Hello All,
Future builder here, I've been building my shopping cart while looking at the oceans worth of components and ran across "Graphite reel seat arbors". Does anyone have any experience adding these to their rods and/or fishing with them. Do they add sensitivity to the system or are they more of an option/gimmick?

Richard,

I have used both the graphite and polyurethane reel seat arbors. The graphic arbors are a little hard than the polyurethane; but, I don't believe the difference in weight is significant. They both are very light. The graphic arbors are harder in composition and IMHO provide a more solid material between the reel seat and the rod blank. I prefer them. No gimmick!

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Thank you Don!

Richard,
When only graphite arbor's were available, I used them. But, they are much harder and much harder to machine than the poly arbors now widely available.

The poly arbors supply plenty of strength for a reel seat and are so much easier to use, that I threw out all of the graphite arbors that I had left and now use only poly arbors.

Simply put, poly arbors work much better than nearly any other material to fill space between a blank and a reel seat that for me, it is the material of choice.

Be safe

What most companies now call "graphite arbors" are a rigid urethane foam type. They're quicker to install than tape arbors, lighter and more rigid and therefore they would retain more sensitivity that tape, carboard, cork, etc.

..............

I'm probably old school, but I use dry wall tape. Works for me.

I haven't a tried the poly arbors but I think I might after reading this thread. I have mounted with masking tape but I was afraid it would spongy and I knew it wouldn't be as sensitive. I'm all for graphite arbors, I have used the two piece models and I just ordered some full 3-7/8" sized ones. Looking forward to see how they are!

The determining factor for me in what I use is the wall thickness I'll be dealing with, half the difference in the diameter of the blank and the inside diameter of the reel seat. If it's only about .075 or so or less I'll use masking tape. I assure you that masking tape surrounded by epoxy is anything but spongy. If the wall thickness will be larger than about .075 then I'll use the rigid foam reel seat shims. They are a piece of cake to machine and bore, and you can use extensions of them to make a light, sensitive, "ramp." They have a 1/4 inch bore and you can machine the OD by screwing a drill that is just larger than 1/4 into the bore, put the drill in a drill press, and machine with sandpaper. When the wall thickness of the shims gets too small, they are very fragile. I don't think the little grey ones get that fragile.

The Riley Rods foam in their 6# density is also very good for seat shims and ramps.


[clients.criticalimpact.com]

Michael that's a really good point, when I did masking tape it was at least 1/4", if not closer to 3/8" thick. I didn't glue it in place so that's probably where/when I got the spongy feel. Epoxy would change that, so you're definitely right!

never measured the space but I use 1/4" tape if f the tape goes around more then about 10 turns I use arbors The epoxy in between the tape unless you put them close adds weight I also prep the blank where the seat will sit so the glue will hold the seat - to the blank and the tape is to center the seat or what ever you are putting on

Bill - willierods.com

Miles, I think most builders basically encapsulate the masking tape in epoxy. Using that much tape is going to be heavier than the foam. I've never had a foam seat shim fail. I also make sure there is epoxy all around them, too.