I've fished on some charter boats that have had custom built rods on them in the 30-130 lb. class. It seems to me like the entire rod, from winding check to tip was "finished" (guides, blank, etc)

Am i imaginging things or is this the case?

Thanks for the insight in advance.

There would be no need to finish the entire rod, but do this. The problem is that most of the coatings that rod builders have the ability to apply in their own shops isn't likely to be extremely durable. It's not likely to hold up nearly as well as what the commercial rod companies can apply.

If you were to do this, PermaGloss or an exterior marine urethane would give the most durability at the least amount of extra weight. Rod building thread epoxies, i.e. Flex Coat, etc., are sometimes used but they are not designed for this. They don't adhere to the blank as well nor due they cure as hard nor as flexible as the urethanes.

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on larger rods i and some other builders i know coat the whole blank, some of the blanks i use like gator glass has to be coated because they are rough finished, they are pretty ugly if you dont, ugly stick blanks are the same way. and some of the larger unlimited blanks are too. i have never had a problem with the performance due to coating the entire blank, just rub it down with a scotch brite first

This can get quite confusing - when are your coating the whole blank?

The heavy rods you are looking have underwraps that cover almost 80 to 90 percent of the entire blank to start with. The are very very short distances between the guide wraps on rods in the class you listed. Many are built on white blanks. It is easier when applying finish to just cover the whole thing in this case. The performance and weight of these rods is normally not worried about. The short distance of finish on the blank also protects the white blank surface from chipping.

i think he saw them on the boat and asking it was true.. dont think he is doing up his rod this way

-
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day..
Teach a man to fish, he'll be broke!

yes he was asking if what he saw was the case and yes it was, on larger rods we dont worry about weight, and it does hold up really well even in the commercial atmosphere like charter boats, and such. i do this for two reasons, most of my customers want something that will hold up from repeated beating and frequent fishing, so i coat the whole rod for a little extra durability and on some rods that the underwraps are so close together, you sould coat the whole thing to keep the wraps and the blank from being such a height contrast. since on the larger rods you do your underwrap. then coat, guide wrap, then coat, and a second guide wrap then coat so i usually coat the blank twice once after the first guide wraps then a final coat after the last guide wraps. so i hope this better explains the reason for your wonder

Thanks for the explanation. Certainly clarifies what I saw.

when you coat the whole rod like that do you have to wrap the whole rod or can you just do your guide wraps and such and apply the epoxy where the blank is bare?

when you do that can you do it in sections? im asking this because im going to use a gator blank and if it looks ugly uncoated then ill have to coat it but i dont really have a lot of time all at once to do it

Gator is going to look ugly no matter what you do to it (Just Kiddin') I would do it all at once. You're only talking minutes extra to do the whole thing. If you do it in sections, it may not meld together and cause problems. Just curious! What type of fishing is this for? You do know that it will affect the rod's performance and weight which you may not want on anything but a HEAVy duty boat rod.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

20-50lb and 30-80lb class rods the gator is a 20-50 and the 30-80 i havent decided on yet

bottom fishing is what its going to be used for



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2006 11:36PM by jon edwards.

Hi Jon,

I do it in sections. I mix 6cc of epoxy (3cc of each) and apply it until it starts to set. I stop at the end of a wrap (usually an underwrap). You can mix another batch then and continue or wait up to 24 hrs to continue. By stopping at the end of a wrap you will not see where you stopped and restarted.

Also before you start to wrap your blank use a grey Scotchrite pad to abrade the surface of the blank to a "Water Brake Surface". You can find Water brake surface in the Library section - Ralph O'Quinn.

Hank
On The Rocks Fishing
Wells, ME.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2006 12:39AM by Milton (Hank) Aldridge.

sweet! thanks

does anyone have a picture of a bare gator blank up close? im going to order one or so i thought i was but if its ugly then ill have to get something else

i can send you pics of a ugly stick upclose they have the same finish as a gator glass, email me and ill send pics turbohatch2@yahoo.com

Doesn't the process of applying finish on the whole blank affect a rods performance or sensitivity? I wouldn't even consider applying a finish to any of my fresh water rods, but I could understand that because of their shorter or stouter design, some builders might consider doing it to tuna or halibut rods. When fishing in 60 to 360 feet of water, fighting current, and attaching 3 - 5 pound weights, I would not want to give up even the slightest bit of sensitivity. So to me, performance is as important in salt water situations as it would be using a high performance fresh water fly rod. While I also like durability, at what point is it ok to sacrifice performance?

I have seen some of the cheaper rods completely covered in finish, as if they were dipped, rather than sprayed or applied with a brush. But I think the reason why they were done that way was more a factor of expediancy and cost rather than concern for durability.

Merry Christmas.

we talkin about large saltwater rods here, where there is no need for sensitivity, being that you usually use a 16 oz lead and a big chunk of bait or a large trolling lure at 14 knots, so sensitivity is not a factor when a 30lbs snapper or a 50lbs wahoo hits it you should be able to feel the bite if not, find another sport

man if you cant feel when a 50lb wahoo hits theres no amount of sensitivity that will help you

dont be afraid to use gator glass blanks due to the ugly factory finish the blanks come out looking great and there are many custom commercial outfits that use there blanks

Matthew and Jon, Thanks for responding. But taking my ability to feel the bite of a Wahoo (which we don't have too many up here in Alaska) out of the discussion, not all fish consistently hit a lure/bait/attractor hard. Detecting a soft bite and achieving a successful hook set on 100 pound plus Halibut at 60 to 300 foot depths, many times means the difference between bragging rights or going home empty-handed. Even with some of the saltwater rods that I do use which are rated in the 80-100 pd class, I would not dismiss sensitivity as an important aspect of a rods performance, and would certainly rate performance well above asthetics. Although my rods might not be as pretty, they perform as intended, and they certainly appear to be durable.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2006 07:38PM by Patrick Vernacchio.

well you guys throw off on the gator blanks...i think they look cool and a little more rugged where the blank is un finished...a little shabby chic. And the work great for saltwater...Can't beat em for the price.

ahh yeah i feel you on that patrick that post was more of me thinking to myself haha...everytime ive been nailed by a wahoo you missin about 200 yards of line in a couple seconds :D