Consider the following for rod builders to not only make a little extra money, but save money as well. After consulting, building and delivering a custom rod, a proper storage / transportation case of sorts is certainly in order to protect the investment of time and money spent to produce your work of art. Selling your customers a custom rod tube can offer the builder a little extra money initially and ultimately save you money by minimizing the chances the rod is broken and having to replace it at a reduced cost. It also shows your customers you are a concerned and complete custom rod builder.
There are bazillions of store-bought rods available to fishermen and so too are there numerous rod-tubes / cases obtainable as well. Your customers have sought you out because they realize the value of a custom rod and are willing to pay extra for it. There is a very good chance they would be interested in a custom tube as well if offered.
I feel safe in assuming when most people go on a fishing / camping trip, they take more than one rod. I take at least 10 for myself and others. Most commercially available rod-tubes are in the 2-3in diameter range and consequently have limited multiple rod-holding capacity.
4in HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) drain pipe was my solution. It is constructed of three layers; an inner and outer skin with a spaced ribbed core which provides quite a bit of stiffness while remaining rather light at approximately 8oz per foot. I purchase it at Home Depot for approximately $10.00 per 10ft length along with the 4in PVC end caps for $2.50 each. The inside of the caps are padded with .25in thick foam rubber topped with a .062 thick PTFE disc. To secure the caps to the tube, I purchase button quick-release tubing connectors (2 on each end) from McMaster Carr for approximately $2.00 each. After straightening the legs, the button connectors are drilled and mounted to the inside of the tube with .125in X .125in blind (pop) rivets from the inside with #4 thin brass backing washers on the outside. A 1.5in X 5in X .062 strip of adhesive back foam rubber (from McM) covers the flat leg of the button connector to eliminate the possibility of scratching the precious cargo.
If interested, please see the three pictures in the photo section, Equipment and Tools, Mark’s Rod Tube.
For less than $25.00 each, two 5ft rod tubes can be built from one 10ft pipe. Build time for your first one should be less than 2 hours while after building a couple, the time should drop to less than one hour each. 3in drain pipe and caps are also available.
Please note; the rod socks were removed for photo purposes in the one picture. I strongly advise the use of rod socks within the (any) tube to prevent guides from nicking another rod from transportation vibration and bouncing around. I have seen rods break due to this!!!
Even if you do not intend to offer them for sale, consider building one for yourself. I am confident you will be very pleased.
Enjoy!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark, really good idea and work. Especially like the push button latch.

Curious how you install the foam rubber lining? Semms like it could be a pain.

Phil,
Thank you for the reply and compliment. The 1.5 X 5 X .062in foam is adhesive-backed. Simply cut (good idea to cut the corners at 45*), peel the backing and stick it on. Easy as that! I do not even bother to cut-out the flat leg of the button connector. The foam stretches enough when the button is depressed there is no need, plus it even aids keeping the button in the locked position. Try it, you’ll like it!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark,
Schedule 20 3.25" Diameter PVC is 5.99 for 10' section at Ace hardware. The butt ends or screw end pieces are around 2.00 to 5.00 so you are looking at about 12 and some change for a rod storage up to 10' lengths. If you paint them add another 4.25 for the spray paint. I have a piece of 8' schedule 40 with cap and screw ends that I carry around in my 9' bed Silverado to deliver finished rods in. I will do a rod case painted for 20 bucks if they want one. I will even put their name on it. You can take a rag and tie it around the tip section to keep it from getting banged around in the tube. Wow that is a pretty cool the way you can pop that off.
Lance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2019 09:08PM by Lance Schreckenbach.

Mark, my bad! I thought you lined the tube with rubber. Couldn't figure out how you could do that without problems.

Lance,
I am unfamiliar with schedule 20 PVC. Can you describe it to me? I have unsuccessfully tried to locate a supplier of schedule 26 PVC which has a .062in wall and hence much lighter than schedule 40 at .160in. But then, I live in a small little town called Los Angles.
Yes, the button connectors are simple to use and work very. I think their employment is worth the extra $10.00. All the screw-on type caps I have seen reduce the ID of the opening which does not appeal to me.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark, it also called sewer or drainage pipe. It is thinner and thus lighter because it is not used for pressure applications.
Norm

Mark,
Yes, your plans work out very well.

However, I have gone the simple route.
I obtain a 10 foot piece of 4 inch DW or drain pvc pipe - or schedule pipe as you mention.
I obtain 2-4 inch caps for the pipe.
I cut two feet off the end of the pipe and glue one cap on the end.

Then, I take a dozen or so rods that i am taking on the trip, lay them on the floor tip to butt to form a compact bundle. Then, I slip the bundle into the 8 foot tube and slip on the cap.

With this number of rods all intertwined, they can't move about and they all travel safely and unmarked to their destination and back.


The tube is either laying in an SUV, Truck bed, or the back of a boat. Never any damage to any rod traveling this way.

[www.lowes.com]

[www.lowes.com]

If carrying a smaller number of rods, the use of a 3 inch dwv pipe will work. The 3 inch size allows the use of storage of spinning rods with taller guides.

Phil, you are correct; lining the entire inside would be a monumental PITA.
Norman, for whatever reason, schedule 26, 21, and most likely 20 are not readily available here in L.A., only schedule 40 and 80. Lowes does show sch 21 on their website but only by special order and in much larger quantities than I am willing to purchase. It has become my understanding central vacuum systems use sch 21 PVC but in 2in diameter. I have not investigated that approach yet.
Roger, I have found it immensely easier to clean out a rod tube if both ends are detachable. Consider yourself fortunate in not damaging a rod by being bundled up inside the safety of a rod tube. I used to do exactly the same, thinking everything would be fine, until an 8in tip section of my daughter’s rod broke off just while casting. Closer inspection revealed something had rubbed the rod enough to cause a stress-riser which caused the breakage. I have always taught my kids to be careful with their rods (and everything else for that matter) and after my daughters situation noticed a number of rub marks on other rods from the same rod tube. Ever since, I have put each rod in its own sock before bundling them and inserting into a rod tube.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark,
10-4 on your comments.

I wonder if perhaps I haven't had the issue, is that once the rods are bundled and inserted into the case - that there is very little movement on the case during transport.
Also, I agree on the ability to insert, remove and clean the pipe with both ends being removable.

Take care

Roger,
I can only speculate it does not matter if the rods are tightly packed with guides touching other blanks and vibration causing damage or loosely fitted in the tube where guides can bang into other blanks. That one damaged rod was enough for me to rethink how I transport and even store rods. Luckily for me it was a $40.00 Cabela’s rod and not one I spent 40 hours building!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Lance,
At the risk of sounding nit-picky, where did you get a 9ft truck bed?

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark,
If I were to guess, it would be at the Custom 9 foot truck bed shop??

Roger,
Yet another example of our thinking being quite parallel.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.