I'm building a couple of rods using Stuart Tuff Butt assemblies. The blanks I want to use will only go down seven inches into the alum butt. That would be two inches below the reel seat. The rods will be 80# trolling rods spiral wrapped.

My question is do I need to use a alum butt extension on the blank so that the extended blank would go to the end of the Tuff Butt or would a good tight fit for the seven inches be O.K. I use Rod Bond and will build up the blank for a good snug fit.

Larry Tysinger

The tuff butt itself shouldn't be relied upon for strength. It's a covering, not a blank extension. Not the plastic ones anyway.

Now if these tuff butts are aluminum and not plastic or nylon, then maybe you could get by.

You will not have a problem, I use a couple of hundred of Stuart's butts a year and onlly put the blank in to the bottom reel seat hood. Any thing more than that is just adding weight. Jesse

Mike,

The complete Stuart Tuff Butt has a solid aluminium tube running from the top of the reel seat to the gimbal.

I agree with Jesse about there not being a problem. If you used a unibut, you would only have 3 or 4 inches of the blank epoxied in the ferrule. Seven inches in the Stuart butt should be plenty. I just put one together the other day like Jesse suggested. The blank went just to the bottom end of the real seat. I think I measured this as about 5 inches of blank inside the butt. Should be plenty. I also use Rod Bond. Jay

Awhile ago I ordered a tuff butt and I got a nylon sleeve and an aluminum gimble. I think I gave the wrong numbers or something to the vendor. Like they said above, if youve got the one that is like a unibutt with a nylon (plastic) cover over an aluminum tube, no problem. But if its just the plastic sleeve like I got, I would be maybe nervous. (but NEVER timid). I use pac-bay unibutts, worth every penny, they are sweet. And, I used that plastic sleeve as a super durable foregrip. Because Im cheap, or innovative? You decide.