Where do you like to leash your rod?

I prefer to keep mine about half-way between the reel and the bottom of the rod butt.  Any closer to the reel and it's asking for trouble.

What do you think of the idea of putting a connection point mid way down the butt of the rod .... essentially doing a split grip with a pad eye in the gap?

I prefer to keep mine about half-way between the reel and the bottom of the rod butt.  Any closer to the reel and it's asking for trouble.

What do you think of the idea of putting a connection point mid way down the butt of the rod .... essentially doing a split grip with a pad eye in the gap?

That'd be where I'd put it.  That first pic you posted of those three in your second post of this thread: I remember seeing those rods somewhere.  Wasn't that ring they put on those things really close, if not right under the reel?

Nevermind, I remember after a quick image search.  Okuma makes, or made them.  I always thought the leash ring was too close to the reel, but I generally liked the idea.

I prefer to keep mine about half-way between the reel and the bottom of the rod butt.  Any closer to the reel and it's asking for trouble.

What do you think of the idea of putting a connection point mid way down the butt of the rod .... essentially doing a split grip with a pad eye in the gap?

You have to have around 9-10" from the bottom of the butt section to the leash attachment point if you use Scotty rocket launchers. You want about 4-5" from the leash attachment point to the bottom of the reel seat so you can easily grip the rod to remove it from the rod holder. So for rocket launchers, the leash attachment point is not mid way down the butt grip but closer to the reel seat. This gives you a 14" butt grip section which is great for casting and fighting big fish in a seated position, although some don't like the length. Note that if you add a gimbal, which I usually do, it adds an inch or 2 in length to the rear grip so you have to factor that in. I think a split grip with pad eye wrapped with epoxy over is probably the best option, although I am not a fan of split grips as far as aesthetics. I built about 6 rods with the pad eye screwed into the blank. One of my friends rolled in the surf with the rod in a flush mount and the rod broke where the screw went through the blank. So the screw does create a weak point. Probably not enough to break under normal fishing except maybe tuna trolling with 20# of drag. Ironically, the rod was going to break somewhere and the usual place is mid-shaft. Because the rod broke in the butt section, I was able to repair it using a graphite splice. Mid shaft breaks aren't repairable. I won't get into the controversy of leash vs floatation, but for custom rods, leashing is the way to go, IMO. Coiled plastic leashes reduce the risk of entanglement and easy to cut. In order to float a rod, you need a fairly large foam fore grip which can interfere with casting and looks odd. I have built a few floating rods too.

The beauty of a custom rod is making it fit the way you fish. The critical choices in making it perfect for you are the blank (length and action), rear and fore grips (length, width, composition), reel seat, gimbal/butt cap.

I have never built a leash attachment into any of my custom rods for kayaking. I have added a variety of items over the years; none of which I really like, to attach rods. Adding in anything on the blank will add weight and stiffness especially something the size of the first pic. I agree with great bass have your rod built to fish and add something later. That way it is adjustable to suit fishing conditions.