Am considering extending blank 12-18 in.Will build handle and seat on aluminum tube and add to blank.Seat will be where the overlap is on the blank.What kind of tube do I need,will what I find at Lowes be strong enough or do I need something more specific in the tubing?Will be used in rodholder ,bottom fishing, freshwater. Thanks

What size line will be you using?

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25lb. mono 2-20 lb. catfish.Butt is approx. 3/4 od.

At that point you start dealing with a lot of variables - how long is the rod? What you'll find at Lowes or HD is fairly thin wall tubing. From a rod holder, with a long enough rod, you might possibly run into problems with the handle creasing or folding under a big time hit from a huge fish.

But, this is a worst case scenario based on a long rod, heavy line and really big catfish.

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Tom its 7 ft and I want to make it 8 ft.Could buy a better quality tube I suppose,but if I do that could probably just get an 8 ft. blank and not have to worry.Youre right about the tube creasing and folding up.That was my concern,and that possibility of a Big fish is very real where I fish.Id hate to lose a once in a lifetime fish because I was too cheap to buy a $50 blank.You talked me ouy of it.lol Thanks

There are a couple things you can do to stiffen/strengthen the tube without adding much weight, but I'll leave that alone for now. If a blank you like is available in the length you need, that's always a safe bet to take.

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Bruce,
Rather than use an aluminum tube - just slip a larger piece of rod blank over the butt of your current blank, overlapping it by 4 inches or so.

Glue the two blanks together, and go ahead and build your rod.

I have done this many times in the past with 0 issues.

Very simple and completly reliable.

Roger

Bruce, If weight isn't too much of a factor for you, you would probably be fine using a dowel if the diameter of the blank is large enough to receive one with that is strong enough.

Tight Lines and Bull's-eyes,

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Bruce,
If you need a butt extension but don't have ready access to a good source of blanks; check out the drop box at your favorite sporting goods and fishing store for unused rods.
Also check out your local salvation army, or good will store for some of the larger rods that you might need for this application.
A nice way to go is with one of the glass deep sea rods. You can often chop it up and come up with the exact blank size that you need for your project. Clean up the outside of the blank and you are good to go.

Roger