Reel seat?
 

How do you determine what size
Reel seat is needed?

Is there a measurement I look at, length, etc.

The reel being used will be a ZeeBaas 27.

This rod building stuff is all new to me, but I want to learn as I go.

Thanks

Chef

The reel seat has to match the rod blank and the reel. Now size 17 and above will fit any reel (size 16 won't). The decision is usually dictated by the blank diameter where it will be mounted.

The size of your hand and individual preference matters. For a big reel like a ZB 27 most guys would want a 20 or 22 mm diameter seat. The standard seats are fuji dps and they come in lots of sizes. I'll suggest, however, that you try (or look at) a fuji nps seat. These have a molded/tapered front hood and flattened sides that make them more comfortable in hand. They go well with tape/xflock heat shrink grips. The largest size is a 20 mm. Some guys find this feels small, but I have pretty large hands and like how the seat fits to my ZB 25. One issue with the nps design, however, is that the smaller 17 and 18 seats don't accept the foot of the first gen ZB 22, but do fine with shimano reels (I don't know if it would be an issue with VS's).

The other area where you run into trouble with reel seat/reel foot mismatch is with these newer molded trigger seats and old Newell reels.
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Thanks guys!

My plan is to build an 11 ft rod while we're building the 10ft in the class.

Take what I learned and apply it.
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I am anxious to learn more about the reel seats also. One of my rods can barley fit a 706 on it, but when i put my vs on it i have to torque it all the way down and the reel doesn't sit straight unless i really concentrate on centering it.

You will have problems if the reel seat is too big for the blank. You will have problems if you use other than a fuji deluxe seat for a VS. Yes feel in hand is another factor but feel in hand goes along with what blank its on.

Building the 11 footer at the same time as the 10 footer. That's a good way to apply what you learn. If I were you though , I would at least have the other rod a full week behind the class rod. That way after you do something on the class rod , I get to check it out and correct any errors before you repeat them on the second rod. Feel free to bounce your 11 foot rod selection etc off of me for suggestions. Its a different blank and therefore a different build , most of the details will change some but the basic steps in building it will be the same.

So it sounds like Chris is psyched to build rods now!!! :)

Yeah mike that's my plan, stay one week behind the class.

I want to check out the 11ft blanks while I'm at your house,

Either the 2-5 or 3-7 oz century blanks.
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I had a whiney thread earlier last year with a similar complaint that a new mojo rod reel seat didnt fit my VS200. when I destroyed the shrink and cork tape by it rubbing against a bike tire, it was the perfect chance to replace the lower blank and change some things.

I got a H-22 (i think, rod is currently with rod builder to administer final touches) fugi seat which was made with the tightening thread on the top side, not on the bottom like most factory reel seats. well it fits my VS now and is pretty heavy duty, love it. Just throwin in my 2cents

pics in the old thread: http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...-problems.html

All the seats can be mounted with the threads on top (down locking) trigger seats must be mounted with the threads on top. Spinner reel seats are usually mounted with the threads on the bottom (up locking ) but I don't know why. For very large conventional reels , the trigger seat sizes are too small so a larger spinner seat is used with the threads on top (down locking)

Interesting... One of those things they don't change purely for marketing reasons because the company owners are afraid gummers will freak out and not buy it?

How about plate seats.Do any of you use them.

You should also check out the Spod, cut 12" from the butt and have a super eel stick. Little softer tip than the 1327/8.

A lot of people with smaller hands like plate seats. They can be comfortable but I prefer a full reel seat made of Graphite composite.

Out of curiosity how can a reel seat be too big for a blank. I always thought it odd that people try to fit a reel seat to the blank because I am the opposite, I fit it to my hand regardless of the rod. Anything below a size 22 seat will give me wrist pain and eventually tendonitis due to having to grip around that thinner diameter. I have rods that easily fit a size 18 or smaller but still I put a 22 on them, I just build big bushings with drywall tape. Up until now I have never had a problem with this. I don't have close to the level of experience with this stuff as you so I am wondering what problems I might have in the future doing this.

