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Info please on Alan Brown Spiraflex Rods

M

Mike Window

Senior Member & Supporter
I have just obtained a couple of Alan Brown Spiraflex rods.
An 11' Barbel with a 1lb 6oz tc and a 12' Avon Trotter 1lb tc.
The Trotter has initials C.F above the Avon Trotter name are these an owners initials or do they represent something else?
In all my years of collecting I have never had A.B. rods pass through my hands so any info would be of interest.
What is "Spiraflex" ?
Mike
 
I've owned Harrison Ballista Slims built by Alan Brown - well built rods.

CF - could be an abbreviation of Conoflex? Which might link to Spiraflex?
 
Or of course CF could also stand for Carbon Fibre which might have been notable on rods of rods a certain vintage in the early days of carbon fibre rod construction?
 
Probably built by John Hutchinson Alan brown used to use sportex blanks then moved to spiraflex ..he also built the HMG carp rods on spiraflex blanks I’m not 100% but I seem to remember him saying they were sourced in Germany I believe the early rod Hutchinson rods were built on spiraflex blanks
 
The early Hutchinson carbon blanks were Century supplied. Same as those used by Paul Boote in the early 80’s. They were standard blanks that looked a bit like Harrison Ballistas. Paul’s were sold as ‘Tristar’ rods, I can’t remember what Hutchinson called their’s, maybe it was Spiraflex.

Paul brought out some slightly later carbon rods called ‘Cougar’ (I have a pair of blanks) and then they were changed and sold under the Hutchinson brand as ‘Sabre’. They were a woven blank.

I bought a few earlier rods from Alan Brown - glass tench rods etc. I think he just called his early carbon rods ‘spiraflex’ as a catchy name. CF is probably just carbon fibre (as per Joe W above).
 
Tim Marks said:
The early Hutchinson carbon blanks were Century supplied. Same as those used by Paul Boote in the early 80’s. They were standard blanks that looked a bit like Harrison Ballistas. Paul’s were sold as ‘Tristar’ rods, I can’t remember what Hutchinson called their’s, maybe it was Spiraflex.

Paul brought out some slightly later carbon rods called ‘Cougar’ (I have a pair of blanks) and then they were changed and sold under the Hutchinson brand as ‘Sabre’. They were a woven blank.

I bought a few earlier rods from Alan Brown - glass tench rods etc. I think he just called his early carbon rods ‘spiraflex’ as a catchy name. CF is probably just carbon fibre (as per Joe W above).
Click to expand...
I seem to recall the early Hutchinson rods were called 'Spirolites'. 🙂
 
Thanks everyone for the info.
Tim, I still have four of the Cougar rods though two of them have been in trhe wars and are a bit short.
I bought quite a few Graham Phillips rods when they were in production and although I have sold most of them (sone went to Forum members) I have retained some favourits including a couple of 13ft Tench Float rods. In fact I was using one of them last weeek catching the odd tench and a couple of double figure carp. Lovely to use and cannot see myself ever selling them.
 
Mike;

I’ve just trawled through my collection of old ‘Specialist angler’ and ‘Freeline’ magazine from NASG/NASA in the 1980’s.

There are several Alan Brown adverts; the earliest being around 1984.

It mentions ‘NEW’ Spiraflex carbon rods. Made to ‘our own exclusive specification and design’.

The range included:

11ft 1lb 2oz Avon
12ft 1lb 4oz Tench.
11ft 1lb 6oz Barbel
12ft 1lb Avon Trotter.

The retail prices were £72 - £77.50. Kits and blanks also available. Carriage £3.

A year or two later AB started selling carbon carp rods endorsed by Kevin Nash. A response I assume to the runaway success of the Kevin Maddocks range retailed by Jack Simpson 25 miles down the road !

The same (1984) magazine has carbon rod adverts featuring blanks from Tricast, North Western, Century (Hutchinson), Conoflex and even Bruce & Walker.
 
That is really brilliant information
Much appreciated
Only problem is it makes me feel even older than I am
I would sometimes go to Simpsons when fishing the Lea or the Lea Valley lakes though at that time I was living in Chelmsford
Jack actually taught me to cast a fly . On Sunday mornings he would take a small group to a local park and give tuition for Free.
But we always felt obliged to buy something when we first meeting in the morning at the shop.
Thanks again Tim for sparing the time for the research
Kind regards
Mike
 
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