New Penn 309 Spool Came apart

[jblegg83]

Good Morning! I have a brand new Penn 309 that we were using for opening day of rockfish season on the Chesapeake a month ago that all of a sudden stopped working. I just got to taking it apart a couple days ago and after taking it apart and putting it back together a couple of times, I noticed that the spindle inside of the spool was loose and not seated properly. This was the reason that the reel would not take in any line, even though the drag was tight as it would go. I was wondering if this can be repaired?
Here are some pictures of what I am talking about.
This is what it is supposed to look like...


And I can just pull the spindle out of my spool.


Thanks for your help!

[Keta]

New reel should be covered by the warrantee and Penn should fix it.  If it was an older reel I'd rough the shaft and spool ID and epoxy it.

[CapeFish]

Is this the way all manufacturers do it on star drag reels? If so I am amazed this does not happen more often

[Irish Jigger]

First time I've seen this happen on a Penn reel.
Where was it made?

[alantani]

if it's a new reel, probably china.  the way these spools are put together is that the spool is heated to make it expand, then the spool shaft is inserted and the spool cools and tightens down around the spool shaft.  a threaded set screw in the middle of the arbor would work here, but you would also contact penn and ask for a new one. 

[jblegg83]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, this is a brand new 309, made in China. I was not sure if I could tap the arbor/spindle back into place or not. I will get into contact with Penn and see if they will take care of it.

[Shark Hunter]

Strike One!