for the marlin spike beyond standard naval usage on knots so the Sailor's Knife should have some general utility as well.

   Making the Sailor's Knife even more appealing is it's very resonable price. Suggested retail for the military issue style is $29.99 and for the cocobolo Rigger's Knife $49.99

 lifetime warranty

 

Crew of Weatherly, Nantucket MA.  

        August, 2013 Race week

Crew of Weatherly using the 1758 marlin spike to push a running rigging line through a lock block, Nantucket Race Week, August 2013

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