09-02-2003, 04:36 PM
[cool]Hey, Joe, I am guessing you are talking about rods you take out on the boats, right? They get a lot of abuse...especially when they get hosed down with salt water when the DHs are doing their cleanup job.
Good cork is not very tolerant of repeated soakings and drying out. The chemicals in salt water soak into the cork and over time cause it to get brittle and to fall apart. I prefer cork, but for boat rods, sometimes the foam handles hold up a lot better.
The only thing you can do is to treat them with a waterproofing sealer before you take them out the first time. Problem is, it makes the cork slick and makes it more like a hardwood handle than a nice cork feel.
Only other option is to strip off the old stuff and replace it once in awhile.
Sorry I can't wave a magic wand and make it all better. Maybe JapanRon will have some insight. How about you, Halibut?
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Good cork is not very tolerant of repeated soakings and drying out. The chemicals in salt water soak into the cork and over time cause it to get brittle and to fall apart. I prefer cork, but for boat rods, sometimes the foam handles hold up a lot better.
The only thing you can do is to treat them with a waterproofing sealer before you take them out the first time. Problem is, it makes the cork slick and makes it more like a hardwood handle than a nice cork feel.
Only other option is to strip off the old stuff and replace it once in awhile.
Sorry I can't wave a magic wand and make it all better. Maybe JapanRon will have some insight. How about you, Halibut?
[signature]