I have a cust that wanted 8 downrigger rods and had specs of the way he wanted them. I built to spec with 10" eva butts. A problem arose when he called me to say the butts were getting torn up and butt caps were falling off. The problem is that he is a welder and built his own rod holders for the downriggers that consist of 7" tubes with no floor or stop so the butts of the rod stick out the bottom 3". So fishing for stripped bass on the Hudson river when you get a 30lb fish and an inexperienced fisherman the force requried to remove the rod from the holder is tearing up the eva and knocking off the caps. I told him I would repair the rods only if he redid the holders as to end the problem. Fair?

In a way, the best way of going from the start would be for you to have known what kind or rod holders he had and than originally installed something like a slick butt instead of the EVA. The butt cap and grip than would have been very difficult to damage.

Here's what I do with trolling rods, cheap and pretty much indestructable [www.rodbuilding.org] Underground sprinkler hose (Can usually get leftover pieces from any sprinkler installer or Lowe's/ Home Depot for free or a couple bucks)!! Comes in a couple diameters. Sand on lathe with 100 grit and a couple coats of gel urethane while turning on lathe and you've got a grip that no rod holder will tear up

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!!

I would have him fix the holders. Fix one rod and see if this is truly an overall fix. If it is, then he should go for the labor to fix the rest, since it is his holders fault.

Bill - willierods.com

EVA + any rodholder = bad. EVA will always get torn up when used in rod holders for trolling. EVA will make it very difficult to remove the rod with a large fish on. Some sort of slick butt is best. Make one yourself as Mike did or buy a ready built one. Rod slides right out of the holder even with large saltwater fish on.

I will add that for some trolling purposes (not what your customer has experienced here) the eva butt grip is necessary to prevent the slipping out of the holder. Slick butt + T-Top sideways rod holder in choppy seas results in lost equipment if it isnt tied down. With an EVA grip, that rod will stay put.

In any case, I would say change one to a slick butt and see how it holds up, and if that wont cut it, use Mike's idea as I believe it may be stronger.

You might like a 1" OD PVC sch 40 pipe with Batson EVABC20 cap.
The pipe is available in white or gray, there may be other sizes that will work for you, depending on rod OD.
Use Laq Thinner to remove any printing on the tube, they can also be spray painted and coated with rod finish to protect.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381