Upgrading a Surfmaster 100

[Alto Mare]

Lee, that's some serious equipment, if not careful, it could make the complete part disappear  .
I also have a belt sander, nothing as yours, but a nice one. I like to fine tune small parts with the hand grinder, I get much better results.

Sal

[Keta]

Lee, that's some serious equipment, if not careful, it could make the complete part disappear  .
I also have a belt sander, nothing as yours, but a nice one. I like to fine tune small parts with the hand grinder, I get much better results.

Sal

Takes off finger tips quick and sends small dogs to live with springs and missing socks.   I have a small belt sander, to the left of the large one, and I do a lot of work on a hand stone.

[steelfish]

Today I decided to mag this nice little reel, I didn't want to mess with metal plates and magnets, so I decided to give this a try:
https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Parts/302-525MAG.aspx
If you wanted to try it as well, you will need to grind the back flat

rough up the spot to be epoxied in, mix some 5 minute epoxy and set it in place.

Sal

"Edited as per Moderators to correct Scott's Bait & Tackle over to their new store name Mystic Reel Parts / www.mysticparts.com"

excellent part find, I like to have my small conventional reels magged and this will work wonders on them, most of them have been magged the old way, gluing a metal washer and put as many magnets as needed, but this looks 3x better, it will look factory made when you open the reel.

thanks compadre, ordering few at this moments.

[MikeS51]

Mike, if they're too many, I will purchase 50 of the 1/4 and 50 of the 3/8 from you, I will even pick up the shipping

Sal

I will send them to you when I get them, just pm your address. Many of your posts on here have helped me.

[MikeS51]

She's ready for battle tomorrow  . Thanks for the frame Randy!

[mo65]

I loves me some Surfmasters...this thread is like a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory...and very informative! My 100 is stock except the power handle. Everything has been serviced inside...she's right and tight. She has the old steel gear, so if I ever decide to bling, it's all green.

[Jenx]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but this seems like the best place to ask questions about a Surfmaster.

About 5+ years ago I came across an old Surfmaster 100L, covered in green corrosion, and just in an overall sad state. I had never before taken a reel apart, so I did some web searching, which inevitable brought me to these forums, and eventually I was able to restore this great little reel and give her a second chance. I've only used her once, on a 1/2 day trip, as my other newer and "fancier" reels have taken center stage, but lately I have been considering taking the jump into kayak fishing, and this little reel seems like it would be the perfect fit for that.

With that said, I'm looking to upgrade my 100 and I'm wondering if there is anyone still making upgrades for these? I would definitely like to purchase a SS gear sleeve, and possibly other upgrades depending on what, if anything, is available.

I'm pretty sure the surfmasters have the same drag as the squidders (#6-60), and I found this info posted on here: "squidder 140L - 3 stack of #6-60 drags, working drag range to 8#'s, max drag range 12#'s, damage to the brass gear sleeve at 8#'s."

So if 8#'s is where the stock sleeve starts to get damaged, what is the threshold for a SS sleeve?

Cheers!

[mo65]

I'm looking to upgrade my 100 and I'm wondering if there is anyone still making upgrades for these?.

   Go to the For Sale section here...you'll find several folks who make upgrade parts to fit your 100...good luck with your project!

[Jenx]

Thanks. I did some looking around and I ordered a gear sleeve from Cortez.

[Alto Mare]

There isn't much you could do to that reel, the sleeve from tom is a good move, see if he also has the dog in stainless steel.
You might also want to get the ultimate drag kit from Bryan.
Those are tough little reels, I enjoy fishing with mine, I have a couple.

Sal

[Jenx]

There isn't much you could do to that reel, the sleeve from tom is a good move, see if he also has the dog in stainless steel.
You might also want to get the ultimate drag kit from Bryan.
Those are tough little reels, I enjoy fishing with mine, I have a couple.

Sal

Thanks. I installed my gear sleeve this morning. It looks great, and Tom's customer service was also great. I didn't see a stainless dog on his site, however.

I already have some regular carbon fiber drags in it, so is the ultimate drag kit that much of an improvement to justify dropping another $25+ on drags? I have to assume this reel, with carbon drags and SS sleeve, already has more than enough drag power to fish 20-25lb line, correct?

I'm really liking the feel of this little reel. I bought a 501 recently to try out another narrow framed Penn, and while it's a nice reel I definitely prefer the lower profile of the 100. It just feels better in my hands. At some point I might try out the 146.

Anyways, thank you for the help, and if I can pester you guys with one more question: Is there a trick to dealing with this reels annoying dog and spring? That thing drives me crazy, and I can't seem to find a good way to hold it in place while dropping the sleeve back in. I'm not sure why it is called a dog spring. I guess calling it Little-piece-of-metal-that-shoots-across-the-room would be too much of a mouthful.

[RowdyW]

I put a little dab of grease in the plate & dip the end of the spring in the grease too. Then when it slips it tends to stay near the slot not into outer space.              Rudy

[Alto Mare]

This one is a flat spring Rudy.

Janks, set in the 4 bridge screws and put a piece of vynol tape over them. White seems to hold the best for me.
Also, get some O-rings of the correct size and slip one on top of the gear sleeve, after you've set the gear, washers and spacer in.
The O-ring will keep everything set in as you assemble the reel. I've done hundreds of these and still use the o-ring, especially on these little guys.

Yes the Ultimate Drag Upgrade from Bryan will really feel nice.
You should be using a ss dog, along with the ss gear sleeve. Try here:
http://alantani.com/index.php?board=63.0
Lee might have some in stock.

Good luck!

Sal

[mo65]

   For me the dog spring has been a journey from "sweat running into eyes/blood pressure critical"
to "piece of cake"...it's just a task that has to be learned. You'll find it gets easier with every reel. I'm reaching a point where it's like chording a guitar...my fingers seem to be there before I even think. 
   Sal's right...Bryan's 5-stack kit is worth the price and then some. It gives you a nice smooth midrange that used to be the sticky/chattering top end of the drag's range. With that drag kit it will never even break a sweat using 20-25lb. line. That's the same line weight I use on my 100.
   You're right...that small profile feels great in my hands too. Enjoy your reel!

[Jenx]

There's that old saying, "It takes a village..." Well this reel took a village to make:

• From Tom I got a SS sleeve, larger star, and delrin eccentric lever
• 5+1 stack from Bryan
• Screws from Sal
• I bought another 100 from someone locally for parts only to discover he is a member of these forums. The first post on page six is the reel I bought. I pilfered the Tib frame and steel main gear from it, and that reel also had an aluminum spool, 5+1 stack, and newell bushings so I scored some nice extra parts for future projects.
• I contacted Lee about an SS dog, and he said he'd look to see if he had anymore. Once I get that dog this project is complete,

Originally I wasn't a fan of the black colored Tib frames, but I got a good deal on one, so I went with it. But now that I see it assembled I am liking the old school all black and chrome look.

Thank you everyone for the help with this!