Hello all, Just starting out on a new adventure in the fishing world. Got a question for you experts. I have a 7' MH casting blank for bass fishing and the butt size is .615 and I want to get close to that size, without adding too many arbors to the reel seat. Would 16 be around the close size or is a 17 to big.Thanks for any help that you guys might have. Steve

Steve

16 mm would be closer than 17 mm. 16 mm equals .62992. Not quite sure but if you can get a 15 mm equals .59055. you might be able to bore it out to fit and perhaps you wouldnt need arbors or tape etc. just my 2cts

That's why I like the exposed blank casting seats. They come in half mm increments, and you usually don't have to use arbors, at least on the back. They ream pretty easily.
The rods I make, though, usually use seats from 10 - 13mm. Don't know if they come as big as 15.5, which would work well in your case.
Steve Broadwell

Pac Bay & Batson also make exposed blank 17 mm seats so you should be covered.

If you go with an exposed seat I would suggest buying one slightly smaller then you need and reaming it out to size of the blank. If you go with a larger size then you will have a gap between the exposed part and blank. It will defet the porpose behind using it to begin with