The Sailfisher 130 Project

Gfish · March 31, 2018, 07:31:49 AM

Thanks for the inspiration Mo. Mine's gonna yak troll with that rig tomorrow early AM. When the sun comes up I'mina switch to an dead bait Opelu(bigeye scad) and see. Indeed, a very nice strong Penn. Switched the leather washers to C-tex, kept the fiber washers as they were, put on the Penn power handle n' knob and that was it...

mo65 · March 31, 2018, 02:06:01 PM

Way ta go G!

Donnyboat · March 31, 2018, 09:00:25 PM

Great work Mo, you brought it back to life nicely, that reel is real solid, also the screw stand, is great, your baking soda & soap powder mix, what is the ratio you mix, 50/50 or,?, cheers Don

Decker · April 05, 2018, 12:52:37 PM

Had some time to play last night, and did this as a proof of concept. [Thorhammer, avert your gaze from the photo below

] There are very few parts from the Sailfisher 130 that interchange with other reels; however, as I suspected, the cross bars from the Mag 970 do work on the Sailfisher. I think they will also fit the SeaBoy 185.

Of course, who wants to strip such a beautiful reel as a 970? A 970 frame kit would make this practical.

thorhammer · April 05, 2018, 01:15:09 PM

Hey Joe, did we discuss whether 501 bars fit? the 500 bars fit 990. That would give the option for black newell parts also, and leave your 970 intact. Agree, I hope Magpower frames come to being at some point.

John

Decker · April 05, 2018, 02:09:49 PM

Quote from: thorhammer on April 05, 2018, 01:15:09 PM
Hey Joe, did we discuss whether 501 bars fit? the 500 bars fit 990. That would give the option for black newell parts also, and leave your 970 intact. Agree, I hope Magpower frames come to being at some point.

John

John, 501 bars will definitely not fit a 970 or a Sailfisher. 500 bars fit the 980 and 990.

mo65 · April 05, 2018, 02:29:34 PM

Quote from: Decker on April 05, 2018, 12:52:37 PM
There are very few parts from the Sailfisher 130 that interchange with other reels; however, as I suspected, the cross bars from the Mag 970 do work on the Sailfisher. I think they will also fit the SeaBoy 185. Of course, who wants to strip such a beautiful reel as a 970? A 970 frame kit would make this practical.

Good investigative work Joe. I'd think this idea should serve the Seaboy 185 better, as it has the option of a steel gear sleeve. More then likely, pushing drag power in the Sailfisher 130 to the point of needing better frame strength is going to result in a gear sleeve failure. I sure wish Penn would have just used a common #98-60 in the 130, we'd have a very cool reel to soup up!

Gfish · April 05, 2018, 02:33:08 PM

Alright Joe! You've "raised the bar" for the Sailfisher...

Decker · April 05, 2018, 02:48:25 PM

Quote from: Gfish on April 05, 2018, 02:33:08 PM
Alright Joe! You've "raised the bar" for the Sailfisher...

By that much!

mo65 · April 05, 2018, 03:00:10 PM

Hee hee...tiny steps are good steps too Joe...keep experimenting!

mo65 · June 24, 2018, 03:39:57 AM

I wonder...will this be the final incarnation for this reel? It started as a bone stock restoration, then got some upgrades intended for catfishing, and now it's sporting 80lb. braid for deep drop service.

xjchad · June 24, 2018, 08:58:43 PM

Love it Mo!
Hope I can find one someday!

mo65 · July 19, 2018, 01:58:22 PM

Well, I know next to nothing about deep drop fishing, but I leaned a little on a recent trip out, so I think I have a set up here I can work with. My brother scored a Senator rod and a 113H for $40, so I talked him out of the rod since it looked a lot like the rods they used on our trip. The guides had a bit of corrosion and the blank was scuffed a good bit, but she seemed solid.
I realized I had began cleaning the rod before I took any pics, so this first photo shows the difference between cleaned and "as found". I was surprised how easy the scuff marks came off.

This guide was the worst one. I soaked the guides in vinegar for a few minutes and then brushed them clean with baking soda/dish soap mixture.

It looks pretty good now. Not perfect...but solid.

These three pics show the general outcome as best I can...ever try to photograph a rod? It ain't easy!

When I went to install the rod clamp, I wanted to be sure it wouldn't end up like all the rod clamps I remove during restorations. I put a good coat of Penn Blue between all connections.

Looking at those long sharp knuckle skinners reminded me how some folks here talked about shortening these screws.

With the screws shortened I could use acorn nuts. Now it has a nice smooth look and feel.

Here's the finished combo. I think it should serve me well. Any tips would be appreciated though...as I don't even know how to thread the line through those rollers.

thorhammer · July 19, 2018, 02:10:59 PM

Mike, that's a perfect bottom rig. I have a half-dozen of those rods, and they use them on head boats for a reason...they haven't been made in prolly 20 years yet you still them today in some of the most abusive fishing conditions.

First guide, go under first roller and over second (towards the tip), the all the rest with single rollers go under the top of frame and over the top of the roller, so the line is always on top of the rollers as you flex rod downward at the tip.

John

mo65 · July 19, 2018, 02:19:36 PM

Thanks John!