We last tested knives for the sailor in the August 15, 1993 issue. Most of the knives tested then are still on the market—not surprising in view of their largely traditional nature. What has changed, however, is a broadening of the scope of what’s considered appropriate to the mariner’s use. In addition, some newer materials promise to resist, and in one case to provide, absolute immunity from corrosion.

A sharp knife is an essential tool ûin an emergency.

In his 1953 book, The Arts of the Sailor, Hervey Garrett Smith describes an incident on a 33-foot ketch which shaped his thoughts about nautical knives: …