Pacific Bay kit

[ELHead]

Has anyone done a Pacific Bay kit? If so,what is your assessment of it as far as quality, ease of assembly,(for a novice), difficulties?

[smij]

If you're referring to this one, read on. If not...:


It is a maroon blank and comes with brown thread and gold trim. I ended up buying matching thread to use instead.
The epoxy for assembling the grip/reel seat is horrible to work with. I had my own already. I ended up using that.
The finish for the guide wraps is good. I don't like those tiny little brushes that come with the kit. I pick up brushes from the local hardware store for .25 a piece.
If I remember correctly, the guides needed some prep work on the feet. I could be wrong.
The reel seat is pretty ugly.
The finished rod is heavy. BUT! It casts fairly well.
I ended up giving it to a family member. I got the kit for just under $20, so it was easy to part with.

If anyone needs brown thread and gold trim, contact me! I built 3 ultralight spinning rods for a friend's kids using these kits.

[Cliff955]

I'm not sure if it's relevant to what you're looking at, but my first solo rod build (I did a rod building class before,) was an inexpensive Hook & Hackle kit, which was Pac Bay all the way. It was all pretty easy as I remember. The guides needed some work and I think I substituted my own thread, but no problems. It wasn't fancy, but it was a complete, low cost package and I ended up with a rod I still use on occasion.

Hope that helps,

Cliff