Hello, starting first rod build on a MB 736-1 (HM) from NFC. I feel confident in all steps but the layout of the guides. I was hoping to use a layout similar to an NRX+ 873C which uses 11 guides + Tip. I ordered 3 double foot Fuji SIC sizes 10, 8, 6, and then 8 size 4.5 REC RSPGM running guides with a Fuji SIC Tip Top. I emailed NFC this question and their response was to ask here. Any advice or help is appreciated. Thanks!

Place the butt guide about 20 - 21.5" from the reel face, and place the remainder of the guides using 2 line static load placement. How closely you want the path of the line to match the natural bend of the rod, will determine where the guides will go, and how many will be needed.

What weight do you recommend for the static load test? Thanks

Bo

I have three 736's and here's how I laid them out:

(1) RV 6 guide 20 inches from spool guide or reel face.(Butt guide).
(3) KB 4.5 guides (Running guides)
(8) KT running guides (Running guides)

Starting at the tip top and moving back toward the Butt guide, I placed the first KT at 3.5 inches.
I placed the next five KT's 3.5 inches apart, too.
The next two KT's are 4 inches apart.
The KB guides are next at 4.5 inches, 5 inches, and 6 inches apart.
RV 6 guide is 6.75 inches from the final KB guide.

I may use one more KT guide than you want to use. You could add a little more spacing between the KT guides to make up the difference.

This lay out has a very natural line path following the natural bend of the blank in a two line static test for me.

This is a good starting point for you to consider - change it to suit your likes.

Bo, personally I load the rod with as much weight as it would take to do a CCS test for rod power. While I don't see your particular blank in the Rodbuilding.org CCS data base, they do have two MB 736 X ray blanks listed. The HM is probably close to the power of the X rays, so I would be looking to hang around 650 grams, or 260 pennies in a bag, from the tip top of the rod. That would be for the line tied from the weight used, to the tip top of the rod.

For the line running from the reel and through the guides, I'd hang 1/4 - 3/8 oz, from that line. You want enough weight on the line running through the guides to keep the line under some tension, but not so much tension that it will cause the guides to shift position once placed and placing other guides.

And Les !!!! Hey there man ..... great to see you posting !!!! Hopefully life is treating you well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2024 11:03AM by David Baylor.

Bo, the first line attached to the tip top is tied to an immovable weight or object, the weight attached to the line running through the guides is just heavy enough to give you a straight line to work with giving you a much easier time moving the guides around to what you want.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2024 11:15AM by Spencer Phipps.

Great thank you guys for the input, Les I will likely start with something close to how you described and then fine tune based on static test. With the RSPGM being as small as they are I imagine I will need a little fine tuning. Also I ordered 10-8-6 double foot Fuji as a blind guess to match NRX. NRX is 8-7-6. Should I continue with the 3 sizes I ordered or drop the size 10 and go 8 - 6 - 4.5 runners. Thanks for the advice!

Bo, if you want to do anything as far as changing guide sizes, it depends on what line type, and size you'll be using. If you're a straight fluorocarbon guy like myself, then I'd suggest sticking with the 10 (assuming KW here) and either continue with the 8 and 6 placed using static load, or an option that Fuji recommends and works extremely well .... a KW10 for the butt guide, followed by a KW 5.5 and then the runners you plan on using.

You'll save a slight amount of weight by going to the 2 double foots with the rest being single foot, but ...... the double foots carry a little bit more height down the blank, which may or may not save you a running guide further down the blank. It's kind of a try and see kind of thing. The last two casting rods I've built I used a KW 10 followed by a KW 5.5, and then running guides and the rods cast beautifully.

If you're a braid to fluorocarbon leader guy, then going with the 8 as your butt guide, will probably work just fine. The 10 with its' extra height, plays better with more stiff, and heavier lines.

Les Cline Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bo
>
> I have three 736's and here's how I laid them
> out:
>
> (1) RV 6 guide 20 inches from spool guide or reel
> face.(Butt guide).
> (3) KB 4.5 guides (Running guides)
> (8) KT running guides (Running guides)
>
> Starting at the tip top and moving back toward the
> Butt guide, I placed the first KT at 3.5 inches.
> I placed the next five KT's 3.5 inches apart,
> too.
> The next two KT's are 4 inches apart.
> The KB guides are next at 4.5 inches, 5 inches,
> and 6 inches apart.
> RV 6 guide is 6.75 inches from the final KB
> guide.
>
> I may use one more KT guide than you want to use.
> You could add a little more spacing between the KT
> guides to make up the difference.
>
> This lay out has a very natural line path
> following the natural bend of the blank in a two
> line static test for me.
>
> This is a good starting point for you to consider
> - change it to suit your likes.

