I have a 10 ft surf rod and would like to add 2 feet to the butt what will that do to the performance of the rod ? thanks

It will make it faster and more powerful.

I slightly disagree regarding "more powerful". I THINK that adding significant tip speed (additional 2 feet) will likely LOWER the overall terminal tackle (lure) weight capacity As the tip moves faster in an arc more pressure will be placed on the tip. Understand I have NO empirical evidence.

Maryann,

For each new blank I build on, I measure the CCS action angle and ERN for the entire length of the rod. I also run the numbers at decreasing 6" increments. For example, I'll start with a 7' blank and measure the AA and ERN at 7', 6'6", 6', 5'5", and 5'.

I can tell you with certainty that at each decreasing increment, the AA is slightly lower (slower tip) and the ERN is slightly lower(less power). What this tells me is that the exact opposite will happen if I were to extend the blank. The AA will be slightly higher(faster tip) and the ERN (power) will be slightly higher.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,
Chad Huderle

Huderle Custom Rods
Prior Lake, MN



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2011 10:26PM by Chad Huderle.

Ken, 2 ft is a lot of extension but on a surf rod in some places is considered pretty standard. If the blank started out as say a 1-3 oz rated blank and you extend it 2ft i would still happily throw a 3 oz with it and maybe even a 4. Depends on the blank and how the extension was made etc,
Now if this is an already built surf rod and she is trying to extend the butt 2 ft while leaving the reel seat in place you have very different things going on! I would then 100% agree you would be placing the tip under extra stress. Not sure how you would cast that, but in theory you could get some serious leverage on your cast and would maybe have to throw a lighter lure. .

Ken,

I've had the opportunity to build on two rod blanks stock and with 1' extensions. One was a 2S70MHF and the other an IS701H from Mudhole. On the extended rods, they were both built to 8' using a surf blank for the extension pieces. I can tell you without a doubt, the 8'ers are faster in action and more powerful than the stock rod blanks. I didn't run the AA or ERN on them but you don't need to in order to tell the difference in power and action. I realize that the extensions I built were both pretty long but they fit the need and worked out great. If doing a shorter extension, say 3 or 4 inches, I doubt one could tell much of a difference.

jeremy

very interesting, can someone explain why. The tip would be faster and the butt more powerful? Lou (serious leverage on your cast and would maybe have to throw a lighter lure) If the tip is faster it would seem to me that it would throw heavier lures better not lighter ones?

If you extend the butt, and assuming you do a good job of it, you'll increase both the power and action (make it faster) than what you started with.

I wouldn't completely rule out what Ken offered, however, as extending the blank won't necessarily increase the casting lure weight range even though it does increase overall power. You'll have to be careful there and not push anything past its practical limits.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

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

Maryann,

the butt will be more powerful, because you've added an extension that, if you follow the method in Tom's article, is stiffer than the blank you're adding it to. The result is that the new butt area is more powerful than the original butt of the blank.

The rod will become faster, because you've added more length to the rod, while keeping the same tip characteristics. Rod action is determined by where the rod initially flexes, relative to the length of the rod. For example, if it initially flexes at one foot from the tip in a 10 foot set-up, you might say that 1 foot divided by 10 feet equals .100. Extend it 2 feet, and now you have 1 foot divided by 12 feet, or .083. These numbers are just to illustrate my point. There is a much better explanation in "The Common Cents Info" button at the top of the left side of this page.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

Jeremy & George -
Thanks for the info. As I said I have NO hard (empirical) data. I was just thinking that with a 2' extension & the tip moving faster with same rated weight the tip might be overloaded. Appreciate your information

To be sure of what you want -- open the butt end - put in a scrap section of blank and test cast it

Two feet is a lot and for a strong section it is recommended to put the extension - over the blank.

maybe sell this one and build another of proper length

Bill - willierods.com

Maryann,

Here are a couple things to think about how the extension will affect action and power.

Action is typically defined, you can think of it as a percentage of the total length (smaller percentage -> faster action, higher percentage -> slower action), by where the rod begins to flex. In the confines of the CCS system, you load the rod until the tip moves down 1/3 of the total length of the blank, and measure the angle of the tip relative to horizontal, i.e., no flex is 0 degrees (horizontal), and a well loaded rod would be 90 degrees (vertical). After you add the 2' extension, the original section of blank will flex just as it did before, but the percentage of total length will be smaller. Within the CCS system, you changed the length of the blank by 2 feet, you now need to load the rod until the tip goes down 8" further than when you tested the raw blank. Doing this will cause the rod tip to move closer to 90 degrees, resulting in a faster action as measured in the CCS.

I tend to think of power as the amount of weight a rod can lift, mostly a property of the butt section of the blank. The raw blank will be able to lift some amount of weight. In the CCS system, the power goes along with the ERN, the higher the ERN, the more powerful the rod. When you add the extension, you will most likely change the length of rod in front of where you are gripping the rod. When you do this, you can allow the original rod blank to flex deeper into its length. The deeper you flex it, the more lifting power you can get out of it.

This is how I tend to think about these things, and hope this helps out a little.

Joe

Ken,

I should probably clarify that I have definitely noticed an increase in power but not necessarily the ability to throw heavier lures. While using the MH St. Croix last summer, I was throwing a small bucktail and snagged a carp in the back. I was able to haul it right in which really surprised me. I was definitely able to feel the added power in the extended rod.

jeremy