I have been searching the net for a while looking for a telescopic graphite blank light enough to try my hand at a tenkara rod, but have yet to nail one down. Anyone out there dabbled at this??

Have you contacted Tenkara USA to see if they will sell you a blank?

Phil,
That was the next step.

Tenkara USA does not offer blanks, just finished rods. FYI.

There is likely a market for custom built Tenkara rods, although there really isn't much involved in building one other than whatever you can do to the grip. There is no reel seat, there are no guides. Still, the first blank manufacturer/distributor that would make and offer such a thing would likely enjoy brisk sales. I know many builders who are getting requests for these rods, mostly due to the very high cost of the commercially made models. While I've never looked at price as a selling point for custom rods, this is one area where it just might be. Not to mention you could build a custom handle and perhaps add some custom aesthetic embellishments such as feather inlays or name inscriptions.

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

Tenkara USA rods are not really expensive. Almost all are less than $200.00 complete. Other than cosmetics there is little to create with the rods due to lack of guides and reel seats. One could do some exotic things with the handle,but also due to the telescoping feature, nothing can be added to the sections above the butt.

Actually, most 'tenkara' style rods I encountered in the orient is just the carbon fiber rod and no additional grip added other than a very thin rubber coating of some type. You can just get one of those Chinese tenkaras on @#$%& and then modify to your hearts content. They are quite low cost - under $30 ome of them. I picked up four different ones in the orient including one that collapses down to about 15" but extend to something like 15'. I forget but it was something amazing in terms of length collapsed verses extended.

Mo

FYI: WWW.BNMPOLES.COM makes a bunch of finished rods...10 to 20 ft., $10 to $26 bucks. Fiberglass or graphite. Look under "Telescoping" tab. BassProShops sells them.
I'm certain you could find a Chinese supplier for these dirt cheap blanks. Or buy one of those and fancy it up.
My grandson & I got a couple just to try the Tenkara thing out. Hung a piece of flyline and leader on the end of it and waded around the shallow creek behind the house.
Caught bluegill, warmouth and bass effortlessly. Probably the ultimate way to land a dry fly or topwater bait on the water. Extremely Simple and enjoyable way to fish. Were might get a couple longer ones to take in the crappie boat next spring.

Hi guys,

Long time reader, new subscriber. Just wanted to let you know tenkara blanks are now available! I started a site dedicated specifically to custom tenkara rod building after trying to find a telescoping tenkara blank and tenkara rod hardware for years. Feel free to take a look and don't hesitate to contact me.

Website:
[shop.tenkaracustoms.com]

-John