Hello I am new to the forum and I have a question regarding OAEM Factory blanks...do the majority of the companies that sell rods simply use factory blanks ? Or do they manufactur their own graphite blanks? I have been building rods for few ew years now and would like to start selling some if possible but I want to have my mind wrapped around the market before I start buying blanks. Thanks

The vast majority of companies that sell fishing rods do not manufacture their own blanks, nor even build their own rods.

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Each company that buys blanks from a common source, be it on, or offshore have their own proprietory mandrel and graphite layups. Kistler for instance gets some of their blanks from Noth Fork Composites. Batson has blanks built both on and offshore depending on the series and price point, and some graphites made are not allowed to be sold to China if that is where the blanks come from.

So Spencer do companies buy Batson blanks and label the as there own rods then??

Sam

Don't get hung up on brand, manufacturer, retailer name, white label arrangements, etc. Take all marketing claims and advertising copy with a big dose of salt.

Think about what you are buying when you purchase a blank. In no special order of importance, it's taper, material, length, number of pieces, quality of construction, and to a much lesser extent, warranty, that determines the suitability of a specific blank for a specific task.

I don't know, you'll have to ask Batson, wouldn't surprise me. I don't use just my own label, I also put the blank manufacturers label on for warranty purposes if nothing else. A very large Cabelas order got G. Loomis off the ground when it first started.

Don and Spencer thank you both for the insight, very helpful... my concern is whether or not I would be getting in trouble by putting my label on someone else’s blank. I suppose I would be fine as long as I’m not advertising the blank as my own. I’m putting the cart before the horse as i haven’t even started building these yet but just trying to get my ducks in a row. Thanks again.

Most custom builders put their label on the blank with the name of their outfit such as Lavigne custom rods so if thats what you're talking about it's not an issue at all . Most custom builders also build on a variety of different blanks and the customer will often choose the brand of blank he wants the rod to be built on or simply tell the builder what he is looking for and the builder will choose what blank fits best.

Thanks Herb. Good to know.

Sam,

Adding to this conversation ….

One of the issues you may run into is the "middle man" when it comes to some blanks. It took some research for me to find the same blank I was buying from a place that I paid a decent amount for and was able to find after in-depth research for a substantial difference in price. This can be really advantageous if Company A is selling the blank for $100 dollars and Company B is selling the exact blank for $35 dollars. I have seen blanks come from places where I paid a lot more for the blank with the exact, shall we say, "factory markings" on a blank that I bought from the manufacturer of the blank itself after I found them thru research. I make a lot of "show" rods that I use as "this is what I can do" and 8 times out of 10, people like that rod but the other people will either say its "too stiff" or "not stiff enough".

That is usually when I ask them to tell me the EXACT numbers, if possible, that are on the rod that they like and are using right now and that helps me nail down what they are looking to get. If they tell me the rod is, for example, 6' 6" rod suggesting 6 to 17 lb. line, to me, that a medium heavy action rod. If you can find a blank with those specs, you pretty much nailed it. When I found my blank supplier, I bought one of each, 6' Medium action, 6' Medium Heavy, 6' Heavy action and bought three other blanks in each of the 6' 6" foot, 7' foot and 7' 6" as well for a total of 12 blanks. I take all of those to a show with me and if they like a 6 foot rod I have but say its either too stiff or not stiff enough, no doubt one of the blanks I have is to their liking. If they tell me they are using an Ugly Stick, that's a whole different scenario!

You can also find a blank manufacturer that will work with you. I have a guy that sells me beach rod blanks at a real nice price because, being where he is located, he wanted to get some of his blanks into the Florida market and being in Cape Canaveral, the Pompano Fishing Capital Of The World (as some people say!) it was a win - win for the both of us.

As far as putting your name on any blank, I have never had an issue.

Tony Boschi
Banana River Rods
Merritt Island, Florida
321~525~1063

* Rapid Prototyping Services
* Custom Beach Rods
* Custom Inshore Rods

[bananariverrods.com]

Sam,

I can help you get your own blanks!

Give me a call or drop me an email

_______________________________
God Bless, Don Morse

800-516-1750 ext. 1207 / don@americantackle.us

Rod Building..... It's What We Do.