flechero

Probably... consider the following: If it were wrecked, lost, or stolen tomorrow, do you have the cash to replace it? God forbid you had an on the water accident with injuries, would you be able to cover the medical liabilities and the other boat(s) if it's your fault ? What if it's not your fault and the other guy doesn't have insurance, how do you pay for medical and property costs? Maybe I'm just paraniod these days but insurance is a must have for me. In some cases, auto and homeowner's covers certain things but they do not cover all your needs. Mine's a 94 Champion, I still insure it. The cost is largely based on replacement or book value (depending on which company you go with) so as your boat depreciates, your premiums go down as well.

Matt, Thanks for posting, I hadn't seen those articles before.

This is a guess, since I don't even know what creatix is... but did you steel wool the surface prior to spraying it? You may need to prep the surface for the creatix to adhere. (this would apply to many finishes or adhesives... on a super smooth surface, they can't grab and will bead up) just a thought

Awesome! Glad it made it already. If you post photos along the way, we may end up having a lot more folks here, starting to build rods!! Especially when they see the bumper wrap! It will be neat to see the process from another, more experienced builder. I hope I see some new tricks! I'll be looking for an update to this thread on my lunch break tomorrow!! I'm still tinkering with grip lengths and shapes. I'm jealous... I can't even figure out how to resize pics to post here. ...lol -keith

Sounds like you need to back in a little further. The other option is to tie off and move it when you get off the ramp. My old boat was light enough for me to reposition it by myself, even with a 9.9hp on it. Get it straight and winch it up tight. One other (easier and better) suggestion for light weight boats is a "Boat Buddy" and guide boards for the trailer. The boat buddy is a spring loaded attachment device so when you pull on the trailer, as soon as the boat gets all the way on, a little metal bolt is pushed through the bow eye... you need the guide rails to get the boat lined up for the Boat Buddy". I used this system on a 15' aluminum boat for years. It was about the only way to keep the boat from relaunching on the trailer rollers.

I've had State Farm and Farmer's both, only used State farm... what a nightmare. I had 3 autos, 2 houses and a boat with them... the 17 yr old drunk driver that hit my boat (while it was parked on the trailer, in my driveway) also had State Farm. I naively though since we all had state farm, it would be as quick and easy as could be. I had to actually get an attorney involved to finally get it straightened out. It took 11 months to get it fixed and paid for. > And no, insurance doesn't cover your payments while it sits 11 months waiting on them to figure out how to screw you. I still spent over $1000 out of pocket to fix what insurance didn't. I'm still mad about it... and that was almost 8 yrs ago. Farmer's quit writing boats so I went back to state farm... now I have just the basics since all the extras I was originally paying for didn't ever pass the claims dept. On the flip side, I have always had fast perfect service on auto and home claims, which is why I still have them. (and the multi item and policy discounts almost pay for the boat coverarge by themselves.) So if anything else happens, at least I haven't paid much for the coverage.

What you went through is one of the ways all the great soft plastics were invented. I congratulate you for having the patients to do it. You may be onto the next great bait... or maybe just another bait, you won't know until you try it out. I hope it catches your next personal best!! Just be sure to factor your time into the making of the molds to get a true representation of the "cost to you"... a few cents worth of plastic and $xx.xx per hour for your time.

Great! I'll put that on tonight's to-do list. Thanks!!

Well, you have 2 of the blanks that are on my list! You must have good taste! I'll have to live vicariously through you until I save some more allowance for the good blanks! ..lol I wish I had an inventory at the house... but then I'd be building and not fishing. ...lol I can really simpathize with waiting on guides... I just got 2 guides in last week that were backordered since Christmas! I understand about the patience for decorative wraps... some days I still have trouble with guide wraps! Speaking of which, I found a fuzz in 2 of my wraps that comes through the finish... can I trim it off with a razor or sand it off and just add a light second coat to it? I wondered if it would blend like it was never there or if the spot would haze? I got to put finish on the new swimbait rod last night! I struggled with colors since it's a deep, emerald green blank w/ glossy finish... ended up wrapping about 8" of blank with various colors and then wet some of the regular thread to simulate not using CP on some to get different effects. I ended up using dark green (regular nylon) with metallic silver trim and not using any CP... it looks really good on that deep green gloss blank. (excepting to the 2 fuzzes that came through) I tried some pics with the camera phone but they look like black & whites... the phone doesn't get color or light worth a darn. My buddy will be over tomorrow night and he's pretty good with the techie stuff, so I'll snap some pics with the real camera and have him trim them down to file size so I can post. -keith

They serve a variety of purposes... but you can only get out of them, what you put in them. I kept them for years when I lived in East Tx. It's really helpful to be able to go back and look at seasonal patterns, baits etc. If nothing else, you will have a written record of conditions vs what worked. So on one of those hot blue bird days you can see what has worked in the past under the same conditions. Some people put a ton of info there, I used to put the date, weather conditions, baits that worked and general info on good fish. (depth, presentation, cover/structure, location) Logs are most helpful if you fish the same lake or lakes all the time... if you fish all over, the best you can do is general seasonal patterns. You really need to keep them for a full year before they help a lot. Over, say a long summer, they are good but in yr 2 they are better and every year after they are that much better. Somebody had a searchable program for the computer that would be nice.

