Penn 49 Super Mariner

CHawk_Man · June 23, 2011, 10:43:48 AM

I just joined this forum. It is excellent, and I have learned a lot already. I recently received a Penn No. 49 that was in my brother's attic, which belonged to my father. Decided I would clean it up as a first trolling reel for my grandson (for stripers and big blues on the Chesapeake). Would make a nice link to a family tradition. The reel is in good shape and shows little sign of use. Side plate says "No. 49" with "Super Mariner" underneath. It has a green handle. It was pretty stiff, so I tore it down, removed all the old solidified grease, re-lubbed, and reassembled. But questions remain, so I am looking for some help.

1. The reel still seems pretty stiff even at minimum drag, even stiffer than my Penn International 50W's that I use in the Gulf Stream, and much stiffer than the 330 GTi's I use in the Bay. Is there some way to loosen up the mechanism? Or, did I make a mistake in re-assembly?
2. There is only one drag disk. All the parts diagrams I see call for at least 3 disks. Anyone know why that is? Should I upgrade to the 3-disk set? If so, what part number is best?
3. The spool appears to be either stainless or coated brass, and shows no sign of warping. Are there any precautions I need to take to make sure it doesn't warp?
4. What is the appropriate line capacity for 30#, 40# and 50# mono? Is backing required? If so, what would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for any help.

alantani · June 23, 2011, 04:44:22 PM

welcome!

the penn 49 is another reel that benefits greatly from a stainless steel gear sleeve. if your's is rounded off, consider switching to stainless. as far as difficulty cranking, it might be either a gummed up gear sleeve or some part of the gear stack that is rubbing against the side plate. remove the cross pin and clean out the gear sleeve first. i'll bet that's the problem!

for the drag stack, you should have a "1+3" configuration. get a set of penn 49 carbontex drag washers and metal washers from http://smoothdrag.com/price.html, and maybe even some drag grease if you don't have some already.

for straight mono, your spool will be fine. i do not know the line capacities, but i am guessing 300 yards of 30# mono easily. please let us know how this works out. thanks! alan

CHawk_Man · June 24, 2011, 10:41:39 AM

Alan - That's great. I'll pull it back apart and re-clean and check gear stack and sleeve. I just may have gotten too carried away with the grease. Also, thanks for the drag washer recommendation. I'll order ASAP. Will let you know how this turns out. Grandson visits in 10 days, so I want to have this ready for him.

BTW - I want to say again what a great site this is. Your step-by-step videos saved my tail last winter when I had to put several recently acquired International 50's and 30's into immediate service for Gulf Stream tuna and wahoo.

akfish · June 24, 2011, 12:13:55 PM

I see lots and lots of Penn 49s in the shop. The old timers up here love them. Many have warped spools. If yours is OK, great. You can increase the chances of keeping it that way by putting several wraps of Dacron backing behind your mono. Also, while it is a 30# class reel, consider using 40# line (but setting the drag as if you are using 30#) just to keep line from slipping between the spool and frame. Finally, be very sure to set the left side spool bushing such that there is a tiny bit of slop in the spool.

BTW: Penn used to include a note in their reels telling users to **remove their mono after every fishing trip** to protect the spool. Really. I'm sure everyone did that religiously.

Alto Mare · June 25, 2011, 06:22:13 PM

The Penn 49 is a nice reel, I have a couple that I still use for trolling. You got yourself some good information from the Alan and Akfish, I also want to add to soak the bushings in some reelx or TSI 301. Welcome! How far down are you on the Chesapeake? I'm at the North-east of it and only come down as far as Rockall. Take care, Sal

Dominick · July 02, 2011, 01:10:05 AM

Quote from: alantani on June 23, 2011, 04:44:22 PM
welcome!
the penn 49 is another reel that benefits greatly from a stainless steel gear sleeve. alan

Alan: Check out the photo. The SS sleeve you sent has an off the mark hole for the retaining pin. I don't know what to do. I don't have a drill press but I think I can drill a straight hole on the other side. Should I try it or do you think this SS sleeve is defective and you can send me another. I put the pin in the existing hole but it just lifts off because it slides alongside the grove in the shaft. The height of the holes is correct, though the photo makes it look off. Dominick

alantani · July 02, 2011, 05:47:55 AM

this is funny! i think you have a very old reel. most of the retaining pin holes are moved out and match the position of the hole in the stainless steel model. i actually have some stainless steel gear sleeves with the pin moved in (we will call them "innies') just like yours, but they were made by accident. these "innies" fit all american made reels, but they do not fit the newer chinese reels. the modern gear sleeve (post 70's) were all "outies."

of note, there was a very early bridge and gear sleeve combo (probably from the 1960"s) that used a very skinny post. bert (metal man) had one such reel, and the only way to upgrade his reel to a stainless steel gear sleeve was to change out the 1960's bridge plate to a later model. if we had not changed out the gear sleeve on bert's reel, he never would have landed this fish!