If it were about money, I’d burn my rod building equipment and cut my losses. I’m a bass guy and one of my favorite off the shelf rods is Dobyns. There’s no way I can build comparable rods for what I can buy theirs for. I build because I love doing it.
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Interesting findings. Thanks for posting!
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I don’t have any experience with anything near the specs you’re asking about, but I built my nephew a big swimbait (for large mouth bass) rod for my nephew awhile back and I used double foot guides and I double wrapped them and it turned out great. He loves it. The one thing I can say that might be of use to you is it didn’t add any noticeable weight.
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I build bass fishing rods exclusively. I can’t imagine adding weights to one. But, maybe it’s a thing large surf rods, or the like. I only say that because 1 & 3/8 oz worth of weight seems like a lot.
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Another vote for the CRB color series.
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Looks fine to me. I put mine a little farther out, but that’s just a personal preference. I also place them on the side, perpendicular to the top of the rod. That said, I don’t put hook keepers on rods I build for myself. Also, the drop shot keeper is very popular (at least with the bass guys), but I don’t know any that use them as they’re intended. They use them as a hook keeper, not a weight ke
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I concur with Michael. I like small and light.
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Multiple rods could be turned with one motor should you desire to set it up to do so.
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Just to piggy back on the dryer suggestions, I would HIGHLY recommend getting two dryers. If for no other reason, it’s nice to have a backup should one crap out.
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I’d go with Flex Coat of the two you mention. Flex Coat is pretty much the industry standard from what I understand. That said, I prefer Gen4 myself.
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I use heat sparingly and then a razor blade. Caution should be taken if you go this route. I have an extremely steady hand. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, use a credit card, etc…
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No issues for me. Try clearing your browser history and re-starting your device.
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I use a hand wrapper. I don’t find hand wrapping to be difficult, or tiresome. I use the “Advanced Hand Wrapper” from Mudhole and I have the aluminum track which makes going up and down the rod a breeze. But, if I ever do decide to go the power route, I’ll make my own. No way I’m paying the ridiculous prices they want for power wrappers. @#$%&, I thought the price of the hand wrapper was high for
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First, I do the same thing as Robert except I live on the edge and use an actual razor blade, not plastic (best have a steady hand, however). Second, I agree with Michael's comments.
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I hand write them with a fine nib pen and Testers paint (gold or silver). But, I do put a VERY thin coat over it. I’ve tried about everything including the different decals, etc… I’ve just found it’s easier and cheaper to hand write them. My biggest struggle with decals is getting all of the air bubbles out. No matter how good I think it looks, the second I put the epoxy over it, they show up. Th
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Look at ProWrap #404 Teal. Don’t let the teal descriptor scare you. It looks more like the powder blue of the Tarheels to me. I’ve built two rods using it and really pops!
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If you do a search, you’ll find quite a bit of discussion on the topic. Personally, I have not built one, but I find the concept interesting and the purported benefits quite plausible.
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I think all double foot guides would be overkill and would add weight unnecessarily.
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I’m a big Flex Coat fan too, but I switched to Gen4 awhile back and it’s now my go to. I’ll still use Flex Coat if Gen4 is unavailable, however.
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I like ProKote (although I rarely use it now days), but it is one of the longer curing brands. As the others have said, it’d probably be a good idea to give it few days before fishing it.
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It won’t hurt anything. I’ve done it a few times with zero issues.
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The length of your package will likely determine the rate you’re quoted. 8’ seems to be the magic number. If the package is under, shipping isn’t too bad, over and it’ll be considerable more.
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Extra emphasis should be placed on the step down guides (especially the butt guide) on a spinning rod. The reel choice (size) will be a determining factor. Avoid a drastic angle to the butt guide.
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The “systems” aren’t the ones fishing it. You are! Personally, I like smaller guides so that’s the route *I* would go, but this is why they’re called “custom” rods. Make it to your liking and don’t worry about what the “systems”, me or anyone thinks about it.
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Tape works great and is cheap. I see no reason to fix something that isn’t broke at an added cost.
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Once I forgot to put the rear grip on before building up tape arbors for the reel seat. Another time I forgot to install the wind checks. Both were minor. The latter forced me to learn how to do epoxy ramps so that was a good thing.
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I have know idea, but we have enough bamboo around here (central Arkansas) to keep you stocked up for the rest of your life.
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Since you’re not concerned about the power difference, I’d lop it off and not worry about it.
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Bruce, heat worked well for me in taking off a standard composite reel seat. The grip material was EVA, thus the reason I was removing it.
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You don't need to use any chemicals. You can use heat (cautiously) to loosen up the glue. Some folks simply hold the rod handle a couple of inches over boiling water with good results. I experimented with an old broken rod by cutting it down and putting the handle area in the oven on 300 (IIRC) for a few minutes and the grip ad reel seat came off very easy. I've since used the reel seat on anothe
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