New Makaira Upgrades

wallacewt · January 30, 2012, 10:13:57 PM

certainly a step in the right direction but would anybody trust okuma to grease the screws and other fiddly bits

alantani · January 30, 2012, 10:35:09 PM

wallace, your concerns have been addressed. someone decided to use a very fine thread screw because it decreased the risk of backing out, not realizing that salt water corrosion would destroy the threads and then the screw would just RIP out. that has been changed. they now use a coarser thread. really gotta hand it to jim, though. he added a level of engineering and materials expertise that was sorely needed.

JGB · January 31, 2012, 04:13:05 AM

I would like to acknowledge Alan for his years of tenacity to bringing to the public the good and the bad of the reels being produced. He stood strong against the politics and blistering egos knowing that the truth would prevail. Great job Alan

.

Yes the greased screws with coarser thread was a challenge to get Okuma to see the benefit. Okuma then researched the possibility and found all their competitors and Tiburon used the coarser thread with no apparent issues.

If you all get a chance to look inside the Shimanos, Diawas you will find greased Carbon fiber drags, greased screws and a coating of oil or grease on the inside. They would not openly acknowledge that there was a 'better' way to build their reels but they just rolled in in to current production. Now they need to see the value in redundant anti reverse and make their silent anti reverse bullet proof.

This industry trend will benefit all us anglers with more reliable products,

Jim N.

wallacewt · January 31, 2012, 05:18:35 AM

so your saying you dont have to touch the new reels out of the box.just put the okuma on the rod and away you go.new ones i presume.older ones need an upgrade.is that correct?

Bryan Young · January 31, 2012, 05:33:50 AM

Thanks Alan and Jim. We all have learned from the both of you, that may not have been rewarded in obvious ways, and just knowing that what you have shared publically is being implemented is the best form of acknowledgement whether recognized or not.

Many thanks, Bryan

JGB · January 31, 2012, 05:52:43 AM

The new SE series of Makaira's all sport the full Tani build. That is open and TSI oiled spool bearings, 100% packed bearings in the rest of the bearings, greased screws, Cal's greased carbon fiber drags, large angled handles, corrosion resistant (corrosion X HD) coatings on all inside surfaces, redundant anti reverse that is reliable. The non SE Makairas will have 30% greased bearing throughout and the Mak 10/15 will come stock with the small angled handles.

The answer is - Makaira SE reels do not need to be serviced to get the maximum performance and long service life. Non SE Makairas can be improved on with a Tani service.

Jim N.

wallacewt · January 31, 2012, 05:57:37 AM

thank you jim, for everything

TonyFriend · February 02, 2012, 10:45:27 PM

Just adding my thanks to all the others who see what a great job Alan and Jim have done to get our reels made the way they should be.
Tony

coastalobsession · February 03, 2012, 12:11:34 AM

Id love to take a look in side of the new and improved. I am glad okuma is stepping up the game. If it sounds as good as it looks then they hit a home run with this one.

alantani · February 03, 2012, 07:44:08 AM

it's the same reel on the inside. the issue with so many reels is usually not design, it's assembly!

reelgood · February 04, 2012, 03:40:24 PM

Quote from: alantani on February 03, 2012, 07:44:08 AM
it's the same reel on the inside. the issue with so many reels is usually not design, it's assembly!

Couple questions on the 30II-SE

1) Do the older 30II-SE reels have the upgrades that the new SE reels will come with

2) I have seen several people describe the Mak 30 as having the capacity of a Penn 30 Wide or even a 50, is this correct and how did they accomplish this?

3) If this is the case, does having the 30II pretty much eliminate any need for a 50 size reel short of hunting 1000 giants in PEI?

http://www.360tuna.com/forum/f60/okuma-makaira-30ii-se-22745/

alantani · February 04, 2012, 04:56:37 PM

i've never caught anything bigger than me, but for fish in the 1000 pound class, i would want an 80 class reel, maybe even a 130. i think going in with a 50 would be suicide, unless you were fishing from a boat that could run down the fish. it's all about drag setting.

i do not believe that the early edition se's had the same upgrades. the line capacity is in part determined by how much material is shaved away from the inside of the spool...... $:-\$

paal · February 05, 2012, 06:52:53 AM

Just out of curiosity, when did Okuma switch to coarse threads?

Okuma really picked up momentum it seems. It will be very interesting to see what happens next.

And of course, nice job, Alan & Jim! We are all in debt to you. There must be a substiantial amount of money saved each year, on gear that would otherwise seize up and get thrown away

alantani · February 05, 2012, 08:31:07 AM

coarse is sort of relative. penn uses a 5-40 thread on many side plate screws. the threads on the metric side plate screws are finer then the 5-40, but it's nowhere near as fine as the original machine screws. they were ridiculous.

Normslanding · February 05, 2012, 12:32:35 PM

I had the opportunity to use a 30SE prototype. When taken apart the reel did not have the upgrades. The SE's sold so far do not have the upgrades.
Keep in mind that the changes are not a "upgrade" in the world market. Spool bearing longevity is more important to trolling, and other applications. The new SE's will have a Tuna logo, in lieu of a Marlin. That logo, and handle size is the giveaway.