having broken several graphite spinning reel seats over the years (overtightening? children?) and having had to either destroy the rear cork handle (rod bond doesn't let go easily if at all) or destroying the fore grip and taking off the guides to replace the seat (not amusing on a long one piece rod), i'm contemplating making the next rear handle easier to remove.
to that end, what adhesive would be suggested to make rear handle removal easy?

is there a better way to replace a reel seat without destroying the fore/aft handles and/or rewrapping guides?
or is there such a thing as a practically indestructible reel seat that i can start installing?

Russel,

I am not sure what brand epoxy it is, but I know from removing handles on some of my St.Croix' that the cork is VERY easy to remove. The epoxy is very clear when dry and the cork can be pinched off with a pair of pliers. The epoxy reside also easily scrapes off of the blank after you remove the cork. You may want to contact them and find out what they use.

As for a indestructable seat. Depending on what size seat you need Cabelas sells a woven graphite seat that has titanium threats, nut and hoods. It only comes in 14mm, but it is VERY strong and I would imagine very difficult to break.

Scott Sheets

Read what Jesse Buky does. Sounds like a better solution that using lousy adhesive.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Building a rod with an eye on dissembling might create a not so dependable rod. But I suppose there are things you could do. Hot melt glue was used for many years as the adhesive of choice for components. Heat will break it and allow you take things apart, but so will extremely hot days and car trunks in some instances.

You could also just spot glue your pieces. They'd probably hold okay, until at such time that you decided to really give them a hard twist. But I'm not sure I'd want to fish with something like that.

Possibly you should consider building your handle on tubing or a short rod blank section and ferruling it into the blank. Then if you bust a blank you can just pull the blank out, leave the handle intact and reinstall another blank. This is the avenue I would take.

........

is there a reel seat that could be attached to a rod without disassembling the rod? rip off the old, slap on the new?

How about simply changing your reel seat to a nice PacBay Channel lock seat and avoid the "issue'" from the beginning ?

Buy a ferruled graphite real seat...screw on, screw off...just like a unibutt.

Jay



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2006 07:57PM by Jay Lancaster.

where would one obtain such a reel seat?

Another suggestion would be to go with a Tennesee type handle.
No seat at all!

I good method for changing out a broken seat is to cut the seat (and rod) in half. Remove
the seat parts and then install a new seat using a piece of scrap blank to couple the rod
back together. This method as been posted several times here.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I must be missing something, but I don't quite grasp the concept of building a fishing rod with the intention of someday having to disassemble it!!! I must be lucky but I have never seen a broken reel seat. I would either switch brands or alter the way I use them and if the need does arise, use the Jesse and Raymond suggested.

Mike

I'm with Ken , get a good quality seat and forget about having to replace it . John

Got Fish ?

what's a "plate seat"?

Russel
A "Plate Seat" is just that a usually a chromed metal plate that you attach by overwinding with thread to hold it in place. The only real "drawback" is that they don't screw down but have "clips" that slide over the reel feet.

that plate seat seems interesting. i'll look further into it. anyone use one? pro's? cons?

as to the seat breakage, it's probably a combination of the georgia sun, bouncing in a boat rod holder and overstressing the rod/reel by hooking up to critters way beyond the capabilities of the rod, the reel and the fisherman. i fish 8 to 12 pound line on one piece spinning equipment and am usually out around the barrier islands of the north and central coast of georgia and every once in a while i get overmatched.

what usually ends up breaking is that little "ring" that is used to screw up the threaded portion of the handle to hold the reel on.
either that or the hood splits but the hood failure is a less common problem.
it just seems to be a bit much to dissect the entire rod to replace such a minor part. especially on a rod that's 5 or 6 years into its' current set of guides, wraps and grips and all of those parts are just fine.

didn't think i'd skimped that much on the seat but maybe so.
thanks for the advice.

russell
(wilmington island, georgia)