When looking for an offshore rod, you will come across the dilemma of whether to pick rods that are hollow or solid. Obviously, you will have your preference on what type you want when fishing, but this post will hopefully shed some light on some differences you may not have known.
Solid & Hollow Rod Stiffness
As you may assume a solid rod will have both stiffer torsion and bending when compared to a hollow rod with the same diameter. However, contrary to popular belief the solid rod will not be much stiffer than the hollow because almost all of the stiffness is generated from the outer layers of a rod. You see this concept used in other industries, like mountain bikes and cars. Obviously, factors like materials and structural shapes are considered for other applications but the idea of using hollow parts is consistent.
For example, if you had two 50lb rods, one solid and one hollow. And if the hollow rod had a slightly wider diameter than the solid, the hollow rod would actually most likely be stiffer since the stiffness is primarily from the outer layers of the rod. The reason I say "most likely" in the previous sentence, is because the wall thickness is a significant factor.
Another thing to note is that hollow rods tend to fail abruptly than compared to solid rods. Once the walls of a hollow rod are compromised it doesn't take much for it to collapse on itself. On the other hand, a solid rod will most likely maintain some integrity before completely failing due to its inner core.
Rod Stiffness & Strength
- Strength could be defined as a point something will fail.
- Stiffness could be defined as a how far an object can deform under stress.
So...Which One Do I Get???
It depends. It really comes down to how you want the feel of your rod to go. Do you want a rod that bends more or not? Here is a blog post to help with your rod selection (Click Here).