Here's an idea for an ultra-long casting, 3pc, light surf stick. Chime in on pros and cons:
What if you took something like a Rainshadow HS1021 (2pc) and found something to make a 3rd section to insert into the original butt. Or what if you extended one of the XST1263 blanks in a similar fashion so that the finished rod was around 12.5'. How would the original blanks hold up to the casting force given the longer length and force that might be generated. Again, I'm thinking about something like the HS1021 or XST1263 or XST1264.

Marty, I don't claim to be an expert in this area but I believe that if the fit to the taper of the rod is correct then there should be no problem. I have done many ferruled handles on bamboo rods using metal ferrules to join the handle to the rod and I am working on a pack rod now. This rod is a 5 piece 9 ft, 6 wt graphite fly rod. I built the handle with the fly reel seat then I found an old rod with the same taper and built another handle on it with a spinning rod seat. You can drop the butt section on the fly rod and attach the new butt section with the spinning rod. The end product is a 9 ft fly rod and a 7 1/2 ft spinning rod. Lots lighter than a surf rod but time will tell how it holds up.

Or you could put the rear grip and reelseat on a piece of Aluminum, etc. and use a Lakeland #3163 2 piece ferruled reelseat assembly probably. Think I'd test drive on a cheaper blank, as there would be no chance of a warranty.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2007 09:50AM by Spencer Phipps.

Are you talking about simply inserting a 3rd section into a 2 piece rod with NO ferrule?? I don't know anything about surf rods but I would think that a multi pc rod without a ferrule may be a disaster waiting to happen. When people talk about extending blanks, they are usually talking about short pieces bonded to the blank and falling under the grip or reel seat. I think that I'd get a lot more opinions on this one.

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!!

Before the manufacturers started building longer steelhead rods this was common practice in the Great Lakes to extend blanks in this way. My first long rod was/is a 16 foot Fenwick HMG made from 2 blanks (butt of one blank fitted into the butt of a second blank). I have several of these types of rods in my collection. Most of you GL area builders should know of Dick Swan who built long steelhead rods using IMX blanks in this way.
As far as a surf rod I can't say how it would hold up as you will be casting much heavier weights.


Regards
Dave

Fishing is Life the rest is just Details




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2007 11:04AM by Dave Orr.

I would consult Karry or Bill Batson on the extension question. Some blanks can be extended, some not so easily as you will change the flex point under load.

Terry

How long of a extension do you plan to add on, I hope it is permanent. If you plan on a ferrule extension I would think about , You might or could be building a shear point that can cause a failure. If you are also moving the reelseat. I would put the reelseat in the center of the joint Also reinforce this area with a wrap of 00 thread then place the reelseat over that wrap. Just my 2 cents I Am sure there are there are many ways that may work for you. I would place a question to surf rod builders. This would narrow your reply comments.
Good Wraps Bob

For what it's worth, I did something similar, with very good results.

I purchased a 24" retractible butt section from Mudhole.com, and mounted it to a Loomis blank. I did it the traditional way, with the rod going up through the butt section, and held there by friction while in use WORKS GREAT!

I added reinforcement wrapping to the top and bottom of the section, to avoid splitting when making hard casts.

I've also extended rods the "typical way" using both inner and outer extensions, with no problems, but I alway reinforce the outer part with thread.

Just expect it to go wrong, and don't use a fav blank the first time out.. That way, if it works, you will be thrilled!

Best wishes.

-TH

I have extended blanks in the past both permenantly and as a 3 piece rod. On permenantly joined rods I use a second blank of the same series and use the butt to extend the blank to the desired length. This also leaves you with an extra tip for backup. Fourtunately the reelseat has always ended up where the blanks join so that is used as a reinforcement. Sometimes trimming is needed. These were Fenwick SurfStiks and Cosmotechs.The one time that I made a 3 piece rod I used 2 older Fenwick HMG blanks, I think one was a GSH1084 for the top 2 pieces and the other was a GSH 1385. I had to trim the butt of the 1385 from the tip side. That extended the rod about 4 feet leaving a 5 inch overlap for the join between the 2 blanks. The tapers were a perfect fit. This rod lasted many years till I snapped the tip pulling line out of my reel.