Serviceability

[codisking]

Hey guys,

I was hoping some of you here might be able to shed some light on the future serviceability of a reel that might already be 20 years old.

Every once in a while, I will peruse the big auction site in search of a bargain. With the prices many are expecting for their 20+ year old used reels I usually wind up thinking that it wouldn't cost too much more to just buy something new.

Additionally, even if you do find an International for a pretty good price, chances are that it's never been looked at by Cal Sheets, or anyone else who knows how to soup up a reel for San Diego style tuna fishing, so there will be that added cost. In fact, I called Cal Sheets' shop not too long ago to see if they still build the Super 12 and they told me that they no longer do that work because Penn just builds reels that are already, well, "Super" right out of the box. They still do "Blueprinting" but they don't do 2-speed conversions.

So at the heart of my question is this; even if you disregard the cost of finding a diamond in the rough and make it fish exactly how you want it to, how long will you be able to maintain something that is already approaching antique status? What parts would you keep on hand that would allow you to maintain something that is already obsolete?

[UKChris1]

20 years old - hardly run in   
(Remember when you had to 'run in' a new engine?)

But, in all seriousness, I do look at the price of the reel and think about how much wear and tear I will give it as well as whether spares are currently available to ensure it is as good as it ought to be. I've just bought an old Int. II 80STW - it is in great shape and I'll give it less wear over the next 20 years that it might get in one season on a charter boat. I only need to check it over and re-grease everything.

I've learned a lot from the kind folks on this site to hone my past servicing skills, such as they were, and have no qualms now about tackling any servicing myself, including 'blueprinting' by juggling belleville washers etc. though I've not done any spool shaft spacers yet. It may be a lot of trial and error but you can do most stuff yourself, eventually.

Don't know if that helps you though...

[Keta]

5-10 years is what some companies support their reel today.

[Bill B]

What I've done when considering a reel is to check Mystic Parts for parts availability for a particular reel I'm interested in.  If there are quite a few parts or critical parts that are "discontinued" or "no longer available" then that model reel would be a hard pass.  Bill

[Brewcrafter]

I'm gonna break this down into a couple of thoughts:

Every once in a while, I will peruse the big auction site in search of a bargain. With the prices many are expecting for their 20+ year old used reels I usually wind up thinking that it wouldn't cost too much more to just buy something new.

While I won't say that "deals" don't exist, looking for them on the Big Auction Site is a little like deer hunting on public land - highly pressured and thus, not a lot of "deals" per se.  In other threads on AT very experienced members detail the reasons they really no longer devote much time to "fishing those waters".

So at the heart of my question is this; even if you disregard the cost of finding a diamond in the rough and make it fish exactly how you want it to, how long will you be able to maintain something that is already approaching antique status? What parts would you keep on hand that would allow you to maintain something that is already obsolete?

I would start by being realistic about your expectations.  Properly cared for and maintained, I fully expect the 50 year old reels from my Dad to outlast any Grandchildren I may have with no issues.  The keys:
Reasonable expectations of use - not pushing a reel beyond what it was intended for/designed for originally.
Proper care, cleaning, lubrication, maintenance.
Wear parts - things such as drags and bearings can and do wear out.  Fortunately those items are for many reels readily available and/or easily fabricated.  Other wear items such as sloppy levelwind components or grooved line rollers to name a couple maybe not so much - and there it is wise to take a page from Bill's post and know the particular reels you are looking at.
Non wearing parts - leaving your reel rolling around in the bed of your pickup truck, dropping it, not rinsing/flushing after saltwater use - that is all on the user.  Stuff like pitted/damaged chrome, bent bails, twisted reel feet, cracked side plates, that's not really something you should concern yourself with as "maintenance" unless you are buying junkyard dogs hoping to resurrect them.
Spending time here on AT will give you a good idea of what brands have good serviceability, either because they originally made a gazillion of them (think Mitchell spinners) or have good parts/aftermarket support (Penn, etc) or which reels may not be such a wise investment (the company continually makes design changes/upgrades and does not maintain much of a supply of parts).
A good example is my recently documented rebuild of an early 1950's Langley (that never would have happened without the wisdom of others).  Purely a sentimental, "for fun" project that I never would tell someone to $pend money on as a fishing investment.  On the stuff that I use and rely on regularly (those old Penn's, Mitchells, DAM's as well as my new Penn's and Avet's) I pretty much am having the mindset of unlimited lifespan, far beyond my need to worry about it at the very least. - john

