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Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: James Willard (208.46.72.---)
Date: December 06, 2008 01:04AM

I am exceptionally new to rod wrapping, I have been studying, researching and building jigs and tools for about four months now; but, have not had the money for the materials to actually wrap a rod. i will soon be ordering the rest of the materials I need for my first couple rods. I have no idea how to determine what size reel seat I should use, I imagine it is probably determined by the size of the blank, or the size of the reel that will be in the seat. I would appreciate any help on this subject as well as any tips you are willing to give a new comer that is totally committed to the craft.
James

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Mike Barkley (---.try.wideopenwest.com)
Date: December 06, 2008 02:38AM

What type of 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!!

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: George Forster (71.237.22.---)
Date: December 06, 2008 08:21AM

It depends on several things: diameter of blank, length of reel foot, personal comfort. For instance, I built an ultralight spinning rod. The 16mm seat was just too small to feel comfortable in my hand, so I moved up to a 17mm. After I built the rod, I tried to put a Mitchell 300 on it, just for grins, but the hoods don't open far enough to accomodate the reel foot. I should have put an 18mm seat on the rod (if I truly intended to use the Mitchell).

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Tom Kirkman (Moderator)
Date: December 06, 2008 08:36AM

The size of the seat is determined by the size of your hand. The seat should fit your hand.

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: James Willard (208.46.72.---)
Date: December 06, 2008 10:26AM

Oh, ok that makes perfect sense, I better change my plans for my medium bass rod from a size 16 to a 17 or 18. I have had the problem of one of my store bought rods not being able to fit the reel because it didn't open up wide enough. Then again, I have no idea what size the real seats on my current rods are, so I don't know what size works for me, I was choosing size based on outside dimensions of blank near where the reel seat would be and the size listed for the reel seat, I thought that was an aweful lot of space to make up for. I think a 17 or 18 should be ok to start with. I am building a medium power bass rod. Thanks again for all the help.
James

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Tom Kirkman (Moderator)
Date: December 06, 2008 01:07PM

A 16 is way too small for almost any adult hand on a spinning rod. Use at least an 18 if not a 20.

On casting rods, you hold the rod just behind the seat so it's not as critical as on a spinning rod where you actually hold the seat.


...................

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Andrew White (---.k12.ar.us)
Date: December 08, 2008 06:59PM

From my limited experience, I would say that a good average size for bass spinning rods is an 18. When I've used a sz. 20 on my demo/loaner/R & D rods, some of my tournament bass guys have complained it's too large. IMO, anything smaller than a 17 or 18 is too small. For what it's worth, I usually build an all cork grip with skeleton seats, and make the insert the same o.d. as the outer edge of the hoods, then sand a flat spot for the reel foot. [www.rodbuilding.org] This keeps the o.d. of the entire grip exactly the same along its length.

So, unless the guy has HUGE or TINY hands, I try to steer him toward an 18.

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Tom Kirkman (Moderator)
Date: December 08, 2008 08:43PM

I highly recommend the Volume 10 #3 issue of RodMaker and the deeply researched article on ergonomics for anyone wishing to understand what size and shape handles and grips offer the human hand the ability to exert the greatest amount of force with the least amount of effort for the longest period of time.

........

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Re: Reel Seat Sizing
Posted by: Michael Danek (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: December 12, 2008 08:22PM

Regarding ergonomics, Tom, I highly respect your expertise in everything I've read that you've done, and I respect your expertise on ergonomics, but for bait casting rods for me, just for me, the recommendations to go larger than normal just don't work well. After reading your work on ergonomics I built two casting rods with larger than normal diameter handles. They were not even as large as recommended by the criteria for determining optimum diameter (that diameter was impractically large) based on my hand size. Yet they were uncomfortable to cast, were unstable in the hand while casting, and I ultimately turned them down to about the diameter of the rear of the reel seat and found them much better.

Maybe for doing chin-ups, and for spinning rods, the ergonomics recomendations work, but for me, on bait casting rods and one-handed casting, the traditional smaller diameter works much better.

I admit I may be missing something, not sure what it is. I recommend for bait casters that builders try a "taped on" large diameter grip before committing to it with epoxy. One way to try it may be to take a rod that they have, and one they like, and build up the grip diameter with something temporary to try it out. See if you really like it before committing a glued up baitcaster to it.

IMHO, Mick

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