Back to your 3C66MHF, how long has it been suffering on the wall? (that is one of the blanks I want to build) Glad to hear that you are ready to build again! Are you going to marble the epoxy or do any decorative wrapping? Have you picked thread colors for the guide wraps? Does Bingham sell retail? I know that Andy is closed until after the rod builder's show. I think I'm going to get a mixed 100 ct bag (laguna and burnt) this time... no sense in paying shipping each time I make a handle. ...lol I'll try to take a pic tonight with my phone... seems a lot faster/easier than reading the manual to my wife's camera! ;D If it works, I'll snap a few of the rods in progress so you can see the split grips with Andy's cork. -keith

In murkey water it might resemble a fat waterdog who's tail was already eaten! ;D I'm sure the first guy to make or use an 11" swimbait for bass got a few strange looks.

I'll have some pictures as soon as I get the finish on the rods. (and as soon as I figure out how to compress the pics... my camera is set on "high quality" so the files are too big to post here... I need to find the book so I can reset it for normal.) Got one done last night, will do one tonight, so by wed or thurs I should have pics. Do you use a brush or spatula for your thread finish? I have been using brush since I don't have a spatula. Using a 1/4" artists 'shading' brush... almost as stiff as a spatula but the tip 1/32 is flexible. Seems to work ok but I doubt it's the right tool for the job. Also, do you have some sort of hand rest? I have trouble keeping the hand steady for long periods of time. I'll be going along great and then have a twitch or shake, every few minutes. ...lol I'm going to make something tonight before I get started... even if it's just a board bracketed to the right height. -keith

Sounds like you are getting caught up on the bench! I was hoping to have some more pics for you too but I was out of town all weekend. I think you will like Andy's cork a lot, it is so much nicer than the other burl I had and it's a lot more uniform through out. I got some of the burnt burl with my last order, it's a really nice chocolate brown after turning and sanding. I used it for trim rings in mine but my friend (I'm paying forward) chose to use mostly burnt with laguna trim rings. Very sharp!! I'll get a pic of the 2 together soon, so you can see both before you glue yours up. I may go to the dark on future rods, because it looks great and won't look dirty after use. I got home this evening and mixed up a batch of threadmaster... I have 3 casting rods almost finished - just need to apply threadmaster, recheck balance and glue on butt ring. All 3 are split grip, cut down reel seats and no foregrips. I can't wait! And the bonus of all is that I got my Dr.'s clearance this week to start using baitcasters again!!!!! I'm over 2 months ahead of schedule on rehab!! He did request that I start off with a light or med power rod for the first couple trips out, to see how it feels. (and now you see why I'm hurrying to get my new rods built) If only the wind would let us on the lake! > I have 2 or 3 more "practice rods" to build before I get to my SCV blank... I decided that I'm going to replace all my rods this year with my own builds. That darned monkey, he gets you one way or the other, at least he lets me pick the colors ...lol ;D

Doing my best... remember the swimbait blanks? only one is for me. If I had any idea how much fun this was and what great & helpful people builders are... I would have taken this up about 15 years ago! Class acts, every one of you! -keith

It will probably get moved to tackle at some point but since it's here now... I have a cabela's (not sure of exact model) "deluxe" drift sock. It wasn't very expensive, they range in price depending on what size you want. Just be sure whichever one you get has the float at the top and weight at bottom. Otherwise they will spin - a lot! My last one spun so much it would end up in a wad of rope in short order!! Also, be sure you have a rope with a float on it... they sell one that "goes" with the deluxe drift socks but they are like $19... it was free with the drift sock when I got mine but the make a big difference, especially when drifting shallow areas. You can make one with a $2 float from Academy and a rope. I think it's the most overlooked accessory for a bass boat, ever. I fish central and west central Tx mostly... light winds here are what most people aviod the lake over... the drift sock is the difference between fishing and not fishing on many days here. Today the weather channel and local forcast said winds were 5-10... but on the lake we had whitecaps and swells in the 2-3 foot range. That's about the norm until summer when we get 110 degrees and no breeze at all! Drift socks are good for several extra fish a day... just in concentration vs. worrying about the drift rate and jacking w/ the trolling motor.

