Colonial’s Marlinspike Knife

Photographs by the author

The Marlinspike Knife from Colonial Knife Company is built to a U.S. Navy design and comes with the lanyard shown here, and the Department of Defense National Stock Number (NSN) etched onto the blade.

Before I had a rigger’s knife I used various pocket knives, X-actos, and scissors for cutting line. I kept a lookout for a good rigger’s knife, but most seemed too big for the smaller jobs that I took care of on our fleet of boats. That all changed when I found the Marlinspike Knife from the Colonial Knife Company. A 4-1/2″-long folder, it’s a nice size to fit in a pocket.The Marlinspike Knife has a hardened 440A stainless-steel 3″ blade with a deep fingernail groove for easy opening. The blade does not lock when open. The frame and pins in the knife are also stainless steel. The blade’s 2-5/8″ cutting edge is straight for its entire length, a very useful feature for cutting line. You can make a long draw cut without having to pivot the knife to keep the whole length of the edge on the rope. The sheepsfoot blade’s flat spine curves down to meet the cutting edge to make a point that reduces the chance of piercing injuries and the blade’s satin finish helps hide fingerprints. The blade needed minimal attention straight out of the box, just a few strokes on the stone to finish the edge. The blade stays sharp through an afternoon of small-line cutting and will cut through 3/8″ polyester line, both braided and three-strand, with one stroke.