Forgotten and Unappreciated Penn Reel — Side Plates Available

[foakes]

Lots of folks just walk past these reels, or think they are not very good because they are just a SeaBoy.

Check out the specs, the materials, the parts that make up this reel, and the line capacity.

Not bad...

I have a lot of head and tail plates that I just got from Sean (Fat Tuna) —

So if anyone needs any plates — just let me know.

In the meantime, I'll do a batch cleaning on these — then just add them to the other 300 or 400 Penn plates in the filed & numbered bins.

Best,

Fred

[Darin Crofton]

I like the look of the Seaboy reels, don't know much about them, but might buy one soon to see how it fishes.

[Ron Jones]

The thing to look for is the 3.5:1 gears. Just a little slower than a 112h.
Ron

[basto]

Hi Fred
If this reel had inner reinforcing rings, it would be a faster 65 with 500 drags and an alloy spool.
cheers
Greg

[oc1]

Somewhere we were talking about how and why rings crack and break, how they get stuck on or won't go back on.  They are really sort of delicate.  Without rings we worry about the side plate cracking at the screw holes.  Which do you see the most of, cracked rings or cracked side plates?  Would cracked side plates be a common occurrence without rings?  If side plate screws had some sort of big washer to spread the load would it do the same thing as rings?  Are rings just a big fancy side plate screw washer?

I'm think it is all of the above, tempered with a fair amount of marketing and the buyers perception that the rings make the reel look strong.

-steve

[foakes]

I am not sure what these plates are made from — but they are not Bakelite.

It is some sort of heavier reinforced plastic type material, I believe.  Very tough stuff.

I think a small SS washer would likely be an improvement to keep the screw hole from being "drilled" slightly by the screw head over the years.  Although I see no evidence of screw hole distortion or deepening on any of these 25 or 30 plates.

Best,

Fred

[Alto Mare]

Here is some info, Fred:

Penn Sea-Boy 190 SW Reel

Seaboy® An overall workhorse, the Penn Seaboy® was upgraded in 2004 for even better performance and durability. New features include a larger handle, machined-aluminum spool, stainless steel pinion, and improved free spool.
Graphite Side Plates
Black-Anodized Aluminum Spool
Manganese-Bronze Main Gear
Stainless Steel Pinion
Large Oversized Handle
Chrome Plated External Parts
Gear Ratio 3.5:1
Line Capacity 350 Yds/30Lbs
Manufacturer Part Number: 190

[Decker]

The SB 190 & 185 are black sheep -- not that there's anything wrong with that. I bought a repair lot of them. The anodized spools appear to be of a lower quality than other Penn aluminum spools. Some are labeled 4:1 but seem to be less. My theory is that they come from an initial transition to Chinese manufacturing.

I would like to Frankenstein one or two, probably taking some parts from a later LB60.  I like the dimensions of the narrower reel, the 185, which is basically a faster Long Beach. The only drawback with this reel would be the unavailability of a base that takes a clamp.

[Ron Jones]

The way I'd like to set one of these up is with a new stand from a 112H, stainless gear sleeve and 3/0 handle. The new stand has a clamp and is stainless. The 85 spool takes 300 yards of 40 plus a couple hundred yards of mono. For the wider spool I'd use 600 yards of 65 and fill the rest with 40lb florocarbon. This would be great for bottom fishing to 400ft or so, or any bait presentation you want. If you need the extra drag, add Bryan's 5 stack.

You end up with a slightly slower 112h.
Ron