Well, I didn't mislead intentionally! If I had thought of that, I wouldn't need to ask what I did wrong! ...lol ;D As far as I can tell, the only real difference in a +T (now that I have done one) is if you need handle clearance, your butt guide (and bumper) may be forward of where you want/need it to be. If that's the case, as it was for me, you'll need a higher framed bumper since you'll get more flex in the bumper area. Yes, the bumper is still in (exact) middle of the first two guides. The only slight change I made was actually a suggestion of Tom Kirkman, he once wrote that sometimes you'll need to set the bumper +/- 10 degrees (from 90) for optimum 6 o'clock contact. That is all I had to do once I raised the profile of the #7 BLAG... I needed about 10 degrees extra towards the 2nd guide. Need a +T handled blank to practice on? I have a few more All Stars in the garage. All of them are 6' 10", I have 6 and 7 powers left. (12-20, 3/8-3/4 and 12-25, 1/2-1 1/2) With all the help you have given me, I probably owe you a blank by now! If I could only quit my job and do this kind of thing full time... -keith

Thanks, ReelMech... while reading your post I had the thought of what's in paragraph 2. I believe it would have worked perfectly fine if the #7 were placed on the left side. But since my reel handles are on the right, I kind of wanted to keep it on that side for the same reason you mentioned. Ok, I started to type this and then started fooling with it again. I believe I figured out the trouble and also fixed it. The reason I had contact is that this is a +T handle rod and the butt guide is a couple inches further up the blank (for handle section clearance) than if it weren't. (resulting in more flex under load at the bumper point and allowing line contact) I mocked up the last 3 guides as if it weren't a +T and it clears fine. So I made another adjustment to the #7 and it looks like it will work out fine. Thanks again! Keith

I know a few of you also visit the .org site... I posted there also because I can get different responses here and there. I am working on a MH casting rod, layed out my guides, static tested, adjusted, re-checked... and am very happy with the placement. What I'm having trouble with is choosing a bumper guide. I read over and over about using a low framed bumper. I believe I have found "too low" in a BLAG #7. It sits almost flat on the blank. I then tried a #8 BLAG but it sits really high in comparison. (the #7 sits on the blank just like a #6) Since I work most lures and fight most fish from my left side (and I reel with my right) the BLAG #7 (on the right side) will not keep the line off the blank when fighting a fish. But the #8 just looks real high. I took an extra #7 and tried to "modify" it's height profile but can't seem to get enough height without shortening the foot too much. The #8 will get the job done from the right side, but... Have I read too much into the "low " bumper guide theory? Or should I just have the bumper opposite the reel handle? What do you guys use for bumpers? Thanks for your suggestions! Keith

For Schoolies... I've always had great luck with an all white bomber (or equivalent) model A, and the last several years I have been using white or white ice, Zoom super flukes, worked fast. I like the Flukes best... I don't even use the crank anymore.

RW, They are referring to the orientation of the guides in relation to the spine of the blank during assembly... the spine is the a stiff spot in the blank, under load the rod wants to bend a certain direction (spine on outside of curve) and it is advantageous to align the guides opposite the spine on a spinning rod or on the spine for a traditional casting rod, that way when you are fighting a fish the spine is oriented on the top side. Doing so will reduce the twisting of a rod when under a load and keep the stronger side of the blank in tension. If it were reversed and the spine were in compression, you would be more likely to have a failure. I have no idea how much more likely... that might be something Reelmech or some of the more experienced builders could answer. Think of a rod's spine like you own, when bending backwards you cannot support much weight and are in a position to hurt yourself... when bending forward, you are much stronger and more stable.

SFC_AL, If you are serious about having a rod built, you should talk to Jim or ReelMech, those guys are GOOD! And if you want a camo grips or camo marbled epoxy, just look at this rod that Jim did... I am reposting Jim's pic from another thread, I hope you don't mind, Jim, but this is too good not to show SFC_AL.

I actually though of that (camo colors) before the blanks arrived, and thought of doing a camo marble between the split grips... but they are a high gloss finish. I will enlist the help of my wife, she's so much better with colors and also knows what I like! I will figure out a way topost a pic whenevery I get it finished... maybe next week. ?

Yes, I got it cut off... I used a hack saw blade and my bare hands to keep the pressure light... cut it to the point that it was like thread fibres holding the reel seat together and then used the nut and a shim to break itself on the cut line. It worked perfectly. Taught me a valuable lesson about rushing things! I'll be ready for some big time field testing. Yup, Matt's swimbaits are on the way. I had a little extra money last payday and splurged.

Very nice! Mine is different, I know you can see it in your mind.... the almost black, super dark blueish color blank with a black wrap to set up the red for a real eye catching POP!! I'm not a real fan of red but I have to say at the very least, it looks good. ...lol Out of nowhere the musky blanks we ordered came in today... rainshadow blanks... in "olive Green" but they are actually a deeeeeeeeep emerald green and truly striking in good light!! I have no idea what to wrap them with but I glued up some of Andy's exotic burl tonight in burnt w/ natural trims and another in natural w/ burnt trims... they look great, even with epoxy seeping out between the rings!! ...lol ;D Oh, I can't wait for tomorrow night... then I get to make lots 'O dust in the garage, shaping big bass catching handles!!!! These are the swimbait/ledgebuster rods I have been waiting to build... our buddy Matt has a few goodies on the way to complete this wonderful combination! I am almost to the point that working on a rod in the garage is as good as fishing... did I say that out loud??? :-/ OK, maybe not but since we are in a pattern of 25mph winds, the garage is the best place to be right now! At this rate when the winds die down, I'll have a complete rotation from factory to custom rods. ;D And that is a good thing!