I’m building my first casting rods and I was wondering how long to team the Eva for the rear grip when doing a split grip. One reel seat is a Fuji acsm and the other is a Fuji sk2 split reel seat. I saw that old post about spacing the parts for the split reel seat 1 inch apart. Now I’m just wondering how long to make the Eva for the rest grip if I’m doing the split grip where the rear grip is separate from the fighting butt. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. I’m just a recreational/hobby rod builder and have learned a ton from this forum.

Whatever grip length you like in your full grip rods is the grip length you should use now. To my way of thinking any material my hand isn't on while fishing the rod doen't need to be there, most of my grips both positions are 2 1/2 inches.

Whether it is solid or split grip the ergonomics of seat location relative to the butt are the same. It is not the space between the two parts that is significant, it is the overall spacing which is determined by balance, spacing for two handed casting, etc. Do you have any casting rods with the dimensions you question seeming right to you? How about going to a store that offers a lot of rods and handling them to see what you like.

I like the hand grip design of many St Croix rods, a fairly short grip that tapers from the front to rear, about 4 inches I think. The butt knob can be whatever you like, I prefer about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches.

Spencer said it best when he said "any material my hand isn't on while fishing the rod doesn't need to be there". You want to make sure you can fish the rod comfortably. Take one of your casting rods and hold it as if you were casting and fishing with it. Then look at where the heel of your hand rests on the rear grip. Anything more than about 1/2" longer than that length, isn't really needed. The problem with a lot of the stock split grips that are available, is that depending on the total of the rear grip, they can be so long that they don't leave a lot of exposed blanks between the two pieces, and that can be problematic from an aesthetic point of view. We all want our rods to look good

Depending on what material you're using for your grips, and if you have the ability to set up some kind of lathe, it may not be that difficult to modify stock parts to fit your needs, And you may also be able to use other types of grips to come up with the pieces you need. An for instance on that last part I mentioned, I use a tapered fore grip as one of the parts of a split grip on spinning rods I build. If you use the type of reel seat where the rear grip simply butts against the back of the reel seat, merely purchase a tapered fore grip of the length you're looking for, and put it on backwards.

It's not as easy with the split grip on a casting rod though. Personally I like the rear grips of a casting rod to have the same OD as the back of the reel seat. And I also like them to have a small tenon that fits into the rear of the reel seat. If you have similar likes, you'll need to shorten stock parts. That can be as simple as cutting them down in length and dressing the cut edge a bit ... or it can involve setting the shortened grip on some type of lathe, and sanding a taper on it. You can also sand by hand, but that takes more time, and is less precise.

There is no set distance you should have between the pieces of a split rear grip. It's an aesthetics thing, and is entirely up to you.

the distance between the pieces of a split rear grip is a meaningless dimension. It's a functional thing. Get the rear grip to the shape and length that you want, get the butt knob the shape and length that you want, get the seat located based on your ergonomic evaluations, and what is between the two parts is as it is. If it is too short for aesthetics, then don't do a split grip, do a solid grip.

Daren Molina Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I’m building my first casting rods and I was
> wondering how long to team the Eva for the rear
> grip when doing a split grip. One reel seat is a
> Fuji acsm and the other is a Fuji sk2 split reel
> seat. I saw that old post about spacing the parts
> for the split reel seat 1 inch apart. Now I’m
> just wondering how long to make the Eva for the
> rest grip if I’m doing the split grip where the
> rear grip is separate from the fighting butt. Any
> ideas?
>
> Thanks in advance. I’m just a
> recreational/hobby rod builder and have learned a
> ton from this forum.


I'm not clear on if you meant 1" between the rear seat and fighting butt or 1" between the SK2 parts. Just to save you some trouble, the SK2 parts should be 33-34 MM apart from each other. That's end to end, not winding check to winding check.

Seth Johnson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Daren Molina Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I’m building my first casting rods and I was
> > wondering how long to team the Eva for the rear
> > grip when doing a split grip. One reel seat is
> a
> > Fuji acsm and the other is a Fuji sk2 split
> reel
> > seat. I saw that old post about spacing the
> parts
> > for the split reel seat 1 inch apart. Now
> I’m
> > just wondering how long to make the Eva for the
> > rest grip if I’m doing the split grip where
> the
> > rear grip is separate from the fighting butt.
> Any
> > ideas?
> >
> > Thanks in advance. I’m just a
> > recreational/hobby rod builder and have learned
> a
> > ton from this forum.
>
>
> I'm not clear on if you meant 1" between the rear
> seat and fighting butt or 1" between the SK2
> parts. Just to save you some trouble, the SK2
> parts should be 33-34 MM apart from each other.
> That's end to end, not winding check to winding
> check.

Yes sorry I wasn’t clear. I meant distance between the sk2 parts. Thanks this is helpful.