Extending a rod handle?

[2u77matt]

Last summer the last 2" or so of cork got crushed on one of my rods when it got closed under the latch of an underdeck rod storage compartment (Why they put a rod slot where the latch goes is beyond me, but that's off topic.) Anyways, I've always felt the grip was too short on this rod anyways and it's too front heavy. Instead of just repairing the cork, I'd like to put in about a 7 inch extension with a balance weight at the back end if necessary. The fiberglass blank has a 1/2" inner diameter at the butt. I was planning to epoxy a dowel inside the blank with about 4 inches of overlap and then wrap the dowel to bring it to the same OD as the blank and put replacement cork rings over the top (or maybe just a foam handle because it's cheaper.) I'm not a rod builder, I'm just proposing this plan because it's something I can codge together cheaply. If someone has put an extension on a rod before I'd appreciate any tips, warnings etc. I'm concerned that a 1/2" wood dowel won't be strong enough and with stresses on the blank due to 7" of extension being supported by a short section of overlap. Thanks for any suggestions.

[upnorth]

Just make sure the dowel fit snuggly and extends about 3 inches up into the fiberglass blank. If it doesn't fit snuggly it will wobble and eventually just fall out.