United Composites-USA, formerly known as Graphite USA is now owned by Randy Penny - Seeker's long time production manager. His team of experienced rod makers represent some of the best in the business. That compliments well with UC, which in the opinion of many, also possesses the best designs and rod making technology and techniques in the rod crafting business.
Dual Helix Facts: Dual Helix ply construction produces a rod blank that has outstanding resistance to both crushing and twisting. This unique construction technique, adapted from the experience of aerospace activities of the founder of GUSA, is superior to the conventional rod blank "roll-wrap" manufacturing process adopted years ago from the textile industry. Two advantages are readily apparent; firstly the Dual Helix structure keeps the rod round when heavily loaded during casting or fighting a hooked fish, the Dual Helix construction adds extraordinary crush and nick resistance. The second major advantage is the outstanding resistance to twist imparted to the blank through the Dual Helix Design.
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This is BIG, a major change coming to the sportfishing scene. It's one of those times a fellow can really smile about a new product. I've been a fan of the old GUSA rod company, firmly believing that their founder had created the best designs in rods that we'd seen in over 50 years time. The firm went through changes, the fellow who ran the firm after the founder retired ran it into the ground and failed to stay true to the designs. Peter Williams, an Australian brought the company back, and back to it's roots - stayed true to the original designs and expanded models incorporating the unique Dual Helix technology for new applications. Peter and his son could not effectively manage the firm from 10,000 miles away, depending upon some Americans to share the same commitment to the product and it's future as he held. That did not prove possible, so he took his time selling the firm trying to find the right match. (Peter still wanted access to the blanks, that was a big part of his business back in Australia). When Seeker Rods was sold, with new ownership and changes... Seeker's old Production Manager Randy Penny moved on as did his very experienced team - He didn't just move on, he bought UC! UC benefited from the change in ownership by having an owner/operator who lived rods for most of his adult (and adolescent) life. Randy, putting it simply, knows his craft and was the true driving force behind Seeker for the past 20 years. Now he finally has his own firm, and better yet for us fishermen, the best designs in the business. Bold statement there, but it's something easy to prove and demonstrate. For those close by to our shops, stop in and feel for yourself. For those further away, have some trust in my words, I'm quite happy to back 'em up with UC's quality of design and execution. USA produced rods have always been of a higher quality than those produced overseas. The issue has been cost, labor is higher here and high quality materials carry a cost, too. Some other USA firms have gone to foreign supplies (graphite and/or fiberglass), offering lower cost but also lower quality. Some have shifted to lower quality grades of materials from domestic sources. UC blanks use the best USA produced materials in building their blanks - nothing but USA produced materials. (There's Randy - pictured in the UC oven.) That's the background, now here's the deal. UC is now making Factory Produced Rods! In the past we've taken their blanks and had them custom built for clients (and myself). With the factory now making rods turn around time improves, and since there's only one layer of markup pricing improves for anglers, too. The FIRST production of rods is the UC Elite Composite Series. These blanks feature DUAL HELIX CARBON FIBER plus UNI-DIRECTIONAL E-GLASS composite construction. The use of uni-directional fiberglass is unique to UC's build of these wonderful rods. The proprietary Dual Helix construction prevents "ovaling" of the blank when under load. (Greater Hoop Strength) It makes the rod significantly stronger, and the way the uni directional 'glass is laid down improves the rod's lift. Also, the fiberglass runs the entire length of the rod, just as the carbon fiber does, there is no transition between 'glass and carbon as is the case with most better saltwater rods, so the action is more predictable, strength is greater. These are the lightest rods in the business, with weights as low as 12 ounces! Heck, there's a 50# stick that comes in at about 14 ounces! Their feel is simply amazing, and they have power! Without doubt, feeling these things is believing, fishing these things is a revelation and potentially expensive since you'll probably end up looking to replace your whole collection. Nothing short of amazing.
