Knives, knives, knives

As I haven't even bought my kayak yet, I don't know if I am going to be more than a troll, but...  as far as knives go for overwater activities, my personal favorite is a Boye dendritic cobalt sheepsfoot folder - absolutely will not rust, not too expensive, and holds a working edge a very, very long time.

Other ones worth looking at are the Spyderco H1 Atlantic Salt or Salt 1 (heck, any of the H1 Salt knives are worth a look).

Both are useable with gloves on, and putting on a dummy cord is pretty simple.

I carry a folder everyday, casual and dress, and yet I prefer a fixed blade on the kayak.  If I fall out of the yak and get tangled in lines or whatever, I need to grab and slash, not grab, open, and slash.  Dropping while opening is more likely with a folder, and even if tethered, trying to find a dropped tethered knife would be tough.