S Hovanec

Missed a couple steps steps in the process the other night. Boring the block.

Billy is the BAD dude. He really thinks outside the box with his techniques. He inspires so many and costs us LOTS of money.He is the reason this is in my basement right now!

Well, a little setback tonight. Ya know, you really can't properly ream a 17" grip with a 12" reamer! Something I overlooked in my excitement to get this grip on the lathe. I had to cut it in half and ream it in 2 sections to fit the the blank. I'll glue it back together tomorrow and install it on the blank.

Skew chisel. You don't use it on EVA like you would on wood. You use it to slice from the end rather than cutting from the face of the block. Search XL Rods on YouTube and watch Billy bore and turn some grips. He makes short work of them. From square block to sanded finished grip in under 3 minutes!

Foregrip.

Make up a couple with a single hook, thread on a minnow and give it a shot. Sounds similar to an old Mepps I used to have that had a little rubber minnow on the back.

You want something like that, but with cork, on your 11wt RodGeeks? I have something in mind, I just have to start gluing parts together.

The orange is EVA also. It is just a block that was shaved down into 2mm strips. I can't take credit for the random elliptical idea. That concept is Billy Vivona's baby.

Started messing around with the new band saw Friday night. This is the rear grip for a 12' surf rod I'm building for a friend. as much fun as watching glue dry! Once it's on the blank, I'll do a final sanding to taper it down to the reelseat and blend it in to the butt cap.

I use size A nylon thread. I disregard spine and build on straightest axis. I don't mark guide location either. I put slices of vinyl tubing to hold the guides for location and wrapping.

Those Nissan motors are pretty reliable. I'd attribute your motor problems to this wonderful ethanol fuel they make us use.

My last one arrived 1 week from the day I placed my order.

I'd look at a 1448 jon if you're gonna keep the 10hp or a 1652 if you want to get a bigger motor.

The smaller Fichts like that were OK. The big ones were timebombs. Not a Merc fan, so I won't comment.

WHen you think you have enough money saved to buy what you want, keep saving and wait another year. You'll need the extra money once you buy it Break Out Another Thousand

For no foregrip, I trim the excess threads that would be in front of the locking nut once the reel is attached and install a Batson FAWC winding check to transition.

Like I said, it's an affliction. I started with a lathe drill press conversion ...and a hand wrapper. .....and graduated to this..... ...and this.... .....and just acquired this. I won't even get in to the blank, guide and cork inventory I have! lol. I NEED HELP!!!

I looked at the harbor freight one. For about the same money, you can get into a Grizzly.

Best way to align the guides is to sight down the rod and move them as necessary. If you decide to continue building, it will become an affliction. I just added a 1hp Grizzly bandsaw to my arsenal of tools. Next thing I'm gonna add to the shop is a small metal lathe.

After my business was established a few years, I came up with the perfect name, but I wasn't gonna change the name and rebrand myself. RodFather custom rods popped into my head one day while fishing. The logo design just drew itself.

I almost bought a spool of the 6# til I checked the diameter. It was the same diameter as 10# Invizx. I bought the 6# Invizx instead.

I run stabil all year, but for winter, i put stabil in the tank, run the motor to ensure the stabilized gas is in the lines, then I drain the tank and run that gas in my truck, car and snowblower.

RodGeeks are not a St. Croix product. They are made by Axiom NA,LLC. It is true that St. Croix is 50% owner in the facility and they designed the blanks, however RodGeeks is a stand alone company. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XZte4smLJk4

And a 621 Ranger and a Lund 2075 Pro-V both weigh the same and are both north of $60k. My 17' Lund handles heavy water just as good as any comparable glass boat in its class.

Been using a ProMariner 3 bank for 10 years in my Lund. If the Guest gave you good service, get another. I'd get another ProMariner if mine failed, based on my experiwnce.