Is there anything that can be done to fix the loss of freespool on the Fathom II 60NLD2 when the drag at strike is set at 20#? It was purchased new and never fished. Bill
I would first look to see if the Belleville washers had cracked. Second would be spacing between the spool bearing should be a hair longer and the length between the bearing cups, similarly when adding a spool sleeve spacer. There should be a hair shift of the spool right to left when you press both inner races of the spool bearing.
Bill in my experience you never get the numbers for the fathoms that they say. I have worked on a few and they all do that. Maybe try different bellvilles. Luckily here no one is looking for high drag numbers
Todd
It probably needs a shim or two... or it has too many! It's been a fairly common issue with those reels.
Bloody Decks thread on the new Fathoms... 60n freespool issues are mentioned... including in the Charkbait video.
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/gen-ii-fathoms.808485/#post-5670935
I was hoping to hear good stories about the fathom Gen 2 but after reading the link that Mark posted, it seems that they're the same reels just painted silver instead of black with few new narrow models. :-\
I sold my 1st gen fathom 40 LD2 because of the same reason, nice size and pretty reel but you couldnt pass the 15# mark at strike without feeling a good amount of resistance on the handle, forget about 25# at full or more and never dare to think about reach the promoted 40# drag at full.
Quote from: Bill B on June 02, 2023, 05:20:57 PMIs there anything that can be done to fix the loss of freespool on the Fathom II 60NLD2 when the drag at strike is set at 20#? It was purchased new and never fished. Bill
Regarding the 60N models, this issue affected about 25 percent of the first production run.
It does not appear to have affected any of the other 18 models of the "II" series.
Once the cause was identified [my personal reel was the "guinea pig"], a revised part was manufactured, and any reels affected are covered under warranty.
You may have some recourse with your retailer, otherwise it should be sent to the service dept. in Philadelphia, following the instructions on the website.
Quote from: steelfish on June 03, 2023, 12:32:57 AMI was hoping to hear good stories about the fathom Gen 2 but after reading the link that Mark posted, it seems that they're the same reels just painted silver instead of black with few new narrow models. :-\
I sold my 1st gen fathom 40 LD2 because of the same reason, nice size and pretty reel but you couldnt pass the 15# mark at strike without feeling a good amount of resistance on the handle, forget about 25# at full or more and never dare to think about reach the promoted 40# drag at full.
There was a batch of 40N's that were missing a bellville, which caused issues above 15 pounds of drag, and can easily be fixed by the service dept. Not sure if the fix is illustrated somewhere here on Alan's site.
In general, the old [and new] 40N's fish best in the high teens or low 20's at Strike. this allows up to the high 20's during a fight.
As a "medium frame" reel, going towards 40 pounds is indeed difficult, and not an ideal application of the reel.
For the same line capacity, the 12VISX is a "heavy frame" reel that can handle those higher numbers easily.
Quote from: Tunanorth on June 03, 2023, 10:31:04 PMQuote from: Bill B on June 02, 2023, 05:20:57 PMIs there anything that can be done to fix the loss of freespool on the Fathom II 60NLD2 when the drag at strike is set at 20#? It was purchased new and never fished. Bill
Regarding the 60N models, this issue affected about 25 percent of the first production run.
It does not appear to have affected any of the other 18 models of the "II" series.
Once the cause was identified [my personal reel was the "guinea pig"], a revised part was manufactured, and any reels affected are covered under warranty.
You may have some recourse with your retailer, otherwise it should be sent to the service dept. in Philadelphia, following the instructions on the website.
Thank you Steve, I will get it out asap. BTW is it possible to share with us which part is causing the issue? I suspect the bearing sleeve is too short. Bill
Quote from: Bill B on June 04, 2023, 12:29:51 AMQuote from: Tunanorth on June 03, 2023, 10:31:04 PMQuote from: Bill B on June 02, 2023, 05:20:57 PMIs there anything that can be done to fix the loss of freespool on the Fathom II 60NLD2 when the drag at strike is set at 20#? It was purchased new and never fished. Bill
Regarding the 60N models, this issue affected about 25 percent of the first production run.
It does not appear to have affected any of the other 18 models of the "II" series.
Once the cause was identified [my personal reel was the "guinea pig"], a revised part was manufactured, and any reels affected are covered under warranty.
You may have some recourse with your retailer, otherwise it should be sent to the service dept. in Philadelphia, following the instructions on the website.
Thank you Steve, I will get it out asap. BTW is it possible to share with us which part is causing the issue? I suspect the bearing sleeve is too short. Bill
Cal Sheets and Ken Corwin came up with a "temporary fix" by shortening the sleeve very by just a few 1000ths.
The longer term fix is a "heavier drag spacer spring".
Right now they want the affected reels back to be covered under warranty, no DIY yet.
Caught last week using my repaired 60N.
Nice fish Steve! What is the reel spooled with? Bill
Quote from: Bill B on June 04, 2023, 02:23:19 PMNice fish Steve! What is the reel spooled with? Bill
Reel filled with 80-pound Pro-Spec solid braid [675 yards], with a 25-foot wind-on of 100-pound mono, plus a 3-foot leader of 200-pound.
Rod is the Carnage III "West Coast" Rail Rod, 7-foot, 60-100 pound model.
Quote from: Tunanorth on June 03, 2023, 10:39:45 PMThere was a batch of 40N's that were missing a bellville, which caused issues above 15 pounds of drag, and can easily be fixed by the service dept. Not sure if the fix is illustrated somewhere here on Alan's site.
In general, the old [and new] 40N's fish best in the high teens or low 20's at Strike. this allows up to the high 20's during a fight.
