Here is a couple of questions for the experts.
How do I date a 349?
Are all black 349s low speed models or are there some high speed models mixed in?
I seem to remember that all the red plate models are high speed, is this correct?
Thanks in advance as always.
JT
Quote from: theswimmer on February 04, 2015, 05:43:13 PM
Here is a couple of questions for the experts.
How do I date a 349?
Are all black 349s low speed models or are there some high speed models mixed in?
I seem to remember that all the red plate models are high speed, is this correct?
Thanks in advance as always.
JT
1. Others will know but I don't.
2. No, I have 1 black 349, and several black 349H reels.
3. I have never seen a red 349, only 349H. The only 349's I've seen without the AR dog disengaging lever were red 349H's.
I have a red 349H but it is not marked H.
I counted the spool revolutions to figure out the gear ratio. ;D
I also have a black 349 at Grandpa's cabin at Lake Almanor.
I will retrieve the black reel this summer as I have a feeling that it has never been serviced.
Besides the gear stack are there any internal differences?
All 349's are marked 349.
The easiest way to tell them apart is to take the star off and see if the drag stack can be easily removed, if the eared washers hang up on the frame it's a 349H.
Not sure how you would put an exact date on a 349....But here is some 349 details right from penn catalog #20 when the 349 was first introduced.
349 gear ratio 2.5-1
349C As 349 but with convertible star drag
349H gear ratio 3.25-1
349HC as 349H but with convertible star drag
These simple descriptions will give you 100% certainty of model number of your reel.
.....Then by mid 70's there were only 3 models according to catalog 36
349
349H
349HC
But I have only seen side plates with 349 on them.
Quote from: Keta on February 04, 2015, 11:49:59 PM
But I have only seen side plates with 349 on them.
Not sure about the model stamped in the logo, but pay no attention to that. The H is high speed, and the C is convertible(knuckle buster mode)
If your 349 has only one shift lever and a 2.5-1 gear ratio, then it's a 349....if it has 2.5 gear ratio and 2 shift levers, then it's a 349C...if it has a 3.25 gear ratio with one shift lever it's a 349H....if it has 3.25 gear ratio with 2 shift levers it's a 349HC
Ok I'm officially outta breath now. Hope this helps
Quote from: Max Doubt on February 05, 2015, 12:05:47 AM
If your 349 has only one shift lever and a 2.5-1 gear ratio, then it's a 349....if it has 2.5 gear ratio and 2 shift levers, then it's a 349C...if it has a 3.25 gear ratio with one shift lever it's a 349H....if it has 3.25 gear ratio with 2 shift levers it's a 349HC
Thanks, I could never figure out the one and two lever model # as as I never had one that came with a box and they were all "349" reels.
Mine has a 3.25 gear ratio.
(http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a601/george8322/P1020505_zpsa8deeb58.jpg)
I have a black factory left hand double lever one.
Lee, that reel seems familiar to me. Not many of them around.
Quote from: basto on February 05, 2015, 12:11:44 AM
Mine has a 3.25 gear ratio.
(http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a601/george8322/P1020505_zpsa8deeb58.jpg)
Basto, that is one beautiful reel........in reel collectors lingo we call that a "shelfie". Too nice to fish. The 3.25 is high speed, and your beauty has just one shift lever which would make it a 349H.
Side Note: Extra spools for this reel are next to impossible to locate cause they do not interchange with other models(49, 149, 249).
Quote from: RowdyW on February 05, 2015, 12:48:51 AM
Lee, that reel seems familiar to me. Not many of them around.
One? ;D
I replaced the bad parts and it's now fishable. I considered a Newell aluminum spool for this reel but the $80.00-$90.00 price is too high.
Quote from: Max Doubt on February 05, 2015, 12:50:58 AM
Side Note: Extra spools for this reel are next to impossible to locate cause they do not interchange with other models(49, 149, 249).
Yup, 1/3 of my 349's are mine due to warped spools.
All of my 349's started out as a 349HC; meaning high speed, 2 levers. It is one of the few Penn reels where you can change the gears to get a high or low speed retrieve. I made one of my 349HC into a 349, or slow retrieve by replacing the gears. I also replaced the sideplates with one-lever ones because I don't like the knucklebuster feature.
Lee is right, all sideplates have the "349" number on them, regardless of model. Once I saw a 349HC somewhere that had a small round sticker that said "high speed" or something like that. It makes me wonder if all 349H and 349HC reels had that sticker from the Penn factory.
