-
SHOP
-
MEET GERBER
An excellent water sports knife, it meets the unique needs of rafting, paddling, and diving. A sturdy stainless steel blade, lightweight glass-filled nylon handle, and deliberately blunt tip ensure you can carry it on any number of watery excursions.
Details:

Additional Versions:
DESIGN INTENT
The one thing that never changes about life on the river is that it is in fact, always changing. The specific demands of those who live, work, or play on the river influenced Gerber to design a knife unlike anything before it. If ever a knife was made for a specific purpose, the River Shorty may just be it.
Whether rafting, paddling, canoeing, or diving, one thing remains true – if a knife is going to hold up in the water the design can’t be an afterthought. The highly polished stainless steel blade makes the River Shorty extremely corrosion resistant, meaning you can throw it in your raft and forget about it until you need it. The purposely blunted tip won’t puncture inflatables or fingertips, and the lightweight handle has built in grooves along the edge for grab-and-go situations. This knife goes anywhere the water can take you with a sheath designed specifically to mount on a PFD.
Cuts rope effortlessly right of the box. 1/16 of material on both sides of the clip to fit all the way thru my lash tab. Minus one star for that
The sheath must be modified to fit in a standard pfd lash tab. I spent all weekend catching the knife with my paddle and rods as the only spot I could mount it was was too low. I'm taking a Dremel tool to the sheath tonight. Seems like a design oversight.
NOT Designed "specifically for mounting on a pfd" as expressed above. The clip is too wide to fit in a standard lash tab.
I had the old rivermaster for a long time, loved it, and the clip fit perfectly through a lash tab... like the designer was actually planning for it to be used on a pfd. Unfortunately, the rivermaster knife is gone, but the sheath is still well and safely attached to the lash tab of my pfd.
Bought the river shorty to replace my old river master, and imagine my surprise when the sheath requires cutting down to fit a standard pfd lash tab. Take note in the video how the knife is attached to the strap that holds the life jacket secure to your body and the lash tab is left bare. You deside if you are okay accidently loosening your pfd in an emergency when you draw your knife for use.
Gerber, you are better than this poor quality and lack of consideration for then end use and customer safety.
This is a generally good knife, with good balance. The only problem is that when submerged in salt water, it begins to rust almost immediately.
The river shorty knife has been really useful for me on my scuba diving trips. Since there is a hole in the handle you can tie it to your gear, and always have it floating right in front of you. It could also be a great safety tool, because if you got stuck under water by abandoned fishing net, debris, etc. you could cut yourself free. The only con is that the grip can irritate the hand if using knife vigorously/ for a long period of time.
Absolutely love this knife. I take it with anytime I am canoeing, kayaking or other boating type sports. Its nice that it easily clipped to the straps of my PFD. I only one hand to deploy it in emergencies, no weird locks or straps to fumble with.
i still have the original river shorty, and its an amazing knife! I used it to shuck oysters, cut rope, and keep around my neck!
The problem with most PFD and boat knives is that they are either cheap, throwaway junk, or so expensive you can't afford to risk loosing or breaking the knife. The River Shorty is the classic, do anything, utility boat knife, canoe knife, PFD knife, inflatable knife. The new high visibility green handle is a great plus; the only real improvement needed.