you can spend ALOT of money hotrodding these reels. at some point, you HAVE to stop. but where? when? it's really a matter of personal choice, and your bank roll. i guess it's just the older guys like us that appreciate the old school penns. lots of stuff to go through, so here goes.
carbontex drags - smoothdrag.com has a nice drag washer that goes under the main gear of the 4/0 senator 113h's. they also have another that goes under the main gear of the black 113, the black and red 112's, and the jigmaster 500's. it's a good upgrade. you can send an e-mail to dawn at smoothdrag.com and order some if you need them right away. i have some but most of them are already in kits. i only have a few loose ones.
http://smoothdrag.com/
bryan young's jigmaster 5 stack drag kit - check with bryan for availability. it looks like these will work well on the jigmasters and 3/0 penn 112h's.
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=7525.0
stainless steel gear sleeves - i've got a bunch. for the jigmaster 500's and 3/0 senator 112h's, they are a great upgrade.
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=157.0
for the 113h and 114h, they are nice but not absolutely essential. i am now putting together "kits" with the stainless gear sleeve, a stainless retaining pin, a drag washer to go under the main gear, and one of keta's stainless steel dogs. the kit is $5 more than the price of the gear sleeve alone. shipping is $2.
stainless steel dogs - these are from lee putnam, aka "keta" on our board. i have a pretty good inventory of these, and lee also sells direct.
http://alantani.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1583
penn ht 100 drags - they work fine. if you get enough drag from them, leave well enough alone. don't spend money if you don't have to.
stainless steel main and pinion gears - these are the cat's meow! check them out. http://alantani.com/index.php?board=52.0
tib frames - i bought a whole bunch a couple of years ago and they have been sitting since. only sold maybe half. the price is sort of mid way between wholesale and retail. i have to add 20% to the wholesale price to cover tax and shipping. the exact price depends on whether i do the math in my head or if i have a calculator available. if i didn't care about price, i'd put tib frames on all of my penns, but that's just me. mostly, i don't want guys spending money if you don't really need to.
handle grips - http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=7325.0
ok, so where are we?
Don't forget crank arms. Their are several on here so do a search. They make the reel much more enjoyable. I actually would rather have an extended arm before a large handle.
Ron
Don't forget Cal's grease. IMO a must have.
Bob
does not take long to have over $175 into a Jigmaster- in just upgrades....
Quote from: noyb72 on June 16, 2013, 05:09:49 PM
Don't forget crank arms. Their are several on here so do a search. They make the reel much more enjoyable. I actually would rather have an extended arm before a large handle.
Ron
I have longer and slimmer SS arms being cut now too.
Quote from: Keta on June 18, 2013, 01:56:10 AM
Quote from: noyb72 on June 16, 2013, 05:09:49 PM
Don't forget crank arms. Their are several on here so do a search. They make the reel much more enjoyable. I actually would rather have an extended arm before a large handle.
Ron
I have longer and slimmer SS arms being cut now too.
Come on Lee, I'll never be able to buy all the goodies you make.
Ron
I did this all...(except the ss main and pinion gears) to a Squidder....not sure what I have into it yet but.....hey, it's only money right?
What you gain from doing these upgrades is more than "performance" or bling.
What you gain is an understanding of your tools and how they work. You get a look inside the "black box" that a reel is to most people and feel like you have made something nearly yourself or at least uniquely yours.
Carl Newell probably went on the same journey and in many ways we are "rediscovering" his process. Look at his "unified bridge" and his lightweight spools, frame/gear upgrades etc and we see nearly every inconvenience or peccadillo of the original simple designs addressed in some way.
It's tinkering and exploration and understanding gained and it's a fun way to "go fishing" in our heads when we are chained to land. :)
well said!
I need to ease up on the fishing trips in my head. :P They cost me as much as really going! ;D
Quote from: Shark Hunter on February 27, 2014, 08:57:50 PM
I need to ease up on the fishing trips in my head. :P They cost me as much as really going! ;D
But you are hooking into monsters on everyone of those trips.. ;D.
OT I have a conceptual idea to build a contraption that can act like a fish. Hook you line to it and the contraption pulled and give like a real fish with variable drag capability. Would be a great way to dynamically test your drag system. Some form of hydraulic system would be ideal. Kinda like those stationary bike and elliptical machine that varies a program resistance work out.
They have a simulated big game virtual reality machine/game at the IGFA museum hall of fame in Saint Pete, FL., but I don't think it actually pulls line off of the reel.
Quote from: Tightlines666 on February 28, 2014, 01:09:40 AM
They have a simulated big game virtual reality machine/game at the IGFA museum hall of fame in Saint Pete, FL., but I don't think it actually pulls line off of the reel.
