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Building time?

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Night Raider 
#1 ·
I'm looking at building my first rod. A 9' 5 wt., probably 4 piece. A couple of questions, what is the rough building time like for a beginner? Any suggestions on rod to build, I noticed some cheap kits ($69) from performance rods by dave lewis. Are these any good? I don't want to start with a $500 sage and screw it up but then again I don't want to have a rod I don't like to use. Hook and Hackle might be another source, any advice on their blanks?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
The best thing about rod building is that almost any mistake you make is readibly cure-abe before glues or finishes are set. The bottom line is do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you would like to build a cheaper rod to get use to building then by all means do it. The only things that take lots of skill and experience would be the decorative butt wraps, but many very simple wraps posses the elegance that look great and even a beginner can do.
 
#3 ·
I have to agree with Jared.

I would talk to this Dave Lewis or the guy’s from Kook & Hackle to make sure you are getting the action you want, but by all means, go for it. As for working time for a beginner, I would say 10 to 15 hours. Just take your time with it. Assemble the real seat and handle and make sure you are liking the way thing look before you glue them into place. The same with the guides, if you don’t like the way the raps look, cut them off and try again.

Good luck with it and let us know how it turns out.

Charlie.
 
#4 ·
I would look at Dan craft blanks. In my opinion they are close to Sage blanks ,and a lot less expensive . My favorite rod is a Sage 4 weight xp for trout. I wrapped a Dan Craft Sig V 4weight , not quite an xp ,but close .. At a bit over 100 bucks ,not a bad way to go.
 
#5 ·
Your New Project

There are lots of good blanks out there for really reasonable prices Im not sure what brands I can legally talk about but the ones from Wisconsin are the blanks I started with and I still have those rods and fish with them all the time. I had my first rods fishing within 48 hours of the time I got the blank in the mail though I probably made mistakes and the finish wasn’t that great. If you have never wrapped a rod before it will take a little time to get the hang of it. I wouldn’t recommend any fancy thread stuff on your first rod, but if your game, go for it. It may take a little longer. My most recent project took about a week including turning a cork handle and doing some multi color thread wraps and feather inlays.

Natrix
 
#8 ·
IM7Kit

Night Raider

Kits are a great way to start. Take the time to do a good job and you will be fishing with that rod for a long time. Im fishing with rods my Dad built over 20 years ago. If you have any questions just ask. Im sure tere is a wealth of knowlage here on this forum.

Natrix
 
#9 ·
I agree H&H is a good place to start I have also used many their Rainshadow Rx7 blanks in matte gray. Nice blank moderate action although there 4 pcs. blank are a little faster. If ordering a kit I personally would ask to swap there pacific bay u3 reel seet for the h&h u-5 they will usually accomodate. Bob has sold the buisness Ron is trying to play a little catch up so the shipment may be a little slow. And order on line to get the discount. Dan Craft seems to have a good product just started building a 9' 7wt FT (very fast) and Dan is more than willing to answer any questions. Good luck if your like me once you start you won't fish w/ a rod you didn't build. Adds alot to the sport.
 
#10 ·
One last question before I order the kit. Any opinions on the difference between the IM6 blank and the IM7. I was thinking of the IM7 because I thought it is a better rod but the IM6 is a bit more expensive. I know the IM7 is a bit faster, but how do they compare in terms of performance?

thanks
 
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