Old Penn 113h drag upgrade

[JA_Angler]

Hi guys. Huge fan of this site (I follow the two Alans of the fishing world) and I appreciate the work you hobbyists put in to help your fellow anglers. My problem is this. I purchased a Penn 113h online from that auction site. I plan to use it for inshore trolling for king mackerel, jack, barracuda etc. and spooled it with 30lb mono. I brought it in for service when it arrived and when I went to pick it up I asked about the drag (still haunted by a huge run that ended due to broken line from improper drag setting and reel failure on a Penn 309M - don't use them anymore but I recognize that it was my ignorance that caused the failure). The service guy was a little unsure about the drag's quality but advised that it should be fine. And the should was an unsure should. Of course I have not used the reel since I bought it (I have other reels) but I would like to start using my 113h along with my used Daiwa 400h (thanks Alan) to downsize from the larger reels I am using inshore. Did all 113h ship with good drags? Can they all manage 10lb of drag no matter the age? How do I tell the age of this reel? What should I check to see if the drag will perform properly (material, setting etc.). Btw, I am in Jamaica so I don't have a lot of service options but I am willing to open my first reel.The reel seems to have been treated well by the previous owner(s).

[Cone]

Some of the older 113h's  have thick asbestos drag washers. I always change these out for a 1+5 stack of Penn Ht100's. If your reel has the thick drag washers you will need the metal washers too. Penn parts has the carbon fiber ht100's with the metals as a kit. Don't forget to order an extra carbon fiber washer for under the main gear. Bob

[Ron Jones]

By the time you have gotten to the drag disks, you will have gotten pretty deep into the reel. I recommend having some reel oil, marine grease and drag grease available when you do the drags, you can get everything from MysticParts.com all at the same time. If you go here http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=208.0 , Alan has given you the step by step tutorial to perform this job. As long as all the parts do not have excessive wear this reel will do what you want forever. If you have any issues, ask and you'll get help here.

Welcome to the GAME!!
Ron


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

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

I'm gonna go a bit against the grain, if f you clean them and no grease, all the asbestos washers I've bad we're really smooth. Only problem was they were asbestos

[Bryan Young]

Ping me if mailing options from mysticparts come out too expensive.


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

[Ron Jones]

I fished asbestos for many years. Lots of big fish were caught on them, but if your fishing where you can catch big cuda, you can get into something big enough to where it will pay to have your best foot forward. If you have to get into the reel to see if the drags are good then switching to two extra disks of the best material available is cheap insurance. Not only that, but 5+1 disks will give more drag than 3+1.

Whatever you decide, JA_Angler, I hope you enjoy your reel. It will fish 40 pound line with the best of them and give you a lifetime of service.
Ron

[JA_Angler]

Thanks for the assist so far guys. I was checking online and saw that my reel matches the look of a 113h described as a 1997 model. The Senator 113h logo is underlined under a clear plastic strip. Btw, if I go to 40lb mono, can the reel manage 12lb - 15lb of drag? I think I will open the reel tomorrow after looking at Alan's tutorial. Thanks for the shipping offer but the frequent tourists and commercial shipments ensure that air freight is cheap and fishing tackle is duty free in Jamaica. Alan once sent me the drag upgrade for a Daiwa 900h (my tackle shop installed it) and that went well. Haven't fished that reel yet though.

[Keta]

I fish my 113H's for pacific halibut with 50lb and they work well, 12-15 is a obtainable with a 5+1 drag stack.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

My 4/0w makes around 22-23lbs easy with the 5 stack, before I changed the drags my old maroon side plate 4/0 would make 15-17lbs with the 3 stack. A 4/0 will handle most anything(besides big sharks) you will hook inshore king fishing if you play em right

[Alto Mare]

Thanks for the assist so far guys. I was checking online and saw that my reel matches the look of a 113h described as a 1997 model. The Senator 113h logo is underlined under a clear plastic strip. Btw, if I go to 40lb mono, can the reel manage 12lb - 15lb of drag? I think I will open the reel tomorrow after looking at Alan's tutorial. Thanks for the shipping offer but the frequent tourists and commercial shipments ensure that air freight is cheap and fishing tackle is duty free in Jamaica. Alan once sent me the drag upgrade for a Daiwa 900h (my tackle shop installed it) and that went well. Haven't fished that reel yet though.

JA-Angler, don't worry so much about the year it was made, unless you're a collector. All of the 113H should give you the same at max with the 1+5 configuration. As someone mentioned above, that reel should put out 22lb. at max.
The 113H and most Penns still have the same guts as they did about 80 years ago.
If you needed to explore a little, you could get 30lb. at max with that reel . I do these the upgrades, not so much to fish it at those settings, but to make it much smoother at its original max.
Can't really explain why that happens, but I know it does
Let us know if you need any help getting you there....22lb.
Sal

[JA_Angler]

Thanks Bunn and Sal. I guess I am still a little haunted by that failure on 309M. Funny thing though is that I once trolled it offshore and gave it to my sister to use (the charter was her birthday gift). She caught two wahoos of 30lb and still recalls that as her best gift ever despite her sore arms afterwards. The drag was set to about 5lb. BTW, is the 3+1 the asbestos drag set?

[Keta]

The 113H is far stronger than the 309.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

X2 what Keta said. And yes the 3 stack is asbestos, the washers are like rocks and very thick

[JA_Angler]

Thanks for all for your input. Much appreciated. There is a Yamaha dealer on the island. I will check back with you guys after about which Yamaha grease to use and where.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

Well I can tell you, blue marine grease. Use a ligh coat on everything but the drag washers, if your just trolling then pack all bearings, if casting just pack non spool bearing. Use cals or shimano drag grease on the washer