The reason I would like something like this is for several reason:
1. It give you a fairly nice way to test your drag system as more line is dumped on it, etc..
2. It give both rod maker and angler a realistic view of the amount of force exerted on an angler at certain drag level as compare to the rod capability. I would bet that many people would be surprised how much 10 lbs of drag on the fish end is actually felt by the angler.
3. It would be really fun, especially if the system can integrate with a virtual game. Bring your rods and reels and test/ play it.
I just use my son's dog! She is pretty powerful when trying to get at a hot dog! :P
I am disabled and have 2 sons. I do not have much spare money. I need my gear to be the most diverse as possible. I have 7 rigs total but with quick change spools on 6 of them I essentially have 13 rigs. I have 2 stuffed completely full of stainless steel and capable of handling short stints with 50# line so there's a total of 15 complete, reliable fishing poles/reels. All customized through and by all the help and parts I have obtained here at Alan's web site
I do not own a new pole. I made one the winter before last when I recuperated from major back surgery. I do not own a new reel. Every single one was second hand and beefed up on my kitchen table. I will never catch my bucket list fish but I am very content and very blessed.
How much do you spend is certainly up to the individual. I love to fish. I love to share whatever I have weather it be items or knowledge or time. I have found the same sort of folks here at ATs reel repair site. A couple guys even gave me 2 fishing reels and I added a pole and parts to give away through the Take a Kid Fishing movement and our local bait shop. I put out the word and BAM! I had immediate response by caring and sharing people. How awesome is that!!!! What is that worth?
Thank you all and may God bless......
On the plus side you can do these upgrades incrementally, you don't have to do it all at once. A little here, a little there and before you know it you could've just bought a Trinidad!
Quote from: MarkT on April 19, 2015, 03:47:13 AM
On the plus side you can do these upgrades incrementally, you don't have to do it all at once. A little here, a little there and before you know it you could've just bought a Trinidad!
:-[ :'( :'( :-\ :-[ :-X
Quote from: MarkT on April 19, 2015, 03:47:13 AM
On the plus side you can do these upgrades incrementally, you don't have to do it all at once. A little here, a little there and before you know it you could've just bought a Trinidad!
even the all mighty trinidad could be improved so their total cost goes higher too, I know that cuz have one, and now its better than new, I bought it used, tho. so no big dollars expended for nice and improved trini
chance the crapdanium drags for carbontex
change the stock dog for a triniDC dog and spring
change the stock handle
nothing of that is a MUST but once you do it you now it worthed
Quote from: steelfish on June 12, 2015, 03:44:54 PM
Quote from: MarkT on April 19, 2015, 03:47:13 AM
On the plus side you can do these upgrades incrementally, you don't have to do it all at once. A little here, a little there and before you know it you could've just bought a Trinidad!
You can also add 4.9:1 SS Gears ;)
even the all mighty trinidad could be improved so their total cost goes higher too, I know that cuz have one, and now its better than new, I bought it used, tho. so no big dollars expended for nice and improved trini
chance the crapdanium drags for carbontex
change the stock dog for a triniDC dog and spring
change the stock handle
nothing of that is a MUST but once you do it you now it worthed
I would say the dog and drag upgrades are a must, if you want the reel to perform properly over time!
Upgrading a Jigmaster:
Donor reel $20
SS gear sleeve. $28
Byan's 1+5 drag Kit. $25
Black Pearl package C. $75
Cortez Conversion side plates. $83
Tiburon/Accurate Frame. $65-$100 (depending on color)
Tiburon/Accurate Spool. $65-$75 (depending on color)
Counter balanced SS arm (Motive Fab). $25
Handle (Black Pearl's EVA-45). $20
Total $406-$451
It's funny how I refuse to pay more than $20 for a jigmaster.
then the sky is the limit upgrading everything.
Quote from: surfcaster on January 29, 2016, 09:21:34 PM
It's funny how I refuse to pay more than $20 for a jigmaster.
then the sky is the limit upgrading everything.
the real funny part is the next
Donor reel $20
SS gear sleeve. $28 original sleeve discarted
Byan's 1+5 drag Kit. $25 original Drag discarted
Black Pearl package C. $75 original parts discarted
Cortez Conversion side plates. $83 original plates discarted
Tiburon/Accurate Frame. $65-$100 original frame posts discarted
Tiburon/Accurate Spool. $65-$75 original spool discarted
Counter balanced SS arm (Motive Fab). $25 original handle discarted
Handle (Black Pearl's EVA-45). $20 original handle already discarted
nothing left of the original reel, why would you want to find a good shape donor reel if there is no part that will be keep on the tanked-up reel?
dont get me wrong Im guilty for having many of these upgrades.
