Helping the Daiwa 300H

[Alto Mare]

By Gstours
Hi there; as always I am messing with stuff, so here is what, why!!!!!!!!!! The diawa 300h was one of my favorite reels for jigging, buttom fish, and sturgeon fish in columbia river washington/oregon in the 80,s  but it had a dismal 7-10# of drag, and seemed sturdy enough for its size......and boasted a 1pc frame,alum sideplates, topless design, heavy sidescrews , alum spool and had a good exterier finish......It also had a single sst dog, .......
 So after seeing what you could do with the 113h I thought of the diawa.......what if..........that got me goin,,  so I milled the gear for eared cf washers making it octigonal, discarded the steel dragsashers, making new (.o35) washers to fit the gearsleeve. Using thinner steel washers alowwed me to sneak an additional washer and cf washer in the dragsandwich.. With 3 keyed and 4 cf washers it seemed to fit togather proudly...........then...........
It seemed like a real easy way to add a dog was kinda like what you did on the 113penn pictures you posted.....so I took that idea,  with another dog, spring and using the same screw hole another dog was added.....after bending it and drilling a spring hole........I didnt like the one end of the spring attatchment as I drilled a hole thru the sidescrew hole in the plate.....but it works, its just a test for now!!!!     The dog engages at the same time as its original sister, its not noisy as the spring is very fine wire......(factory part)
So sorry: I was trying to make this short and easy then I pushed the send button, and it sent(no kidding!) and it was on the way......soooooooooooo....heres the rest
I tested the drag and it was improved at least double  the capacity.. the second picture shows the original set up.....the reel seemed sturdy enough to handle more even the gearsleeve is brass..

So the reel has 23# hanging there in photo, at 15 # the drag seems very smooth, and thats where I will fish it, but know that theres more available built in....

I learned that Diawa parts are available and very resonably priced, Its been a good little project with a good ending,,,,,,,This reel is a sleeper!!!!!kinda like a 57 chevy nomad sittin in the neighbors backyard,,,,,,,might have a hotrod in its future..

Thanks again for the work you,ve done posting on the bosses forum and the tips like the "flour" marker....and if you could post part of this I would be real proud as your efferts are helping a lot of people, and stimulating interest of improvements, and hobbys with tools which are toys for boys...........thanks gstours.............
                 *** Sorry guys, I'm sure the pictures are out of order. This is the best I'm able to do***

[Bryan Young]

That is pure awesome!

[RowdyW]

Sal & gstours, great work. I've been fooling with the Sealines the past couple of months & I think they are stronger then the Senators of equal size. I've been upping the drags on all the Sealines from the 900h down to the 27h both the standard & wide widths. Mostly changing from 3+1 to 5+1. I've been cutting the rings out of the center of the main gears to get wider CF washers in there. I've been using thinner & larger ID & OD and cutting them to fit to get the maximum area. I think the older reels with the silver frames have the ring in the center of the main gear & the later ones with the black frames don't have that ring. I just got a new main gear for my 450h from Daiwa & it doesn't have the ring in the center. All I have to do is lower the grooves for the earred washers, The new lower metal washers (B) are thinner now so that you can increase the stack & use thinner CF from Dawn. You don't need aftermarket frames for these & the parts are cheaper. And I like the gear ratios more. In & out they look like updated Senators.     Rudy

[day0ne]

I have some 50H's, some SMF250's (mag casting brake) and a 350H, and they all have the raised ridge in the center of the main gear that stops the metal drag washer too soon. How are you removing this ridge or ring?

[RowdyW]

I'm using a dremel & a 1/2 inch stone with a flat front & just grinding it down. Slow but sure, I don't have a milling machine or it would be quicker. On the larger reels the grey ones have the ring & some of the black ones don't. Just got a new main gear from Daiwa without the ring for a 450h. The original I took out had a ring & grey frame.You also have to lower the grooves for the new thinner earred washers & thinner CF washers.I use the dremel for that to with a 1/8 inch end mill; They are cheap on ebay.     Rudy

[BMITCH]

I love the jig for holding the god and reel. Nice stuff here. Not only good for testing drags but also a nice rig for looking at your rod and line lay when FULLY loaded. Great pictures.
Bob

[BMITCH]

The thing I just noticed though....the line is not straight to the first guide. If that top brace was shorter or maybe even a pipe hanger clamp, then you would get the clearance for the line not to touch. Just my observation.

[Alto Mare]

Good observation Bob. I was going to mention it to Gary the last time and never did, he could also pop the line on that wood.
It might not be pretty, but it is a good jig.
Maybe Gary could cut a notch on top so the line would be free.

[Cone]

Sal, it looks like you started something.    Great work. It looks like the top of that jig could just be removed. Double dog madness has claimed another victim. Bob

[day0ne]

I'm using a dremel & a 1/2 inch stone with a flat front & just grinding it down. Slow but sure, I don't have a milling machine or it would be quicker. On the larger reels the grey ones have the ring & some of the black ones don't. Just got a new main gear from Daiwa without the ring for a 450h. The original I took out had a ring & grey frame.You also have to lower the grooves for the new thinner earred washers & thinner CF washers.I use the dremel for that to with a 1/8 inch end mill; They are cheap on ebay.     Rudy

I've done a 400H and a 600H with 5+1 drag stacks. I think I used a burr bit to lower the grooves on the side of the main gear.. Neither one had the ring on the main gear. Used stock Daiwa washers and carbontex washers from Dawn. I did a write up on the 600H. Still working on the other dog.

[doradoben]

How close is the 300H to the physical size of a 3/0 Senator? I recall looking at the photos of one on ebay and it seemed to have a larger spool arbor. I liked the looks of the reel. Nice work Gstours..

[RowdyW]

The 300h is about the same size as a Penn 112h and has the same line capacity. The 300h ratio is 3.7:1 . The 50h is almost the same size & line capacity & has a 4.3:1 ratio & no top bar.    Rudy

[floating doc]

These are great reels! I have four;  50H, 450H, 600H and a 900H.

[RowdyW]

These are great reels! I have four;  50H, 450H, 600H and a 900H.

Hi Doc, have you upgraded the drag washers on them yet? If  not maybe I can help you pick out the parts you need.
Rudy

[floating doc]

They all got smoothies many years ago. I have the CF conversions for the 600 & 900 now.
I want to double dog them too, and upgrade the handles.