Todd A : "Chis C Nash says I will be body slammed by Tom" My apologies Todd , you have nothing to fear . I can assure you Tom is one of the most cordial individuals to be found anywhere and loves all rodbuilding.org members.
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Mike Ballard: " If any real evidence or data is ever presented showing that building on or opposite the spine is better in some way I would have no problem changing the way I do things. But this argument has gone on for years and proponents of building on the spine have never provided any evidence that what they are doing is somehow better. I am waiting" You will be waiting for
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Just remember that if you were blindfolded and a rod was spined according to the way you and Gary do it and another identical rod was built on the straightest axis it would be impossible to tell them apart since the performance would be identical the only difference is the one built on the straightest axis will appear straighter than the other when sighting down the blank & one will have slig
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And the lesson we have learned today ......... when you challenge and think you may have the legendary Tom Kirkman on the ropes it's only an illusion prepare to be body slammed.
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I wouldn't take any chances of making a mistake if you plan on having a reel seat permanently attached . You should tape that reel to the blank at various positions and go through the motions and find out which position you're most comfortable with as far as hand placement . Conventional surf casting builds typically have wider spacing of the hands to generate the power needed to throw those 12 a
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I use the 'Pop on / Pop off ' type which I make by heating a slender piece of PVC plastic and using a metal rod the same diameter of the rod blank to mold it to fit snug. It's easy to snap into place and remove . I use a piece of peel & stick foam on the inside with just the lip of the PVC sticking up with a hole in it for a hook keeper.
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Todd Andrizzi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sorry John...I don't know what you meant. I believe what John meant has to do with Tom Kirkman's former comment which was : " I have never found the spine to fall on the straightest axis, and very rarely even 180 degrees to the straightest axis. The latter may happen every so often, the former,
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The rod IS NOT going to be 'Weak' regardless of spine orientation , as the article in the library indicates the differences are extremely minimal & to most imperceptible. Some of the best reading to be found anywhere is in the archives as discussions on 'Spine' are endless .
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Even if you build a whole bunch of rods on different blanks with the exact same guides , layout, line type and test with the exact same reel each individual will have a different opinion on it . These is no best all around rod , all each builder can do is build something that they're going to be the most happy with . You have the choice to build for ultimate casting distance, accuracy and smo
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I'm extremely tuned in to making my builds as light as humanly possible even skipping winding checks and making my wraps as short as possible but if this was my build I would stick with the best static load setup . You won't be able to tell a difference between not having and having one extra size 4 Minima running guide even with this particular build . Best to add an extra runner especially w
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Yup , Decal Connection is the only place I even consider ordering decals because they have proven to me they do everything possible to not only provide you exactly what you want but help every step of the way even when you don't have a clue about font types and styles . I told them I don't know the exact sizing and style but sent them a pic of what I wanted my decal to resemble and only needed
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"The rod has only been fished 1 time before I noticed the yellowing, so it is not constantly under sunlight" This is very telling and leads me to believe it's an anomaly . CTS Crystal coat has a stellar reputation and the only complaint about it is it's longer cure time NEVER a yellowing problem. When I research products I pay little mind to one persons complaint but if I see
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" Its easy to use one coat thick or thin if the wraps are sealed , no pounding and slapping the epoxy to force it through the thread. Remember less is more, less epoxy is a more efficient rod" Ben , which YouTube video by Tom are you referring to ? I have seen the ones of him applying finish but not sure what you mean by 'If the wraps are sealed " . Are you referring to
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I think everybody knows that , the file design makes it pretty obvious that it's for the bottom of the foot . A chain saw file is not the type of file you would use for any other type of grinding except the very bottom of a guide foot to fit the curvature of a blank.
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I've never found the need to use a file to get a guide foot to sit perfectly flat on the blank . I've used a file at the end of the foot on occasion to help the thread to climb up on the foot from the blank but not for getting the foot to sit flat on the blank as just bending the foot has worked for that.
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Can't find anything in 2 piece in that MH rating and length but I found a 4 piece blank that fits .
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Rodgeeks offers many different colors and you can ask about fluorescent yellow but I don't see it listed . They offer a few yellows though . MHX may be your other option .
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My latest surf rod build uses a KL25H , KL12H ( Sometimes I skip the 12H and go with a KL10H) and a 5.5M to a KB5 choker and 5 size running guides and my reel has a much much much larger spool diameter than the 2500- 4000 size reels so the sizing you chose for braid up to 20 pounds will work fine. Rod length rarely changes the reduction guide train usually just the running guide #'s .
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Your comment " Hopefully someday I will find the "perfect" blank for me" got me thinking about what I have done . If you know exactly what you want take advantage of what CTS can offer you . They are the only blank manufacturer I know that is willing to build you the blank of your dreams . I asked a whole bunch of blank manufacturers in the past if they can manufacture a
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Rodgeeks has a 4 piece surf blank for super easy transportation that fits your weight range to perfection. 9' | Mono. Line Wgt: 8 - 20 lb. | Lure Weight: 1/2 - 2 1/2 oz. | Moderate-Fast Action, Medium Power
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" I am not a real fan of the looks or the feel. But they would fill a need for one of my builds" Unless this build is for a customer who wants it why bother , you clearly aren't a fan of the feel or looks ? I would never even consider a grip that I didn't like the feel and looks of . I happen to love the extreme tacky feel of them but I look at them as grips with a limited lifes
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" Or, does it really matter"? No , it doesn't really matter. Both opinions above are NOT wrong it's really up to you .
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That's fantastic Ernie , I do the same with my beloved spinners . There's a reason why Penn brought back the legendary 704 and 706 Z reels , they last forever and maintenance is so ridiculously easy . Unfortunately except for the models still made in the Philadelphia factory most of Penns offerings are Penn in name only they just don't make them like they used to.
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Wow, I knew that color looked familiar , I wasn't sure what the 434 Pro Wrap color was but I just looked it up and it's their 'Maui Surf' color which is what I just wrapped my latest surf rod build with . I complemented it with the 'Neon Yellow' 122 for trim rings and I think it looks great . I'm half color blind and the 413 'Island Lagoon' color looks identical to me to the 434 .
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" I use a Penn 450SS more than any other reel" Wow, that's a classic they haven't made the 450 SS in decades if that's really the model # you have . Penn now makes reels in the 4500 sizes , 5500 , 6500, 7500 and into some real heavyweights but the classic Spinfisher SS series are true classics. Those reals unfortunately are not great with braid although many use braid on them I di
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I'm probably not envisioning this correctly but why not apply your epoxy and have it dry before you add the hook keeper ? OK , as I thought I didn't even know what these things were or called now I do. This is easy , even a piece of playdoh molded on top of the ring and onto the base will hold that ring up out of the way for epoxy finishing then just remove it . Even a thin strip of duct ta
Forum: rodboard

For decades the standard spinning reel sizes for an 11 foot surf rod has been reels in the 20 - 24 ounce range and that choice is based on how an 11 foot surf rod balances with a particular reel . Is that the best way to choose a rod and reel combination , some say yes and others say no . Many believe you should go with the smallest and lightest reel that has the drag capability and line capa
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I would go with the 25H , 12H and 5.5M myself but I do know the 20H , 10H and 5.5M works very very well with 5000 size Shimano spinners and braid UP to 20 pounds. Once you hit 30 pound braid and up the 25H will be much preferred .
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Lynn , isn't that exactly what my original post said ? I thought my words were pretty clear but maybe not . Adding weight to a rods butt to make it more comfortable to fish with since it now feels more balanced will give the angler the impression that it's more sensitive but again it's only an impression . The anglers perception will be that there is a difference in sensitivity simply be
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