Sorry about the rod. I have the same one and have had to have either the tip replaced (twice), or the entire rod (once). The factory was very good about it, and you may be surprised at the turn around time, two weeks was the longest I ever waited. Good luck. You're right, there's nothing like the feel of the RPL.
Kelly.
Tight Lines,
Kelly.
"There will be days when the fishing is better than one's most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home."
Roderick Haig-Brown, "Fisherman's Spring"