Made my Excal straight shaft- thanks

Looks very nice. I am going to make me one as well soon.

nice work, looks very professional,,,,hope it works out for you,,,,GL HH

The problem i had with mine was the rod is tapered and the hand grip kept getting loose. I couldnt get it tight without crushing the upper shaft. I really put a lot of pressure on mine out there so it was a little more flexible than i liked. But it was light weight.

Dew

Hi Dew,
I read what happen with yours and I sanded the rod where the handle is and then used marine epoxy between the handle and rod. After I tightened it I let it sit to harden. It seems to be tight so we will see when it gets put into action.
I also put in a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe in the rod under the handle to provide some strength.

We'll see, I'll follow up with the results.

VERY nice job man, i like the fact it's one piece, clean look. Keep us posted on how it swings, my only worry is that it might be a little too whippy...

Niice work, looks good! Where did you get your handbar and handgrip from? I need to replace the one on my GT where the plastic has cracked.

Looks great, Professional!

Hi Imalookin2

I got them from NiagaraCycle.com for $10 for 2
I bought 2 sets (in case I need to make more) because of shipping the total was $27 (for 4)

Avenir Palmroost Bar Ends Silver SKU# 433751

Here it is all together. I held the ends and tried to flex it and it seems strong and should not flex significantly.

Looks like sunday will be in the 50's so I will give it a good test somewhere at the jersey shore. Hopefully a beach that has been eroded by the past storm.

Good work, looks like it'll do the Job.

Hey that looks pretty darn good!

That looks very nice

Update on Black widow straight shaft

Hi,
I have used it several times and am very happy with it but below are the things I learned, corrected and improvements should anyone be interested.

1. Engineering issue:
I used a whites cuff which did not fit tightly. I was too eager to get out and hunt and did not address it. The movement ended up breaking the shaft at the mounting point.
Cause:
a. I only used a short piece of 1/2" pvc where the hand grip was, but not up to the cuff.
b. A slight gap between cuff and shaft.
Fix:
a. Added another piece of 1/2" pvc between grip and end of shaft, then bonded it back together. Note: Plug pvc ends to avoid water and sand getting in.
b. Added gorrilla tape (black) to the shaft under the cuff to fill in the space to make it tight.
c. Added a screw into the bottom of the cuff into the shaft.
Repainted it and now it is very strong and stable. See photo.
Future design:
Place 1/2 pvc pipe from below grip to the end cap. ~24" Doesn't add much weight.

2. Fixed shaft size:
I used the diving bottom rod that came with the Excal. I determine the overall length I wanted and fixed it in place in the shaft with epoxy.
Suggestion:
I think I would go with a shaft lock to have some adjustablility, a couple inches would be nice. (doesn't everyone say that) But if this is done I would cap the inside of the lower shaft to keep water and sand from filling it up.

3. FYI:
I used epoxy to block any water or sediment build up in the shaft. On the Excal after I got out of the water it was always noticibly heavier from it and would have to hold it up to drain it. This is one reason I wanted a fixed lenght so it was sealed from the elements

Overall I am very happy with it, very little flexing even when in chest high surf. For the ~$30-$40 its well worth it. Not a big loss if you don't
$10 for hand grip
$10 for the black widow
$10 for cuff
$5 for marine epoxy
I had the 1/2" pvc