Heavy Duty Boat Rod Guides - What's the Difference?
I see people asking about fishing rod guides on the Rod Building Forums..." What are good boat rod guides?"
The replies and/or recommendations are usually Fuji. And Fuji are great rod guides but are they better than the competition?
I am a custom rod builder and yes I have Fuji rod guides in stock and have used them on several tuna rods. I also use ALPS and Sea-Guide too.
Above are the ALPS HXN, Fuji HB and Sea-Guide XRG Heavy Duty Boat Rod Guides
Let's compare these 3 heavy duty boat rod guides and see why or why not Fuji is better.
- All 3 brands are made from SS 316L stainless steel
- All 3 brand's frame thickness and design are very similar
- All 3 brands have a anodized finish to prevent corrosion
- All 3 brands offer Ceramic Ring Inserts to reduce friction and dissipate heat
- All 3 brands have adequately long feet to accommodate thread wrapping
- All 3 brands have Filed or "Profiled" guide feet to assist thread wrapping
I have all 3 brands in stock and sell all 3 and I like all 3 and I also build custom Tuna and Shark rods with all 3 brands. They all are "Bullet Proof" and will last a very long time if taken care of, like rinsing with fresh water after fishing.
So how do you decide? How about cost? The cost is not enough to force a decision unlike roller guides where 1 roller guide is $115.00. These boat rod guides range from $25.00 for a 20 mm ALPS to $16.00 for Fuji and $17.62 for the Sea-Guide XRG.
I do have a favorite for what ever reason and it's the Sea-Guide XRG with Black PVD coating and blue Zirconia ring insert. It just looks AWESOME!!
What Type of Fishing Rods Do You Use These Guides on?
These heavy duty boat rod guides are designed and manufactured for big game fishing. They are ideal for Bluefin Tuna, Black and Blue Marlin, Swordfish and Sharks and just about anything else. Fish over 250 lbs. really stress fishing rods, reels and fishing line. If these are not heavy duty, something will fail and you'll loose the fish. However, these guides are tough enough for the largest fish. Boat rod guides don't get any better than these.
The SS 316L stainless steel guide frames are super strong and will never fail. The large ceramic rings are diamond polished and micro-smooth. There is very little friction between the ring and the fishing line. It's very close to what roller guides provide. Almost negligible friction. More and more tuna and shark rods are being built with these boat rod guides instead of roller guides.