The right tools are always a key ingredient to doing a job well, and this is especially true for rope work. Fortunately, when it comes to these jobs, there are really only two tools that are critical: a sailor's knife and a marlinespike.

Go into any boating supply store and you will see a wide assortment of both. Some are folding, offering a convenient way to carry the two tools as one, with the knife blade on one side and a short marlinespike on the other. Others take a sheathed approach, with a longer knife and spike in a single sheath.Gene BjerkeThe basic tools for rope work are a sailor's knife and a marlinespike.

THE MARLINE SPIKE

The marlinespike is a very simple and incredibly useful tool, primarily designed to be pushed through rope. Hence the term "marlinespike seamanship."

A marlinespike itself is no more than a round, tapered piece of metal. It may or may not have a head or a knob at the top. Most commercially-available marlinespikes come to a more-or-less sharp point. I prefer the point to be flattened to a "duck bill," which makes it easier to push the spike through a rope without breaking anything.

A marlinespike can be used to separate the strands of a three-strand rope for splicing and to lever apart tightly-jammed knots. Naturally, it is very helpful when working with small stuff – like marline. For example, to pull small lines tight, as you would in a seizing, without the line cutting into your hand, you can use a marlinespike hitch to attach the spike to the line, and then use the spike as a handle.

Of course, you will find it useful for any number of jobs involving prying or separating small objects – or even for opening pop tops. It truly is an indispensable tool.

THE SAILOR'S KNIFE

The standard sailor's knife has a dropped point, a straight edge and a heavy blade. As with most seafaring items, there is a yarn associated with the dropped point. The tradition is that if a sailor had a knife with a point on it, the mate would stab it into a board and break the point off to keep the men from using their knives to fight. Unfortunately, the truth is more boring: a sailor's knife doesn't need a point because it is used strictly for cutting.Gene BjerkeMarlinespike tips can be sharp or blunt.

The straight edge and heavy construction allow you to make a neat cut, even through heavy rope. You lay the rope on a piece of scrap wood, place the knife across where you want to cut, and drive the knife through with a hammer.

People who enjoy doing rope work find a large range of tools to help (my own rope work tool bag weighs 15 pounds). If you are interested in more advanced work, you will want to acquire such things as a sailmaker's palm and needles, for whippings and such; a basic fid, for opening eyes temporarily to insert thimbles; specialized fids for splicing double braid; and serving mallets for advanced rigging work. These are all great tools for their different purposes – and you'll find they make each task much easier and quicker. But the average boater will not need most. But if you are serious, a knife and a marlinespike are a must.