Hi guys. I am currently building a standup trolling rod on a calstar graphiter gf760m I think. It says the rod is rated to 80lb. I had to cut the blank quite a lot and I now have a total length of 5.6 foot including a size 2 unibutt. The problem I have is that now the blank has been cut it looks so thin? Surely cutting that much off the blank can't be good? It certainly doesn't seem to be a 80lb rod. How much can you cut a blank? Any help appreciated

Unless the unibutt is of the same length as the amount you removed from the butt of the blank you have most likely reduced the overall power available in the finished rod.

How much can you cut a blank? As much as you want, but you have to realize that the more you cut the more you change the blank's original characteristics.

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Hello Sean.

If you cut from the butt you cut the power if you cut the tip you are cutting the(help me out Tom all I can think of is speed or finesse).

But whatever it's called if you want to keep the 80lb part of the rod when you cut the rod down you need to cut both ends, but do not forget to add the length of the new aluminum butt, if you keep the cutting to the same as the new butt then you do not have to cut the tip, if you cut off more then you have to cut some off the tip to remain an 80lb rod, if there is a formula for this I do not know it.(Sorry perhaps some one else may know of a formula).

Tight Wraps & Good Day

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

So in other words I have cut too much off the butt. Why do companies not make blanks that are perfectly suited and keep cutting to a minimum. Do calstar make a 6ft 80lb blank so hardly anything needs to be cut off?

Hello Sean.

Yes Calstar make 5'6"(P/N: Baby-Boomer, 655H-B), 6'(6460H-B, 660H-B), 6'6"(6465H-B, 665H-B)...

MudHole caries all of these & more.

Most companies make a large assortment of blanks.

ATX, BUSHIDO, CRB GORILLA, OTI, PHENIX, and Seeker has a bunch.

Tight Wraps.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Thanks Robert

Your Welcome.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

As Tom stated, the overall power stays the same IF you are cutting a length and replacing it with an aluminum butt.

For example, that blank is 6 ft, if you were to make a COMPLETED 6 ft rod with a unibutt out of the same blank, you haven't really changed anything.

Sean is going with an overall 5'6" length which will cut a small amount of power out that blank assuming it is all cut from the butt, making along the lines of a 40-80# rather than a 40-100#.

A better choice in this case would be the GF755XH which is 5'6" 50-100#. The total length removed is replaced by a aluminum butt.