Perfect timing to see this. I’m building on the SJ-736 currently then the MB-736 and MB-735. I plan to use the RV-6 on at least two of them. Will be my first time using the RV6. I normally go KW10, KW5.5, KB4.5 or 5 (three of them) then 7 KT’s. I’m hoping I like the RV 6. If I do, I might go with the RV6 train on my Immortal 7’3” Heavy/Fast frog rod type build.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bo, if you want to do anything as far as changing
> guide sizes, it depends on what line type, and
> size you'll be using. If you're a straight
> fluorocarbon guy like myself, then I'd suggest
> sticking with the 10 (assuming KW here) and either
> continue with the 8 and 6 placed using static
> load, or an option that Fuji recommends and works
> extremely well .... a KW10 for the butt guide,
> followed by a KW 5.5 and then the runners you plan
> on using.
>
> You'll save a slight amount of weight by going to
> the 2 double foots with the rest being single
> foot, but ...... the double foots carry a little
> bit more height down the blank, which may or may
> not save you a running guide further down the
> blank. It's kind of a try and see kind of thing.
> The last two casting rods I've built I used a KW
> 10 followed by a KW 5.5, and then running guides
> and the rods cast beautifully.
>
> If you're a braid to fluorocarbon leader guy, then
> going with the 8 as your butt guide, will probably
> work just fine. The 10 with its' extra height,
> plays better with more stiff, and heavier lines.


My first two builds were based on the advise David provided me. The KW10, KW5.5 followed by the belly and KT guides, it worked out great. It’s definitely a guide train that I know works very good. Thanks again for the help David. I hope the two RV6 guide trains show similar results. I start with one build using it and see how it turns out.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bo, if you want to do anything as far as changing
> guide sizes, it depends on what line type, and
> size you'll be using. If you're a straight
> fluorocarbon guy like myself, then I'd suggest
> sticking with the 10 (assuming KW here) and either
> continue with the 8 and 6 placed using static
> load, or an option that Fuji recommends and works
> extremely well .... a KW10 for the butt guide,
> followed by a KW 5.5 and then the runners you plan
> on using.
>
> You'll save a slight amount of weight by going to
> the 2 double foots with the rest being single
> foot, but ...... the double foots carry a little
> bit more height down the blank, which may or may
> not save you a running guide further down the
> blank. It's kind of a try and see kind of thing.
> The last two casting rods I've built I used a KW
> 10 followed by a KW 5.5, and then running guides
> and the rods cast beautifully.
>
> If you're a braid to fluorocarbon leader guy, then
> going with the 8 as your butt guide, will probably
> work just fine. The 10 with its' extra height,
> plays better with more stiff, and heavier lines.

Awesome thanks David, I normally run straight fluoro so I will stick with the 10, I will test cast the 10-8-6 and if it leaves some to be desired I will order a KW 5.5 to try the 10-5.5-runners.

Jeremy ...... you know you're more than welcome bud

Bo, prior to my last two casting rod builds where I used the KW 10, followed by the KW 5.5 then to the runners, all but one of my other casting builds were built using the same 3 double foot guide sizes you listed. They cast beautifully as well. Honestly, if I were to be asked which casts better, I'd be hard pressed to make a choice either way.

Even my suggestion of sticking with the 10 as a butt guide versus the 8 could be a bit skewed. My jerkbait rod uses a KW 8 as the butt guide. I chose that based on the 10 - 12# fluorocarbon line I'd be using on the rod. Well, one day I switched out the reel for one that had 20# fluorocarbon on it, and my casting performance suffered. I attributed the difference to the shorter butt guide. At the same time, because of the length of the rod, my butt guide on that rod is only 19" from the face of the reel. It's possible, and somewhat likely, that if the butt guide were further from the face of the reel, that the heavier line would have played better with a KW 8 as a butt guide. And when I say casting performance suffered, it wasn't so much casting distance, but line control while on, and as it was coming off the spool.

All I can say for certain, is that regardless of line size or type, I have never had a problem using either a KW 10, or LN 10, as the butt guide on any casting rod I've built. If you're using a low profile casting reel, you can't go wrong by using a 10 as the butt guide.

Good to hear, I use 10 & 12# on all my casting rods depending on the technique so sounds like it should work well. Excited to get it built and see how it fishes compared to my other rods. I am pairing it with the Tsuka II carbon handle & likely a Aldebaran MGL so it should be a fun light weight rod.

Check out this other recent thread [www.rodbuilding.org]

I posted some spacing info for a Xray SJ736 and a summary of how I go about laying stuff out. Might be helpful to you....

Bo, and Alderban MGL ............ nice The two recent casting builds I've been referencing are built on MB 725 C6O2 blanks, with both of them using NFC XO skeleton reel seat / grips. From appearances, the same as the Tuska II's.

I put Chronarch MGL 150's on those, and they're very light weight combos. With that Alderban MGL 50, you may forget you actually have a rod and reel in your hand. lol

Kevin Fiant Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Check out this other recent thread
> [www.rodbuilding.org]
>
> I posted some spacing info for a Xray SJ736 and a
> summary of how I go about laying stuff out. Might
> be helpful to you....


I used this guide train (one you linked) on my last build. It was almost the same measurements as my 1st build on a 7’2” blank. I just got the grips glued on my SJ-736 X-Ray tonight. Guides, static test, CCS stuff tomorrow evening then hopefully wrapping guides saturday on it.

David Baylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bo, and Alderban MGL ............ nice The two
> recent casting builds I've been referencing are
> built on MB 725 C6O2 blanks, with both of them
> using NFC XO skeleton reel seat / grips. From
> appearances, the same as the Tuska II's.
>
> I put Chronarch MGL 150's on those, and they're
> very light weight combos. With that Alderban MGL
> 50, you may forget you actually have a rod and
> reel in your hand. lol

I blame David for me looking into more expensive reels. My 15 year old finally ordered the Hypermag. He’s had his eyes on forever. Used some of his saved money and a birthday gift card to get it. I thought it was light, the Alderban is even lighter. crazy