Dcrzfitter,

Good luck on the new Willie. I picked mine up about two months ago and although I wish I have taken it out on more trips, I could not be happier with the boat. Willie is definitely on top of his game. About your question on where to get rod blanks and classes to build rods, Greg's Custom Rods (www.greatnw.com/gregs/) both sells rod blanks and provide classes on building them. I think you go up about 4 times over a couple of weeks for an evening class and then you have yourself a custom built fishing rod with a little bit of your own elbow grease into it. The only downside is that if your going to Greg's from the Olympia area, you have a little bit of a drive as Greg's is located in Lake Stevens. I plan to take my class up there sometime soon but finding time is tough. I've also noticed that it costs actually more to build your own rod than it does to buy the same quality rod, ready to go off the shelf. Nevertheless a good experience though. Good Luck