Is there any difference in performance all things being equal between a 13' (1) piece rod and a 2 piece rod. thanks Scott

IMHO .... no ...

A good one? No. But the discount store tip-into-butt ferrules are notorious for becoming loose and cracking/splitting over time.

A good tip-over-butt ferrule is probably stronger than the rod itself.

Many rods in the under 12' category utilize an offset ferrule location which puts the ferrule down low near the bottom third of the rod to keep it out of areas of high flex.

..........

I agree the only difference are the ferrules, but if you get a good blank you should not have any trouble with them, my new Blanks are up to 15 ft. 4 pc, and they hold up.
Mark Crouse- The Munich Rod Man

"5 ft. 4 pc" ??? :) :)
any more info ??

IMHO one piece are lighter in weight, and their action generally more moderate.

My most favorite heaver (surf rod) is an old Lami GSB-1361MH one piece, translucent finish, moderate action - it's a very light rod. One of the new heavers, an Allstar 1509-2, is noticeably heavier in weight, and it's very fast action, and somewhat more difficult to load and cast, though I can still load it up pretty good.

Lou

The number of pieces won't have anything to do with the action. You can get one piece surf rods with very fast actions, if you want.

It is a difficult question.

If you are addressing casting performance:
I have been attending casting tournaments in Texas for the past three years. I have not seen a single piece rod at any of these tournaments. A single piece rod does cause a logistics problem. Although I have to fly in, many people drive in from the north east, east, and various parts of Texas. These folks could bring long poles but they do not.

Ferrules:
It used to be thought that a two piece rod could not achieve the action of a one piece rod. I believed it and have 3 one piece Kilwell rods that I haven't used for years. Conoflex, ZZiplex and others use a spigot of some type. It is either a spigot in tip or a spigot in handle. This provides the capability of building a very strong parallel handle. The handle will have similar diameters at both ends. Spigots are powerful, but can wear out over time and do require some minimal maintenance. When we designed the CTS Makoi blanks, I required a tip over handle ferrule. It has the required strength, requires almost no maintenance and provides a proper transition to the handle. By transition, I am referring to a continued taper at the top of the handle that provides the desired action.

Cost:
This regards all things being equal to include dollars.
If I have a low cost one piece blank with a defect in the tip, I may be able to dump the blank with little impact.
However, if the handle is constructed with a helix core wrapped with collinear graphite and covered end to end with a woven twill graphite, it will be cost prohibitive to throw away the rod if there is a defect in the tip. You get the idea. So now you can build a handle and a high tech tip and not get overly worried about an occasional manufacturing defect in the lower cost tip section.


Hope this helps,
Don

I hate to be the sole dissenting voice but in my judgment there is only one reason for a ferrule in a rod and that is to make it easier to transport. From a performance standpoint it is a compromise. Todays ferrules are much better than ferrules in the past but every ferrule results in a slight stiffening of the blank in the area of the ferrule. This slight stiffening results in a phenomena called stress concentration. Stress tends to be concentrated or focused just in front of the ferrule. It is very common for rods to break a few inches in front ot the ferrule as a result.

Mr. Harry, your point is well taken. The pros of a multi-piece surf rod so outweigh the cons that the issue is moot to me. In my years of surf fishing I have never broken a multi-piece rod. There is little doubt in my mind that if I had been using one piece rods of 10 feet and longer I would have busted many. Quantifying the loss of performance is not easy. It must vary with each rod but my guess is it is not huge. Meanwhile I have thoroughly enjoyed using quality two piece surf blanks for years. Thus I do not feel the need to consider trading away their convenience for some slight increase in performance. Any advantage pales awfully fast when you hear that unmistakable SNAP!

We know that multi-piece surf rods outsell the single piece versions in the many thousands to one. Consumers may not always get it right, but in this case I think they have. Ceilings are rather inflexible. So are car doors. I find myself tested when transporting two piece rods. The thought of handling an 11 foot one piece is downright frightening.

My limit for single piece rods is 7 feet. When I transport an SCV 70MH I feel like I'm treading on thin ice. I love the performance for sure; but I'm never quite at ease until it's back home in the rod rack. I may be wrong, but it would seem that the benefit of a one piece blank is more evident in a shorter rod than a longer one. I hope you will correct me if this is false.

Dave

I agree that a ferrule is a convenience that makes a rod easier to transport. With longer rods they are much easier to transport. As I said, I think that is the sole reason that there is a ferrule in any rod. In addition to stress concentration that results in the ferrule being an inherent weak spot in the rod ferrules tend to get dirt and other foreign material in them, they can wear over time and then not fit properly, they require alignment when assembling the rod, they add a little weight and they also limit to some degree where guides can be located when building a rod. In my judgment you can build a better rod, from the standpoint of performance, out of a one piece blank regardless of the length.
Yes, they are a convenience that most people will prefer but there is a price to pay for that convenience.

As the others have said, there are pros and cons to both. I two-piece rod will have excellent performance as long as it is made on a quality blank. The downside is that the ferrule joint will occassionaly loosen up and you have to be in the habit of checking it now and then. When you are fishing a one-piece rod you can just forget about that. The real answer is to have some of both types or rods. Most of my surf rods are one-piece and they are what I use when I fish locally. When taking a long road trip, I may choose to bring a two-piece for the convenience of being able to leave it in the vehicle when I'm not fishing. In these instances, I just accept the fact that I have to periodically check the ferrule when I'm fishing.