Knives for nets

[omega3]

Originally Posted by alexrom1207

One important reason to prefer diving knives over knives intended for use in the home or kitchen is that diving knives (like hunting knives or just generally knives intended for tough use) have a solid piece of metal that runs the entire length from the tip to the butt of the knife. This makes the knife stronger in general and it also allows you to use it as a prying tool (if need be). Also, dive knives are made out of steel which is not flexible and will not bend, but if stressed too far will snap. Kitchen knives and domestic knives are made to bend and flex back into position, because there is no need for them to be very strong. Omega3, not to take anything away from that knife, as I'm sure it works just fine, but from the look of the knife I doubt that the blade runs the whole length of the knife. Also, the steel looks like it is a flexible (probably 410 stainless...maybe 420 stainless) which is not a working steel. Probably what you like the most is the serrations, which do work great on tough rope. But, if I'm going to bring one thing down with me when I dive, I want to be sure that it is something that can get me out of trouble in a worse case scenario...which may involve more than just cutting rope.

Oh dear ...guess who wasted their money on a posing knife and is trying to justify it . As you say "from the look of it"

The only thing you will need to pry with a posing knife is the top off a bottle to drown your sorrows .

The one thing you really want to take with you when you dive is an air supply that will get you back to the surface...


tried ,tested,proven undisputed current king of the pile....the "Backstabber" by a mile!!

You`ve been told sunshine

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by omega3

Oh dear ...guess who wasted their money on a posing knife and is trying to justify it . As you say "from the look of it"

The only thing you will need to pry with a posing knife is the top off a bottle to drown your sorrows .

The one thing you really want to take with you when you dive is an air supply that will get you back to the surface...


tried ,tested,proven undisputed current king of the pile....the "Backstabber" by a mile!!

You`ve been told sunshine

I would imagine that most spearos, like me, resent having to carry more stuff around on their bodies than they need too. A hunting knife for me has it's primary use in killing fish not cutting nets. The knife needs to be an effective stabbing tool, true I could keep an Ike spike on my belt but that would mean one more piece of crap I need to carry around and one more thing that is likely to get tangled up in a net should it ever happen again. Those lettuce choppers to me seem like about as bad a tool as I could ever wish to carry. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they are wonderful things for chopping rope but for a hunter they are not ideal. The classic stilleto spearing knife while being a posing knife is that shape for a reason.

Anyways guys, I'm off to fry up my breakfast with my shiny new oxy acetylene cutter. My wife tells me I'm better off using the cooker but what the ...k does she know??

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Pastor

I would imagine that most spearos, like me, resent having to carry more stuff around on their bodies than they need too. A hunting knife for me has it's primary use in killing fish not cutting nets. The knife needs to be an effective stabbing tool, true I could keep an Ike spike on my belt but that would mean one more piece of crap I need to carry around and one more thing that is likely to get tangled up in a net should it ever happen again....

Good point. I am very conscious of the need to stay stream-lined and unencumbered/uncluttered for the sake of safety and enjoyment. I thought about making and carrying an iki spike as they work better than my current spearo dagger (a little too broad near the tip) but figure that is too much gear. The small slim Omer Hunter blade probably has the ideal blade for fish killing but might be rather puny for anything else. I like the look of bigger daggers, particularly the slim Sporasub Snake & Immersion fish daggers, whic offer the ability to deal with large fish & provide a long cutting edge. However I now prefer flat daggers, as they are very streamline and I can use the Rob Allen Limpet sheath, which is by far the best sheath I have come across (flat, no buckles or quick release to fail).

Anyway, I can use the spike on my stringer as an iki. If I can't be bothered to retrieve the float (it's a float stringer) then the knife can be used. I'm gradually reshaping the blade of the knife to improve its profile for spiking.

Knife design idea: a small, flat, all-metal version of the Omer Hunter with an smaller version of the RA Limpet sheath designed specifically for arm mounting (upper or lower arm). You could optionally carry a bigger dive/bread knife on your leg.

Shears & super-scissors seem quite popular with SCUBA divers.

[Pastor]

Back up knives are a different story, to me Dave's suggestion of the lightweight kitchen Devil is good (assuming those fine serrated things that never seem to go blunt), it "can" be kept in a sewn in or glued on pouch that won't be another source of clanking or entanglement. Bottom line of that argument is that if you really need that back up knife then you are "really" in the shit and the chances are you'll need a chainsaw to get you out!

[omega3]

Yes thats all very well but the topic is knives for nets.


Youve too have been told...gloves off

Anyone else is just asking for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pastor]

Originally Posted by omega3

Yes thats all very well but the topic is knives for nets.

But this is a hunting forum

Originally Posted by omega3

Youve too have been told...gloves off

Anyone else is just asking for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now you're being told, please abide by the rules of deeperblue.net if you wish to trade insults please do it to me by PM, that way you will be less likely to receive a ban

[omega3]

My sincere apologies Pastor
I have a terrible sense of humour.
Nor would I want to insult you by PM either!

[Pastor]

some picture of the sort of netting that will cause the most problem to us:

[alexrom1207]

Wow, not the kind of netting I was thinking of at all Pastor. I was thinking more of the commercial dragger type of netting. The kind that gets wrapped around the props of my boat and lets me practice my apnea skills, or lack thereof. That mono stuff is not really that widely used on the Northeast United States, UNFORTUNATELY we have more draggers up here than we know what to do with. I would imagine for that kind of stuff simply a very sharp straight edged knife would work well, or perhaps even a knife with a line cutter (my 10 year old $25 P.O.S. dive knife has one ) if it is kept sharp.

[Jonny250]

good pictures pastor, did you get there before the net guy, or are those fish being left for the birds?
Those are similar to the nets i had in mind, although the ones i've seen have weights along the bottom to keep them submerged. (did you try your knife on that net? :-) )

[Pastor]

The pictures aren't mine, a friend took them. I think the net owner hadn't bothered getting out of bed in time to catch the net as it dried out on the tide. I would imagine that this lot were spoilt.

There's a lot of this our way, even in the summer when it's prohibited. There nets can be 200m long and in just a few feet of water, they can take a shed load of fish in a single night. How much must a decent haul be worth? It's no wonder so much of it goes on.

[Pastor]

Here's one for sale on ebay. Again on my doorstep

[Mr. X]

What a terrible waste. Good pictures Pastor -- good to see what we are up against. I also saw some large pieces of much thicker nets washed up on the rocks at Chesil this week. I thought the gill netters were pros but the above make me wonder if most are chancers trying to make a quick buck. Do gill netters often get caught in their own nets I wonder?