I have a rod blank that has a hypalon handle. It also has a Fuji reel seat. I want to put a cork handle on it. Can I just cut the hypalon off? Also can I cut the new cork in half and epoxy it back together or should I cut the reel seat off and slid the cork down the rod?

Brad,
Cut the rear grip off the rod and replace it with a cork grip, from the butt up.
Leave the reel seat along and if there is a fore grip, leave that alone as well.

When I need to replace a front grip with cork, I've cut the front grip off. I measure the blank with calipers and pre-ream them to fit. Then I split them with a razor marking them so the halves go back together the way they came apart. I cover the blank with a layer of painter's tape and then reassemble the rings with a cable tie on each ring paying special attention that each rings flat mating surface is perfect. Set it aside to cure and set fully. Later I come back, remove the tape and reassemble the loose individual rings into a grip. You have to hand sand then to perfect the shape of the grip. Alternatively if it's a simple guide wrap on a two-piece rod, and I know the colors for a perfect match, I'll remove the guide(s) and install a new grip from the front and retie the guides. Either way, it's a lot of work.

If you have the capability, you could also turn/sand, or have someone turn/sand, the hypalon down to the smallest cylinder(no taper) in size you can and than drill the cork to that size, slip over the old grip, replace the butt cap and no one's the wiser.

Part I wonder about is the suitability of todays cork for any rod that came with a hypalon grip. Most anything that I have seen with a hypalon grip is going to spend some time in a rod holder eventually.

As to how to go about it....it depends on rather or not you want to do the grip in front of the the reel seat too. Also depends of how fast the taper of the rod is. If you want to do both grips and the reel seat....and the rod has taper like most salt water blanks..... you are probably better off building it up on a tube, either aluminum or carbon, and using several arbors to mount the tubing.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Unsure where you live, but if you fish the salt, you will rue the day you went cork. Unless you seal it really well, and keep it clean, cork will go ratty, lose all the voids, and make the stick look like a 19.99 beater inside of two seasons.

To remove the eva, carve it off with a knife, being careful not to cut into the blank. You can do this up front as well, and leave the seat as is.
Unless the butt section has taken a set, after which you can replace the seat, and orient it in a manner to neutralize the set.

The difference in taper from the butt up to the seat can be minimal, but if it's severe, you'll need to either ream the top corks lots oversize to clear the butt, and be loose at the reel seat, (build up the blank with masking tape), or measure and ream up front, then split the cork in half, install on the blank, and hold the two halves together any of several ways. I use those "wrap-ties"... baby plastic handcuffs they use on terrorists or other bad guys.

Thanks for all the information. Don' fish salt that often but something to consider.
Will post later with information as to what I did.