Who makes them? Who has them?,,,Need a 5' med action, will be used for trolling leadcore line with off-shore boards.

Not much sense in making a solid graphite blank. That type structure gives up the very sort of thing that you'd be using graphite for in the first place.

Hexagraph does make solid hexagonal graphite fly rod blanks, but that's about it.

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Are you thinking solid glass ?

Tom,

The Hexograph rods may be solid but they are not solid graphite. They have a foam core onto which is laid strips of Graphite. I have re-furbished one. Can't say I go a lot on them


Mike O.

A article was written in this months Walleye Insider Magazine that a custom rod builder had built a 5' Solid Graphite Trolling rod to handle leadcore line. A lot of anglers have contacted me about this, but I dont know where find a blank like that.

Mike
Like I have always said, how much technology can ya put into a graphite tube ?
Thanks for the heads up, i will stay away. Sounds like it could be prone to defects ???

Greg,
The problem with solid graphite or glass blanks is that as you get closer and closer to the center of the blank, called the neutral axis, the material is carrying less and less of the load on the rod. In fact, it drops off very rapidly. From the outer layer of material the amount of the load on the material actually drops off at the 4th power and at the center the material is carrying no load. In other words the outer layers of material carry most of the load on a rod and the material close to the center is doing very little or nothing other than just adding weight. And the added weight naturally reduces the efficiency, sensitivity etc.
The only advantage that solid blanks have is higher hoop strength, higher resistance to crushing and torque. But you will pay a high price in terms of the other characteristics of a blank to get the higher hoop strength. Much higher hoop strength than is needed in my judgement.

The Lipper landing tool/scale people are now making solid graphite rods. tackletour.com did a review a while back, I didn't see anything in the test that would get me to buy one.

Thanks Spencer Phipps for the info

Bill,

The hexagraph blanks are I believe very reliable. I just don't like the action or feel of them. The Avon rod I re-furbished was heavy and soggy compared to an Avon rod built from a modern hollow carbon blank.