[codisking]

I'm gonna break this down into a couple of thoughts:

While I won't say that "deals" don't exist, looking for them on the Big Auction Site is a little like deer hunting on public land - highly pressured and thus, not a lot of "deals" per se.  In other threads on AT very experienced members detail the reasons they really no longer devote much time to "fishing those waters".

I would start by being realistic about your expectations.  Properly cared for and maintained, I fully expect the 50 year old reels from my Dad to outlast any Grandchildren I may have with no issues.  The keys:
Reasonable expectations of use - not pushing a reel beyond what it was intended for/designed for originally.
Proper care, cleaning, lubrication, maintenance.
Wear parts - things such as drags and bearings can and do wear out.  Fortunately those items are for many reels readily available and/or easily fabricated.  Other wear items such as sloppy levelwind components or grooved line rollers to name a couple maybe not so much - and there it is wise to take a page from Bill's post and know the particular reels you are looking at.
Non wearing parts - leaving your reel rolling around in the bed of your pickup truck, dropping it, not rinsing/flushing after saltwater use - that is all on the user.  Stuff like pitted/damaged chrome, bent bails, twisted reel feet, cracked side plates, that's not really something you should concern yourself with as "maintenance" unless you are buying junkyard dogs hoping to resurrect them.
Spending time here on AT will give you a good idea of what brands have good serviceability, either because they originally made a gazillion of them (think Mitchell spinners) or have good parts/aftermarket support (Penn, etc) or which reels may not be such a wise investment (the company continually makes design changes/upgrades and does not maintain much of a supply of parts).
A good example is my recently documented rebuild of an early 1950's Langley (that never would have happened without the wisdom of others).  Purely a sentimental, "for fun" project that I never would tell someone to $pend money on as a fishing investment.  On the stuff that I use and rely on regularly (those old Penn's, Mitchells, DAM's as well as my new Penn's and Avet's) I pretty much am having the mindset of unlimited lifespan, far beyond my need to worry about it at the very least. - john

Haha! I love your analogy of deer hunting on public land. That's a perfect comparison.

As far as keeping up on the maintenance goes, I agree. Many essential parts, unique to a particular reel, should not wear out. Different bearing sizes are usually available and drag washers can be made.

This site truly is the most valuable resource I've found to help me continue my fishing addiction. The knowledge and collaboration of the community has helped me figure out different maintenance problems over the years, even if what I was working on was not exactly the same as posted information.

Thanks Folks! I appreciate all of your responses. - Chris

[boon]

It's a tough one. "Service" parts like bearings and drags, as mentioned, should be available more or less indefinitely because they're generic parts or can be very easily custom made. The problem is if something that you wouldn't really consider a wear part eventually fails and is no longer available; a gear, driveshaft, drag cam... things like that. You get into the realm where the cost becomes difficult to justify to purchase a condition-somewhat-unknown old reel, service/upgrade it to a modern specification, and then you risk either having a shiny paperweight/shelfy if something critical fails, or having to potentially spend a rather silly sum of money on a donor reel. The donor reel approach works OK for "cheap" reels but big goldys are still a chunk of change, even when 20-30 years old.
Generally speaking, I think the solution nowadays seems to buy a something modern, 10 years down the road you're likely to be at worst "no worse off" than buying an oldie and you've enjoyed the benefits of a modern reel in the meantime.