When I originally learned to build, I was taught "screw down and you'll never screw up." Sounds good, don't think it matters. For me, I don't want the threads under my palm.

The trouble comes in if there is a big difference between the ID of the Reel seat and the OD of the blank where you mount it. Is it a show stopper..no. I can fix that issue in about 20 minutes but for a beginner it forces you to get involved in things you should probably avoid until you have more experience. First off there will be a huge amount of epoxy fill. The busshings will be very big in diameter above the blank height. You'll need to use maybe 2 layers of cork tape to fill the space or you will have a big edge where the handle material meets the overly large reel seat and that edge can (often does) dig into your hand or finger while you hold the rod. You also need to ultimately seal that space betwewen the reel seat and blank so you have to play around pushing epoxy in and trying to form a filet at both ends of the seat. You then have to also form a radius with the thread finish to get the best finished look but suppose you used shrink wrap and opt against having thread wraps above and below the seat? You can also help remedy this problem by using winding checks but again you run the risk of having an unconfortable edge to deal. That high edge is really uncomfortable on a conventional and will certainly bother you. On a spinner ist maybe , maybe not an issue.

Anyway , as I said , you can overcome the large gap but its not something a beginner will want to deal with.


For Zimmy's comment about screw down and you won't screw up , this is true IMO. I think downlocking for all is no problem and perhaps better but most people will think you F'ed up if you hand them a spinner with a downlocking reel seat.

Thanks for your explanation. I was mostly worried there was some sort of failure potential but it seems most issues arise from technical/cosmetic hurdles. I have been playing around a bit with epoxy ramps to overcome some of the problems with transitions from the two different diameters and that hard edge of the reel seat. I guess until I have a problem I will keep doing it the way I have because a cosmetic hurdle is much better to deal with than wrist pain.

Another option which I use on new builds and strip downs is the Flexcoat polyurethane foam arbors. You will need to buy or fabricate the various size bits to bore the size hole corresponding to the blank. Minimal epoxy to fill void. i've done #24 seats on standard 9/16" blanks for arthretic hands w/o problems. Just another option. As far as the original way I too agree with Mike that putting an oversize seat does require expertise to assure a positive adhesion. PS, don't forget to abrade slightly to dull the blank b/4 glueing!

Over the years I've had to do an unbeleivable number of variations as far as mounting reel seats an have used all that are or were on the market. Keep it simple. Find where your gonna put the seat. If due to reel size there's a gap then use cork tape to that point or a hypalon grip. Then take your reel seat and mark the blank where the top will be.Make a masking tape bushing 1/8 in down from that line. Space your other bushings at least 1/2 in apart including the one lowest on the rod. Note if using cork tape use a premade surf handle peice of hypalon 1an1/2 in to 2 in long and mount it over the end of cork tape. Reel seat will but up against this.Mix your epoxy and have some rags an denatured alcohol ready. Slide reel seat to ist bushing. Cover it and load epoxy into gap. Fill it as much as you can. Slide reel seat down to next bushing. Repeat this using as much epoxy as you can fit in. Once done wipe off extra epoxy with an alcohol soaked rag . Aline reel seat to match your spline then stand rod upright in a corner or stairway. THIS IS IMPORTANT.Epoxy will settle to one side of the reel seat if you lay it on it's side.Up rigtht creates a nice even glue bond all around the inside of the reel seat. This will prevent a stiff side on the rod and keep it from trying to turn in your hand due to extra stress on the blank from all the pooled epoxy on one side of the reels seat and that may be in a place you don't want it to be.
I've been glueing rods like this for over 30yrs and have never had a glue bond failure to include tuna rods to ul fly rods. It works an it's pretty simple. I had to put a 28 reel seat on an Arra as the guy had huge hands and needed the size not to get cramps fishing. The hypalon worked great. I have over 2 dozen builds similar to this out there and they all are still in use.

Chef, you'll be happy with the 20 fiji seat on that rod. check out the NPS seats also, the integrated front hood is more comfortable than the DPS with 2 separate hoods