Quote from: steelfish on January 30, 2016, 01:27:51 AM
the real funny part is the next
nothing left of the original reel, why would you want to find a good shape donor reel if there is no part that will be keep on the tanked-up reel?
dont get me wrong Im guilty for having many of these upgrades.
you're right that most parts will be discarded from the donor reel, but you will still need #16, 17,18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 23A.
I also prefer to fish with the clicker on >:(, so #35, 36, 62 & 63 will also be needed.
i guess you could buy them seperately from MysticParts.com which will cost about $20
https://www.mysticparts.com/ (https://www.mysticparts.com/)
"Edited as per Moderators to correct Scott's Bait & Tackle over to their new store name Mystic Reel Parts / www.mysticparts.com"btw: a $20 Jigmaster will probably be one thats been "rode hard & put away wet" ::)
I bet buying those new parts will cost you more than $20 bucks.
With all the spares, you will be on the slippery slope of reel repair and collecting, building, hoarding....
Take the discarded parts, buy another donor reel, strip it and marry the two. now you have one stocker for horse trading and more spares.
So you buy another donor reel.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Cortez_Conversions on January 30, 2016, 02:05:36 AM
I bet buying those new parts will cost you more than $20 bucks.
With all the spares, you will be on the slippery slope of reel repair and collecting, building, hoarding....
Take the discarded parts, buy another donor reel, strip it and marry the two. now you have one stocker for horse trading and more spares.
So you buy another donor reel.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
:D :D...you've been watching me Tom.
As I've mentioned before, this isn't an investment, well, it could be if parts keep going up in cost ;D.
Do it for yourself and must of all, have fun.
Al, your numbers above are right on, but at the very top. If you shop around and take the spare parts in consideration, you could get it done for less than $350.
The good thing about it, you can't purchase this reel anywhere, unless it came out of our factory here ;D.
Sal
:D :D...you've been watching me Tom.
As I've mentioned before, this isn't an investment, well, it could be if parts keep going up in cost ;D.
Do it for yourself and must of all, have fun.
Al, your numbers above are right on, but at the very top. If you shop around and take the spare parts in consideration, you could get it done for less than $350.
The good thing about it, you can't purchase this reel anywhere, unless it came out of our factory here ;D.
Sal
[/quote]
That's the icing on the cake Sal, I couldn't agree more :)
When I retire I think I'll start a kick-starter campaign to get the seed money to start assembling reels. I bet someone could make money and deliver market beating product. Alan Chui will be close with his 113HNN frame kits, we need a Jigmaster also.
Ron
Quote from: Alto Mare on January 30, 2016, 04:38:34 AM
....... this isn't an investment, ......
Do it for yourself and must of all, have fun.
well, I have learned from many hobbies that I had have that almost any upgrade or improvement cant count as investment, this apply when you upgrade parts and accesories on your oldie/classic car, muscle/sport car, reels, RC trucks, DRSL camera lens, etc.. its all for self enjoyment or to be sell to another lunatic/hobbyist like myself
saludos Sal,
- Alex
I still have the original eccentric jack, lever,bushings Steel gears& pinion some misc hardware from The $20 jigmaster.+more spare parts for
franken reels[AKA] Brother in law reels. I Once sold the most beat up looking 113h rod/reel in perfect working order to a guy that said it was the sorriest looking 4/0 he's seen in a while. I said "That's The brother in law reel"He'll probably birdsnest your nice one & scrape the grips off your custom rod on the rail Do you really want him using your good stuff? Semper Fi, Richie
So true Richie :D ;D
Buy high! Spend lots of money upgrading it, sell it cheap!
Boy howdy. I am building 113's now, starting with side plates. ;D
Quote from: David Hall on May 04, 2016, 12:10:53 AM
Buy high! Spend lots of money upgrading it, sell it cheap!
But make sure you'll have fun while doing it ;).
Buy all the parts you need & just charge them to Sal. ;D ;D ::)
Make sure you have fun is my mantra in life!
To say building these reels is fun Is understating the experience.
This is more fun than Disneyland!
I seem to have stopped building some months ago? All I do now is collect parts for reels I want to build!
Quote from: David Hall on May 04, 2016, 01:33:53 AM
Make sure you have fun is my mantra in life!
To say building these reels is fun Is understating the experience.
This is more fun than Disneyland!
I seem to have stopped building some months ago? All I do now is collect parts for reels I want to build!
