I am going to build a rod on the MB941 MHX. Is it better to use single or double footed guides or does it matter? One is going to be lighter but the other might be more secure, maybe. This is a spinning rod, but I also plan to build more of these rods that are going to be casting rods.

Clinton

Fuji SF Guides will hold up to anything the blank will. Use what best suits your application and personal preferences.

Single foot with the Forhan locking wrap.

Bill - willierods.com

Depends on your preference. For casting rod configuration, if it was spiral wrapped, personally i would use double foot then use single foot to the tip.

It depends on the guide style, sometimes a locking wrap is pretty useless. I use 6 DF, 5 & 4 SF's to the tip spiral wrapped for pulling in some pretty heavy inshore stuff on that blank with no problems. DF's may provide a little more physical security if they get banged on pretty good, the blank would probably fail first though as Jim said.

Can you give me an example of when the locking wrap is useless? For the 941 I think double foot guides all the way to the tip would be too heavy and greatly dampen the action of the blank. On the action you're talkng about I would go all single foot to the tip. Also, my preference would be to go 3-4mm on the running guides to the tip. If you put 2 coats of any 2 part finish on the wraps correctly, you should try to remove them after a week or more. It's a job to cut them off.

Opinions are like various body parts, everyone has one!

Absolutely. There are some single-foot guide styles out there where a locking wrap will not actually lock on to anything. With these types of frames, it really doesn't take much more effort to pull a guide out wether it has a locking wrap or not. That's in my experience anyway. There are others that have done extensive testing that I'm sure would agree. I'm a firm beleiver in the Forhan locking wrap, but there are situations where it won't provide any real benefit.

The whole idea is to use the lightest guides at least on the upper half of the rod . the less weight the better performance.

The best performance you get from any blank is with no guides on it. But you need them to control your line.

Using double foot guides just adds weight, an extra foot extra thread extra finish - extra metal- extra weight . Hinders performance

Your rod do what you want

Bill - willierods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2010 12:58AM by bill boettcher.

Durability is definitely a consideration, especially if the user is less than careful with his gear. A lot also depends on travel and storage requirements. A few years ago, I built my dad a light FW spinning rod, with single foot spinning guides for butt (sz 20) and transitions (sz12 and 8), SF 4 flys for runners. He stores it in the gunwhales of a 1970 tri-hull 17 footer, along with an oar, other rods, some towels and a flashlight, and he is "always in a hurry" so the rod takes some punishment. The butt guide is loose and bent. I should have made that one (and possibly the transition guides) double foot. The small runners, on the other hand, offer little profile to hang-up on anything, and have survived unscathed.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

...however, the butt guide, though loose and bent, is still attached and the rod is serviceable, thanks to the use of a Forhan locking wrap

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

What about some kind of tube he can slide the rods in and this way other things in that area would not hit the rods.

Bill - willierods.com

great idea, Bill!
thx.