I'm not sure how they can be dated.
Quote from: Max Doubt on February 05, 2015, 12:50:58 AM
Quote from: basto on February 05, 2015, 12:11:44 AM
Mine has a 3.25 gear ratio.
(http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a601/george8322/P1020505_zpsa8deeb58.jpg)
Basto, that is one beautiful reel........in reel collectors lingo we call that a "shelfie". Too nice to fish. The 3.25 is high speed, and your beauty has just one shift lever which would make it a 349H.
Side Note: Extra spools for this reel are next to impossible to locate cause they do not interchange with other models(49, 149, 249).
Thank you sir. This reel is one of my shelf dwellers. I only have a few like that.
I know the black 349 is a 2 lever model.
I also know that the black one came first because I rember the day
that Grandpa bought the red reel at Ayoobs hardware in Chester
and then back at the cabin comparing it to the black reel.
Maybe about 1967?
nice reel Basto!
Quote from: theswimmer on February 05, 2015, 12:05:42 PM
nice reel Basto!
Thank you sir. It is the only 349 I have ever seen on the second hand market in Australia and was a bargain.
Basto
I just today broke down my first 349 for a friend of mine. It is black with two levers and has "Master Mariner" embossed on it. I will reassemble it and check the ratio. I will be looing to upgrade the drag stack on it as well if anyone can lend some info along those lines.
Quote from: barkley1956 on February 16, 2015, 01:38:18 AM
I just today broke down my first 349 for a friend of mine. It is black with two levers and has "Master Mariner" embossed on it. I will reassemble it and check the ratio. I will be looing to upgrade the drag stack on it as well if anyone can lend some info along those lines.
It's easier than counting teeth to figure out if it's a 349 or a 349H. Take the handle, star and spacer off and try to remove the drag stack, if the ears on the top eared washer hang up on the frame and can not be removed it's a 349H. If you have it apart the gears are obvious, especially the pinion.
They are different but a 113H gearsleeve will work on a 349/349H, some SS AR dogs are still available. I think Smooth Drag has the 5+1 sets.
Here's some of my tinkering with the 349H, the pinions are in the wrong place in the photo, the main gear on the right and the pinion on the left are 349, the other two are 349H. The drag stack on the right is original, the one on the left is a 7+1 stack, I have fit a 9+1 stack in 2 of my reels but I will not make them for sail. I think Smooth Drag has the 5+1 sets, they might be 7+1.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/Reels/349Edit_zpse300f2ef.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/Reels/349Edit_zpse300f2ef.jpg.html)
It fits!
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/Reels/349HAssemblyI.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/Reels/349HAssemblyI.jpg.html)
I did mine a few years back Dawn from smooth drag was very helpful & hooked me up
with everything I needed.
tight lines Richie
5+1 349H with the old drag washers on the lower left.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/Reels/349HDragStack.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/Reels/349HDragStack.jpg.html)
Hands down one of the best deep sea bottom fishing reels ever made.
you can reel anything up with this reel.
Quote from: surfcaster on February 16, 2015, 02:13:11 AM
Hands down one of the best deep sea bottom fishing reels ever made.
you can reel anything up with this reel.
When used with mono on large deep water fish, like pacific halibut, they tend to warp the heavy bronze spools. Braid cures this problem.
I put cortland blackspot looks like dacron but thinner I think its made with kevlar came out just before super braids, with dacron backing , I would love to have an aluminum spool for that reel.
Quote from: surfcaster on February 16, 2015, 02:43:44 AM
I would love to have an aluminum spool for that reel.
They might as well be built out of unobtanium! I have 2 of them though.
I have some of that line on a Penn 10, it's 25 years old and still good.
i saw one on berinsons a while back it was like 80 something for a used one.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/poster-01.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/poster-01.jpg.html)
;)
Be careful: I was shopping long and hard for over a year trying to locate a standard narrow Newell aluminum spool for one of my 349's. I saw the Barrensens add and was ready to buy it after three phone conversations and specific measurements verified. Sent one of the reps I work with to go get it if it checked out ok. He measured the width and its a Wahoo Special spool in the wrong box. 60 mile drive for nothing . I ended up cutting a great deal with Randy of "Vintage Tackle". Its a hard to find item but it really does improve the casting performance of the reel and the Smooth Drag 5-stack is perfect for the offshore fishing I do here in So.CA
Thank you All!!!!