:D :D...you're doing good ;)
I love making one of a kind parts and parts to give to people I like, production not so much. 100 drag washers or dogs at a time gets old and cuts into my reel tinker time....but it does pay for my gear addiction and parts I can not make ;D
That must be phase three of reel addiction!
Figuring out something I can do to offset the expense of buying reels and parts?
Hmmmmm?
Probably to old to be a gigalo? ::)
Just like a drug addict selling to finance their habit.
Holy buckets...this thread is a gas! Glad to see I'm in good company. I've spent time worrying about my Jigmaster...over $200 invested...and if I put it on eBay tomorrow I'd be lucky to get $70 out of it. Best part...I live in southern Ohio...what the heck am I gonna do with a Jigmaster? :D ;D :P Then I realized, none of that matters, 'cause the bills were all paid before I endeavoured, and I enjoyed every minute of the build! 8)
I just retired and need to cut back, to take stock of what I have, and now the more frugal bugget when you take a huge cut in cash flow.
Have a GREAT TIME with your retirement. I did it 9/07/07
Mike
I'm just gonna tire, I'm never gonna re-tire. To many expensive hobbies I need to keep up. Maybe in four years I can reconsider, I'll only be 66! Unless I win the lotto!
David, I agree collecting and searching for parts is half the fun.
Same as catching bait and then fish.
David
What happened to our little Plumbing project??
I was 62 went I retired
Mike
How about a $550 jigmaster :o ;D ....it's not how much you should spend, but how much you are willing to spend ;) ;)....before the wife cuts you off ;D
stop spending when you think you have reached "nirvana"...
"THE INFAMOUS"
Quote from: bluefish69 on November 07, 2016, 04:40:10 PM
David
What happened to our little Plumbing project??
I was 62 went I retired
Mike
MIke:
I have 23 excuses for why I haven't tackled that project yet but I'm going to go with the following,
The opener of crab season this past weekend and my wife had cataract eye surgery this morning.
But I did get the new parts!
Quote from: Maxed Out on November 07, 2016, 07:15:51 PM
How about a $550 jigmaster :o ;D ....it's not how much you should spend, but how much you are willing to spend ;) ;)....before the wife cuts you off ;D
It's beautiful and I'm sure you could sell it for at least half that!
How about $4 G's worth of Everol's that I don't have time to fish, with another one on the way. :P
Daron, you need a red one and then put those out as Christmas decorations during the holidays 8)
Too late Ted. Its a wide 9/0 in Blue with a Silver spool and Handle.
I have some more special engravings on this one as well. ;D
Quote from: David Hall on November 07, 2016, 10:46:31 PM
Quote from: bluefish69 on November 07, 2016, 04:40:10 PM
David
What happened to our little Plumbing project??
I was 62 went I retired
Mike
MIke:
I have 23 excuses for why I haven't tackled that project yet but I'm going to go with the following,
The opener of crab season this past weekend and my wife had cataract eye surgery this morning.
But I did get the new parts!
I've had that surgery 2 X it was nothing. Just wear the glasses. Now Crab season that's almost a good reason. Your Water Bill or Electric Bill for your Well Pump would be my main reason to fix the Ball Cock
Just saw this thread in "Recent Unread Topics." The first post by Alan is a good index for getting to other threads where Penn upgrade parts (Penn 99/Jigmaster/SurfMaster/Squidder) are offered.
Re: How Much Money Should You Spend?
Perhaps my take is a little different on this subject --
It seems like we sometimes forget our motives -- and it is too easy to get carried away -- these are fishing reels.
Just take a typically inexpensive, common, yet impressive Penn Jigmaster 500, as an example.
Seems to me, we can condense it down to (2) choices -- 2 doors to go through...
Behind door number 1, we upgrade a Jigmaster using a Tiburon half frame, aluminum spool, CF Cal's greased drag stack, Delrin under gear washer, a power crank handle. Check the bushings or bearings -- Make sure the handle is tight on the gear sleeve to prevent rounding -- then fish the heck out of it. If the reel already has an aluminum spool and new CFs -- the total investment is $60 frame, $30 crank, $8 CFs and UG Delrin. So $98, plus the reel you already have.
Behind door number 2, we realize that anything is possible -- and money is no object.
New sideplates, SS components, 5 stacks -- until we reach a point where the only original parts on this old Jigmaster are the clutch springs and eccentric spring -- this is around $500 total investment.
Comes down to personal choice, like most things.
I guess I am kind of cheap -- and I prefer the first option as my choice for actual fishing.
Gets the job done well without having to worry about boat rash.
Nothing wrong with either approach -- and I have and continue to do both types of upgrades.
But when a client asks what can be done to improve their Jigmaster -- I try to keep the parts under $100.
