This Knife Can Get Sailors Out of Just About Any Knotty Situation
David Boye’s $239 boat tool is handy in a wide array of situations.
The Boye Sheepsfoot folding boating and rescue knife.
Photographer: Victor Prado for Bloomberg Businessweek
Bladesmith David Boye understands how essential a reliable knife is to a sailor: His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all captains. No surprise then that his Sheepsfoot folding boating and rescue knife ($239) is a 2.5-ounce lifesaver. Its 3-inch blade holds an edge ferociously. In one test, it made hundreds of cuts through tough Endura Braid rigging line before needing to be resharpened. The blunt sheepsfoot-style tip is an added safety measure, preventing you from stabbing someone (such as yourself) should you slip while working on a pitching sea. Combined with a titanium marlinspike—a picklike tool used in tying and prying apart knots—it’s a tool every bit as necessary as a compass.
THE COMPETITION