Rod damage- how to repair

[scrapiron]

So, walking up some concrete steps, I tripped and the rod in my hand hit the stairs. UGH. Luckily, it hit behind the handle. What can I (should I) do to prevent it from getting worse? Thought about using some black electrical tape.

This is a 2019 Kistler Zbone Medium 7'3" casting rod.

[Mattman]

If that is as bad as it looks to me, its always tough to tell with just a picture, you'll probably blow up your rod the next time you get a good load on it. The cracks won't allow the blank to maintain its hoop strength and as the load gets down to that area and the blank starts to take on its slightly oval loaded shape, the crack will allow the hoop to collapse.

Electrical tape would do nothing more than keep fabric or similar things from snagging on it.

[uljersey]

If the break is behind the handle in an area that doesn't normally flex, you may have a shot by using the method outlined in this thread here - viewtopic.php?f=57&t=81857

It didn't work in my case as I attempted a repair on the tip section but may very well work in your case. You need to get something inside that break area to add some rigidness/strength if you want it to last. Like mentioned above, black tape is not the way to go.

[Mattman]

If that was my rod what I would do for a repair is; I'd cut the blank, cut a little of the damage out, remove the fore grip, and oversleeve the cut with a section of another blank, and finally wrap and finish the oversleeve.

[mark poulson]

Older Phenix Rods used a wooden dowel in the butt to extend the blanks that were available at the time to achieve longer rods. It would work to repair a broken butt, especially now that epoxy is available.

[hoohoorjoo]

Is that above the fore grip or just behind the rear grip? If behind the rear grip, as it appears, you could carefully remove the rear grip, cut a couple inches above the damage, then fit another rod butt from a cheap or broken rod down inside. I did this by using small strips of fiberglass self-adhesive drywall mesh tape to build up the blank until it fits and leaves enough of the rear end of the donor part sticking out to make it functional. Then add a correctly-reamed eva rear grip over the donor part all the way back to the butt grip fir later. Epoxy that donor blank piece into the backside of the rod. Next, add a thread wrap over the entire area, all the way to where the back edge of the new eva butt will stop. It will take few alternating thread wrap layers and epoxy coats to build up the smaller diameter donor part til it matches the joint where it meets the existing blank. Next, flex coat it and let dry. Then slather with a thin coat of epoxy and slide the rear grip up to the reel seat. Any excess epoxy will clean up with 91% rubbing alcohol. I did this with a Falcon Cara once. It actually made the rod better. With the added weight behind the reel seat, the rod balanced perfectly and the tip just floated with a reel attached. I used devcon 2-ton epoxy and it held up fine to some big fish and hard hooksets with the butt stuck in my gut.

[Mattman]

Is that above the fore grip or just behind the rear grip?

Good question. I was assuming that was ahead of the fore grip.

[scrapiron]

Good recommendations so far, but ugh Sounds worse than I thought. The crack is behind the handle.

These are all probably beyond my skillz- which means I’ve never done any rod building.

This is prolly my favorite rod- balances perfectly with a 5.5 a 6.5oz reel.

Had thought about cutting it down to make it shorter, but would need to get guides redone.

[mark poulson]

Good recommendations so far, but ugh Sounds worse than I thought. The crack is behind the handle.

These are all probably beyond my skillz- which means I’ve never done any rod building.

This is prolly my favorite rod- balances perfectly with a 5.5 a 6.5oz reel.

Had thought about cutting it down to make it shorter, but would need to get guides redone.

Try this. Cut the rod right at the break carefully, with a sharp hacksaw. Find a hardwood dowel long enough to go from the end of the rod blank all the way up into the reel seat section, make sure it's a semi-snug fit, so there's room for epoxy. If it's loose, you can warp it with self-adhesive fiberglass drywall tape to make it more snug. Make sure they're flush, and the two rod sections are even all the way around. Taking some time here will save you headaches later.
Then coat the dowel assembly with rod building epoxy, add some epoxy into the hollow rod sections, and insert the dowel into the two parts, pushing them together slowly until they butt up. I would even drill a small hole in the butt cap first, to let trapped air out.
Since you already made sure they were snug and flush before adding the epoxy, you should be able to just wipe the joint down with denatured alcohol to clean up the excess epoxy that squeezes out. It is a little time consuming, but it will save your rod, and keep it usable for a long time.

[scrapiron]

Mark, that's brilliant! I was going to fish it till it broke and make it a 6'7" or 6'8" rod.

I think I can do that. How bad will that mess up the balance? Right now, for a 7'3" rod, it's amazingly light (1/16 to 1/2oz lures) and awesome. I guess alternatives are few and far between.

This is one of those standout rods... I have a Zbone 7' MedLight spinning rod that doesn't feel as light or nimble (though still great).

I guess the scariest part is the hacksaw- once I commit, it's too late to quit!

[uljersey]

Mark, that's brilliant! I was going to fish it till it broke and make it a 6'7" or 6'8" rod.

I think I can do that. How bad will that mess up the balance? Right now, for a 7'3" rod, it's amazingly light (1/16 to 1/2oz lures) and awesome. I guess alternatives are few and far between.

This is one of those standout rods... I have a Zbone 7' MedLight spinning rod that doesn't feel as light or nimble (though still great).

I guess the scariest part is the hacksaw- once I commit, it's too late to quit!

If I'm reading correctly he's basically suggesting what I did in my reply. If you can find carbon fiber tubing at the correct diameter (available on the auction site among other places for cheap) it will be significantly lighter than wood and closer to maintaining the original weight & balance.

[mark poulson]

Mark, that's brilliant! I was going to fish it till it broke and make it a 6'7" or 6'8" rod.

I think I can do that. How bad will that mess up the balance? Right now, for a 7'3" rod, it's amazingly light (1/16 to 1/2oz lures) and awesome. I guess alternatives are few and far between.

This is one of those standout rods... I have a Zbone 7' MedLight spinning rod that doesn't feel as light or nimble (though still great).

I guess the scariest part is the hacksaw- once I commit, it's too late to quit!

If I'm reading correctly he's basically suggesting what I did in my reply. If you can find carbon fiber tubing at the correct diameter (available on the auction site among other places for cheap) it will be significantly lighter than wood and closer to maintaining the original weight & balance.

I'm 72, and a retired carpenter, so all I know is wood. These would probably be great!