Rod Material Evolution......

[steve2]

The best Normarks came from the Diamuru factory (Japan) which I believe made the Carbotecs, and I vaguely remember the factory switched to aircraft equipment (may be completely untrue!). I still hanker after a Carbotec No. 1. The Normark 2000 Titans and Avengers are two of the best fish playing rods I've ever owned but the Carbotecs knock them into a cocked hat. That said the Daiwa Team Daiwa X has magical properties in this regard.

The first carbon rods I built was on a Diamuru blank and if I remember right it cost around £70 sometime in the late 70's. I still have the rod and it's still a good rod even after all this time.

 

[108831]

The original Normarks,they were the first carbon rod i thought was good enough to waste my money on Steve,the first ones were 12ft 6in if i remember correctly,which i bought from Leslies of Luton,i bought a 12fter when they became available,a very good bit of kit at the time...

 

[steve2]

Your right 12ft 6in always seemed a strange length to me when you were use to 12ft and 13ft glass rods.

 

[108831]

Were great for years,i sold them on they were still good.

 

[hague01]

wow, £600 then, was a fortune! When Hardy launched their marksman range about then I read the xt was around 110 and the dearer one about 150.I thought that was enough for those days.I see 2000's can fetch over 400 even now so not a great investment financially but then that's not what its about.
I will have a look at carbotecs!.

 

[sam vimes]

When Hardy launched their marksman range about then I read the xt was around 110 and the dearer one about 150.

That sounds more like the prices that they eventually cleared them for rather than the original RRPs or real selling prices. The Hardy Marksman rods were £300+ (The 11'10" was about £30 less than £300) at launch, up there with the most expensive rods available at the time. The Marksman Supero was a fraction cheaper than the original Marksman. The Marksman XT the "budget" version that was still as expensive as many top of the range rods from other brands.

 

[hague01]

My first class rod( imho) was an 11' XT feeder.On the tube it had a 2006 date sticker and price of £109. Still being offered new on Ebay now.
I thought it was cracking and persuaded me to go on to marksmans. Still got a couple which my executors can shift

 

[mikench]

Remember the words of Proust " a remembrance of things past is not necessarily a remembrance of things as they were".

 

[nottskev]

Remember the words of Proust " a remembrance of things past is not necessarily a remembrance of things as they were".

Or Immanual Kant on cane rods

"Never a straight thing was made from the crooked timber of man".

 

[mikench]

Very true and he wasn't talking of rods.

 

[hague01]

I remember the warmth of Christmas's of my youth, where we all sat around the fire in the kitchen.Had to as the rest of the house was bldy freezing!