A properly upgraded Jigmaster like this will be a great 30# setup -- you could even go to 40# -- but any more, and you should look at a different reel model such as a US Senator, larger reel, etc..
Just my opinions...
Best,
Fred
Yep! ;D
Quote from: Shark Hunter on February 27, 2014, 08:57:50 PM
I need to ease up on the fishing trips in my head. :P They cost me as much as really going! ;D
Quote from: steelhead_killer on January 03, 2017, 12:41:01 AM
Yep! ;D
Quote from: Shark Hunter on February 27, 2014, 08:57:50 PM
I need to ease up on the fishing trips in my head. :P They cost me as much as really going! ;D
^3X -- The Internet gives a whole other dimension to fishing, but hunting for parts and bargains is a poor substitute for pulling in a writhing, slimy beast from the depths, or even just standing in the waves and casting.
How much to spend ?
I am sure this has happened to more than a few of us, but it was still humbling to me.
I set up 2, penn 50W 2 speeds, and 2, 80TW's - all reels loaded with top quality braid and top shotted, all 4 on roller guide rods. Then stuck them in the rod holders My regular guide Luis, stuck one of his 12/0 Senator's full of 50# mono (on a pole with conventional guides), in one of the corner rod holders. Well of course a fish hit the Senator. It was fun but scary(exciting?) thinking that one little tiny mistake and it was going to be all over, plus a $70 lure was not coming back home with me. We did get him to the boat and turned loose again. (about 100 kilos of marlin) I stopped showing off my big shiny rod/reels after that. No, I am not trading them off but it brought me back to reality. Those senators - of all sizes use to be the "big" reels. one more thing. that star drag lever was so hot, I could not touch it without the glove.
How much we spend has a lot to do with how much we WANT to spend and not so much how much we NEED to spent to catch fish.
Happy New year fellow fishermen,
Greg
This is a great discussion, and one I've thought about quite a bit. I have a lot of Penn reels from 180s on up to a 116, most get fished a fair amount each year. My Jigmasters are relatively 'stock' with just greased HT-100 drags and stainless sleeves.
I have 2 115s that have frames, stainless gears, sleeves, dogs, handle arms and custom handles. These are my 'heavy' shark reels and I think the upgrades are worth the expense. On the other hand my medium shark rigs have stock 114s (black) which apparently don't have any aftermarket parts available. These reels have caught lots of sharks up to 300+ lb porbeagles, and have held up for over 20 years. So go figure. I know when people see my 115s only the most observant notice anything other than just an old obsolete Penn star drag.
I get the part about building a one of a kind reel, but after it's all said and done, I guess I'm more a door number 1 kind of guy ???
Quote from: foakes on November 08, 2016, 06:12:06 PM
Re: How Much Money Should You Spend?
Perhaps my take is a little different on this subject --
It seems like we sometimes forget our motives -- and it is too easy to get carried away -- these are fishing reels.
Just take a typically inexpensive, common, yet impressive Penn Jigmaster 500, as an example.
Seems to me, we can condense it down to (2) choices -- 2 doors to go through...
Behind door number 1, we upgrade a Jigmaster using a Tiburon half frame, aluminum spool, CF Cal's greased drag stack, Delrin under gear washer, a power crank handle. Check the bushings or bearings -- Make sure the handle is tight on the gear sleeve to prevent rounding -- then fish the heck out of it. If the reel already has an aluminum spool and new CFs -- the total investment is $60 frame, $30 crank, $8 CFs and UG Delrin. So $98, plus the reel you already have.
Behind door number 2, we realize that anything is possible -- and money is no object.
New sideplates, SS components, 5 stacks -- until we reach a point where the only original parts on this old Jigmaster are the clutch springs and eccentric spring -- this is around $500 total investment.
Comes down to personal choice, like most things.
I guess I am kind of cheap -- and I prefer the first option as my choice for actual fishing.
Gets the job done well without having to worry about boat rash.
Nothing wrong with either approach -- and I have and continue to do both types of upgrades.
But when a client asks what can be done to improve their Jigmaster -- I try to keep the parts under $100.
A properly upgraded Jigmaster like this will be a great 30# setup -- you could even go to 40# -- but any more, and you should look at a different reel model such as a US Senator, larger reel, etc..
Just my opinions...
Best,
Fred
^^^This
If you want to fish #40 then you want a 2-speed reel anyways. You may not know it, but you do. A good day on the Tuna grounds will make this clear.
Fish the basic modded jigmaster to death and spend the rest on even rock fish trips and you are the richer man, imo.
The $500 jigmaster is a display case queen, imo. But nothing wrong with that, if that is what you want going in.