Chapman 500 power and action

[Ryeman]

I'm slightly confused. Nobby says that Chapmans made their 550 as a replica of the Mark1V. Ryan says that the 550 has a straight taper in the butt section. But the Mark 1V has a stiffened-up butt; the taper increases under the handle. I remember Walker writing that, irrespective of taper, when you increase the load on a rod, held at an appropriate angle for playing a big fish, the rod bends more in the butt. So he increased the taper there to give it more power when more power was needed.
I have never used a Chapman 500, but it does seem like a nice rod, judging from favourable comments on this excellent forum which I have just joined. Can anyone comment on how it differs in use from the Mark 1V Avon? I built a cane Mark1V Avon in the late 1960's and have used it on and off ever since for touch-legering for chub. It does feel rather strange and out of balance in the hand; too heavy in the upper mid section; probably as a result of its very slow taper. As I still have some Tonkin cane left over from the 60's I'm wondering about building a Chapman 500 if it feels nicer in the hand than the Mark 1V Avon. I look foreward to your comments.

Alan

[RyanBurns]

Hi Ryeman, Richard Walkers mkiv was originally built with a 3/4" Wooden dowel under the handle. That is what is indicated in his book rbfa anyway. I however do prefer to continue the split cane all the way through the handle, and continue the taper right through.
I do prefer the 500 to the mkiv avon myself it is a much better rod in my opinion, well balanced with a surprising amount of power. I use one of my own making and have caught carp to 19lb on it, but also use it for perch fishing with worms or small live baits., it feels just right for both kinds of fishing!
Give me a pm if you would like to discuss what to do with the rest of your Tonkin. The Peter stone Ledgerstrike is a superb taper, probably my favorite of the two piece ten foot rods, and would be right up your street!
All thre best
Ryan

[Ryeman]

Ryan,
Many thanks for your swift reply. Your suggestion to build a Peter Stone legerstrike has really got me thinking! Don't think I've got enough cane to build this and the 500, but good Tonkin canes are still available, I believe.
You say the 500 is well balanced. Maybe this comes from the fact that the upper ferrule is not so far up the rod as it is on the Mark 1V Avon. And I've just checked the dimensions on Chapman's website, and see that the 500 is a thinner rod, so has less mass in the upper area. This too would help with balance.
Can you give any more information about the practical differences between the 500 and the Legerstrike?

Alan

[RyanBurns]

hi alan,
i dont have the tapers in front of me at the moment so will have to go by what i remember. the legerstrike is a very fast taper in the tip section, the tip is thinner than both the 500 and mkiv avon, but by the ferrule station it is thicker than the mkiv carp. this shows haw fast the taper is. I built one in the summer and found it to be well balanced and very sensitive in the tip. ideal for touch legering. the action of the 500 is very smooth and steady, and the rod can be half way round before i feel the bites on my finger! the legerstrike is much stiffer in the middle to butt, i find this helps me feel the bites much better. i often feel before i see bites using this kind of rod! This is also one of the few rods i would consider hollow building the butt section. normally i am against hollow building as it stiffens up the butt section ruining the action! however on this rod the action is mainly in the tip section.
hope this helps
ryan

[Greentura]

would be nice to see a ledgerstrike alongside my 500. The one I won on eBay last year turned out to be missing 8" from the top and another 8" had been cut off the ferule end of the butt section then the ferule refitted less the second guide. a sad rod that i was refunded for and bought back for the value of the tip and butt guides. still contemplating making an 8'8" swing tip rod from the leftovers. A real shame they cut the butt section down as the transfer was in nice condition and a new tip section could have had it back to mint condition again, some people, I don't know :think:

[Ryeman]

Ryan,
Thank you very much for the extra information. It sounds like the 500 is the more powerful rod.
The Legerstrike sounds a bit like the Aspindale Avondale. This is 10 foot 6 inches with a very crisp tippy action. Three piece, with a hollow-built butt section. A lovely rod. Wish I'd never sold mine but I kept a record of the dimensions so I could make one...I will check the dimensions against the Legerstrike dimensions on Chapman's website.

Alan

[SeanM]

I published this graph somewhere else and I can't for the life of me remember where.



As you can see the Chapmans 550 follows the Mk IV taper from RBFA exactly. There's also a Chapmans Mk IV graphed which I think is just the 2 piece version of the 550.

I'll put the 500 taper on as well for comparison but it will take a while.

[SeanM]

Right here's the above graph with the taper of the 500 on it. I've had a quick browse of the Chapmans' site to refresh my memory. The Chapmans Mk IV has a slightly thicker butt than Walker's original and is rated at 1.5lb to 2lb test curve. The 550 has a slightly thinner butt than the Walker Mk IV, but an identical tip.

[SeanM]

I'll graph the Ledgerstrike against the 500 but this really will take some time as I've got to do a fair bit of extrapolation to get the graphs to match!

[Ryeman]

Sean,
Many thanks. Your graphs really allow comparisons to be visualised, though it will take me a while to assimilate all the information in them!
Will reply more fully later.

Alan