As a "medium frame" reel, going towards 40 pounds is indeed difficult, and not an ideal application of the reel.
For the same line capacity, the 12VISX is a "heavy frame" reel that can handle those higher numbers easily.
I never knew about that "Recall" or bad batch of 40's reels or I would have tried to fix mine before I sold it, I never actually was expecting to reach those 40# advertised but really wanted to reach at least 25# without much binding on the handle.
thanks Steve for the info, I least now I can check that up if someone brings me a LD Fathom reel with those symptoms.
Quote from: steelfish on June 05, 2023, 06:59:08 PMQuote from: Tunanorth on June 03, 2023, 10:39:45 PMThere was a batch of 40N's that were missing a bellville, which caused issues above 15 pounds of drag, and can easily be fixed by the service dept. Not sure if the fix is illustrated somewhere here on Alan's site.
In general, the old [and new] 40N's fish best in the high teens or low 20's at Strike. this allows up to the high 20's during a fight.
As a "medium frame" reel, going towards 40 pounds is indeed difficult, and not an ideal application of the reel.
For the same line capacity, the 12VISX is a "heavy frame" reel that can handle those higher numbers easily.
I never knew about that "Recall" or bad batch of 40's reels or I would have tried to fix mine before I sold it, I never actually was expecting to reach those 40# advertised but really wanted to reach at least 25# without much binding on the handle.
thanks Steve for the info, I least now I can check that up if someone brings me a LD Fathom reel with those symptoms.
It was not a huge number of reels, and "seemed" to be isolated in Southern California; meaning it was probably a batch shipped to a wholesaler serving that area.
IIRC it was about 3 years ago, on the "Gen1" 40N's only, and was a pretty short-lived phenomenon.
Got my 60N into the mail system today... Steve can you put a good word in for me and have a few stickers placed in the return box 😉. Bill
Quote from: Bill B on June 05, 2023, 10:56:51 PMGot my 60N into the mail system today... Steve can you put a good word in for me and have a few stickers placed in the return box 😉. Bill
Ha-Ha, dropping Alan's name is a better idea than dropping mine; everybody loves him!
I tend to be looked at as a rabble-rouser.
Another unlucky owner here. I brought the reel to my friend last week to mark the spectra. Something seemed wrong. At home I started playing with drag settings and discovered there was no free spool. Called Penn but there were 40 peeps waiting to speak ahead of me. The website seemed to indicate I need a ref# before shipping so I emailed them.
Is that correct?
Please advise.
I'd like to have the reel back for an upcoming trip 6/19 with Alan
Thanks,
I hope it's not required. I just printed the repair form, included my purchase receipt and mailed it in. Bill
Quote from: Bill B on June 06, 2023, 04:33:58 PMI hope it's not required. I just printed the repair form, included my purchase receipt and mailed it in. Bill
Not required, but be sure to include a letter describing the exact issue you are experiencing, just saying "doesn't work" is not enough.
https://www.pennfishing.com/penn-repairs-service
I printed/ filled out the repair form, copied the sales receipt, and put both in the box. I hope four months is long enough to get it back so I can take it on the AT.com 8 day in October. 😎. Bill
Quote from: Bill B on June 07, 2023, 01:55:01 PMI printed/ filled out the repair form, copied the sales receipt, and put both in the box. I hope four months is long enough to get it back so I can take it on the AT.com 8 day in October. 😎. Bill
Of course this is the super-busy time of year, but you should be fine.
Today I called customer service to see if there was an update on the reel. According to the automated response the wait time to speak to a representative was 3,223 minutes 🤣🤣🤣. I elected to have them call me back in 6.71 days 😆. Bill
At least you could easily find a phone number and they gave you the call back option, unlike Let's Go Lorance. Hours on hold, get a person that would not listen and barely spoke English and then was told they do not service 5 year old $1200 chartplotters. Kind of like Shimano.
Just received a reply from the one and only Tony from Penn...Thank you Tony for the quick investigation and reply!
Hey Bill.
Sorry for the delay. Reel was wrapped up a few days ago, scheduled for delivery Monday. Tracking UPS 1Z8429A20341452877. Not all Fathom's have an issue with the handle, so looking at the order it doesn't appear the handle was replaced. We also just go replacement handles in today, so if you are in need of one send me a note and I will have a replacement handle sent out right away. tony
Well just as Tony promised the 60 N arrived today. I have to give it to Penn, whoever did the packing of the reel for the return trip didn't waste the packing material. You would have thought he/she was packing a Faberge Egg! You need to give classes on how to package. Well done.
I couldn't wait to put it on the bench to map out the drag. With 25# at strike freespool was amazing. My scale tops out at 25# so I couldn't get a full drag reading, but safe to say I won't be using it. The curve starts out a little slow but is an easy progression to strike.
Tony did offer a new updated handle if the original becomes a problem. We will wait and see.
There is a reason Penn is the leader in fishing tackle, customer service is one of the reasons (if you know the right people). Thank you Penn and Tony. Now I just have to wait until October to put it to the test.
Bill
All kidding aside, you can't beat Tony, and the folks in the Service Department at Penn. Tony is an invaluable asset to Penn —- and a solid guy.
Many times, Tony has helped me out.
Lee needed some special obsolete copper springs for Penn Mariners.
Emailed Tony —- he had his techs look through all of the bins of obsolete but good parts. He came up with a dozen. He sent them to me overnight mail at no charge. They were on my porch the following day —- and we live in a remote mountain area. I sent them to Lee.
We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber who is so knowledgeable and service-oriented as a member of our group.
I don't take Penn or Tony for granted.
Best, Fred
Very rare and imposable to find 349 AR springs.