KaBar rigging knives KaBar sailors knife Pictures and Discussion

[B.Mauser]

I think a thread dedicated to the discussion and picture posting of these neat knives would be fun and interesting.

Please feel free to contribute any pictures and discussion you might have concerning these KaBar knives.



I dont own one of these yet. I have been outbid in many auctions for them but eventually my day will come.The pictures I am posting in this thread I have collected and saved online over the last few years.



The one I think is most interesting is the Voyageur. Its a fixed blade knife came in a 2 sided leather sheath that also included a marlin spike. The model numbers I see associated with these are 1252 and 1375.

There is also a KaBar folding pocket rigging knife. It has a sheepsfoot blade and a
marlin spike that both fold. Model number 1121.

 

[B.Mauser]

Mr Z had this to tell me about these knives.

Yes. The first ones came out in the 30s and were called the "Voyageur". The first couple if years they had a drop point and then shifted to a wharncliff profile.

Later, (60s, IIRC), 1252 was assigned as the model number. In the 70s, the model number 1375 was assigned to it.

Now I might have the model numbers reversed as the order in which they were used. I've seen way more 1375s than 1252s. Although I have 3 different Kabars with 1252 as the model number - this style, a hunter style and the current usage, one of the shorties.

Both the 1252 and 1375 sailor's knife have the stamp in the ricasso.

The one's with the mark in the blade near the spine are, to the best of my knowledge, the older ones, say 1930s and 1940s, but maybe some were 1950s.

 

[B.Mauser]

Another

In the maritime community, ropes fall into 3 categories. Small stuff, lines and hawsers.

Small stuff is anything less than 1" in diameter.
Hawsers are anything with a diameter of over 4".
Lines are everything in between,

A naval quirk is that small stuff and hawsers are referred to by their diameter, while lines are most often called by their circumference.

A 6" towing hawser is 6 inches in diameter, while a 6" mooring line is about 2" in diameter.

The spike is also used as an assisting tool when splicing hawsers, line or small stuff. You use it to pry apart the individual lays in the line so that you can weave the lay ends into the main body of the line.

For the lanyard above, the spike in the picture may have been used to splice in the knife, but the splicer had to use a different spike when splicing in the spike.

Spikes this size are used on "small stuff", which are lines up to 1/2" or so in diameter.

For "lines", the spike is usually about 12" to 18" long and 1/2" or more in diameter. The spikes we used on hawsers are 3 or 4 FEET long and it would take 4 or 5 men to splice one. Fortunately, splicing a hawser was never a frequent task.

The lanyard, when rigged as depicted, is to prevent inadvertent loss of either tool if dropped. The rig allows for a single lanyard to be used for 2 tools. One tool is sheathed while the other is in use. Supposedly, the user sheaths one of the tools and then it is supposed to act as an anchor for the tool in use. The scheme works MOST of the time.

 

[NCSlice]

Yeah, there's many clever bidders on these. Every time...many many times they appear affordable, at the very end they sky rocket. I have a constant eye out for a set myself.

 

[NCSlice]

Isn't there a set that comes with some sort of little wrench too?

 

[B.Mauser]

That's right there is. I forgot about those. They were called the Marine Mate. I have this picture of one.

 

[B.Mauser]

Wow. I just found this picture online. I didn't know the pliers came with with the fixed blade and marlin spike.

 

[B.Mauser]

And a couple more interesting pictures. Looks like the folding KaBar rigging knife came in a kit with pliers too. Ive seen these pliers alone before. Ive seen many of these black folding rigging knives alone. I never knew they were all from these kits.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

The folding rigging knives were also sold stand-alone. That's why there are so many more of them floating around fleabay that the pliers.

The spikes were unmarked as far as I know, since I have never seen a spike marked. Doesn't mean that they were never marked. Just that I haven't seen one. Most likely, Kabar just bought a case or two of spikes whenever they made a run of the knives.

 

[NCSlice]

Wow. I just found this picture online. I didn't know the pliers came with with the fixed blade and marlin spike.

Yep, that's the one.

 

[sac troop]

I think these pliers were made by several manufactures. Most of the time they were sold as stand alone items. I've had one for years in one of my bags in the back of one of the cars, I'll keep my multi-tool though.

 

[gunsil]

Here are a few older "yacht" and rigging knives. The two folders are pre-WW2, the one without a back bolster was called a "mariner's" knife while as you can see the one with the bolster is a "yacht" knife.



The fixed blade with the marlin spike set is an early one made of carbon steel, and identical to the "Voyageur" which was a specific model for the Sea Scouts and true Voyageurs" will be etched with the Official BSA logo and the word Voyageur. Also note this knife and the Voyageurs will have the "Olean Cutlery Co" marks on the back of the blade. Next we have a sweet little KA-BAR "Yacht Knife" with original sheath.

 

[B.Mauser]

Very nice knives gunsil.

Thank you for sharing the pictures and your knowledge of them. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Baystate]

I have one marked ka bar stainless 1255

 

[Thomas Linton]

Got the pliers at a garage sale ages ago and have carried them in my car-camping kit ever since. Never knew they even came in a set. Thanks!

 

[gunsil]

Those stainless ones with model numbers on them were made after 1966 when Cole bought KA-BAR.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Cole not Coleman. Coleman bought Western.

 

[gunsil]

You are right Wayne, I fixed it, dunno why I made such an error.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Probably hadn't had enough coffee yet.

 

[Tanker 1/66]

I just saw a 1950s Wharncliff rigging knife on the bay. Beautiful knife. I don't know enough about the value yet but I do like the style and history.