Fin Nor Santiago SA130

Started by Tightlines667, January 05, 2018, 12:04:36 AM

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Tightlines667

Picked up a lightly used Fin Nor Santiago SA130 for an absolute steel today.  

I am looking to convert from Hot-rodded Senators to lever drags as my primary 130class trolling rigs.  

I was going to go with all Penn International 130ST reels, but have been on the lookout for deals on these SA130 reels, and I found one I couldn't pass up.  

I have serviced about 6 or 8 of these in the past, and I think they are undervalued reels.  

Can't wait to crack it open, get it serviced, and spooled up, and test it out on some fish.

They do have pretty impressive specs...
Reel.        Mono.             Braid.             Max drag(lbs) Gear Ratios
SA130   1200/130   3000/200   110                      2.4:1/1.0:1

Line retrieval(in) Spool Width(in)    Weight (g)
48.15/21.53.       3.98                 183.0


The Fin-Nor Santiago series reels are the is a bold testament to modern technology's greatest advances in fishing reel materials and design. Perfectly sized for the technical skills of today's big game anglers, the Santiago features a solid one-piece, fully-machined aluminum frame and one-piece spool, supported by a machined stainless steel center shaft turning on four ultra-smooth, and ultra-strong, ceramic/stainless hybrid ball bearings.

Santiago's drag system, which includes a huge stainless steel drag plate, allows you to customize and fine-tune your settings to your type of fishing. The drag lever offers a wide range of drag, activating at the "Strike" position, with additional power available up to the "Full" setting. Plus, a simple push of a button puts the reel in to it's powerful low gear when you need it, and an easy turn of a dial lets you switch back to high speed to pick up line.

Features:

• Full-machined one-piece aluminum frame
• Massive stainless steel drag plate
• Forged aluminum spool
• 4 ceramic hybrid ball bearings for support and strength
• Push-button and dial-release two speed shift system
• Classic Fin-Nor gold annodized corrosion-resistant finish


http://shop.zebcobrands.com/partsfinder/index/index/model/SA130


John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Benni3


Rickski

Nice reel.  You helped me with my SA80W a few weeks ago.  I appreciate that.  Take some pics when you tear her down.
Rick

Bryan Young

They are nice overbuilt reels.  I just wish they were consistent with their anodization and polishing. 
:D I talk with every part I send out and each reel I repair so that they perform at the top of their game. :D

Tightlines667

Quote from: Bryan Young on January 05, 2018, 05:31:07 AM
They are nice overbuilt reels.  I just wish they were consistent with their anodization and polishing. 

True.  I have noticed some variability here, and the anodizing is not of the same quality as the Penn or Shimano reels.  I do like the solid 1-piece frame, and the fact that everything is stainless, aluminum, or ceramic (no plastics).  The drag chamber is sealed nicely,  with alot of stopping power, the reel has a lot of line capacity, good foot design, gears are smooth/helicle-cut SS, 2-speed shift is intuitive and smooth, ceramic hybrid bearings are smooth, the reel deals with heat exceptionally well, drag lever andvpreset function/adjustment is nice.  Negatives are weight, 2 speed mech can hang up slightly when shifting out of low if not clean and properly lubed, drag curve is steeper then I like, the cam parts are small, and can gum up if not kept lubed/clean, same with the narrow diameter clicker(though it keeps the water out pretty good), the tight tolerances require shimming to maintain freespool once parts wear, many snap rings and alot of parts decreases the ease of servicing. 

These reels are basically rated #2 or 3 overall for line capacity, and maximum effective drag.  Parts and support are relatively good, if you can service them yourself. 

The main reason why I have been looking for them is that they can often be found for 1/3 to 1/2 the price of comparable reels.  I bought this lightly used, almost new reel for a mear $400. 

There are quite a few floating around the islands here, but many guys didn't like to being able to have them serviced locally, or running into troubles servicing them themselves.  When I am looking at buying 5 or 6 of the 130 class lever drags, cost savings can be huge. 

If money was absolutely no object, I would get the Accurate Twin Drags, or if I could afford the price, the new Penn Internationals. 

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Nasty Wendy

That is probably the only size Santiago I'll never own.  I just don't have need for one that size.  Santiagos are my lever drag of choice.  Got my first one (30W) a few years ago and absolutely love it.  I could never figure out why they weren't more popular.  My biggest is an 80W and although I've caught fish with it I haven't come close to testing its capabilities.  I can't imagine what it would take to be "too much fish" for that 130 to handle. :o
Hi I'm Clay.
Lets raise our children to be Super Fishermen not Superficial men and women.

The more I interact with people the more I like my dog.

Tightlines667

#6
First service on the reel today.

Everything looked pretty good.  It had a broken bridge screw, which I drilled out.  I compliant is that the holes don't go all the way through the plate and screws are soft fine thread.  The clicker pawl was corroded in place and needed my press to free it.  It and the springs, and ratchet plate will be replaced.  The pinion bearing had some barely noticable roughness (it will be replaced).  Everything else looked great.  No other corossion, or noticable wear.  This reel has alot of parts (many small), and it does have a few snap rings to deal with.  Everything seems to be machined really well.  I like the sealed drag chamber, and hidden/protected bellevilles, ceramic hybrid bearings, tripple antireverse dogs, and the shifter is easy to use.  I don't like the click pawl retainer, drag washers glued to pressure plates, the steeper drag curve and the propensity to lose freespool.  

Only $70 in parts after more than a year of heavy trolling duty.

This is my center rod, and is spooled with 800yds of JB130holo, and 400yds of 130mono.  It has the highest line capacity, fastest retrieve in high speed, most power in low gear, and is capable of the biggest drag numbers of any of my 130s.  If I am fortunate enough to hook a grander Blue Marlin someday, I hope he grabs this one.

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Tightlines667

Here is how the drag assembly looks w/o the spool.

Pretty neat design.
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

roosterfish

I just picked up 2 Santiago sa 12s and an sa 16 for $100.00 each(new) from a tackle shop going belly up. Have never owned one (am an Avet guy). but these reels at first glance look very solid although heavy. It appears they have been discontinued --cant even get them on Amazon. Can anyone give me their 2 cents on these. Will use as a trolling setup for albacore here in Washington. Thanks

Tightlines667

Quote from: roosterfish on September 19, 2019, 08:15:14 PM
I just picked up 2 Santiago sa 12s and an sa 16 for $100.00 each(new) from a tackle shop going belly up. Have never owned one (am an Avet guy). but these reels at first glance look very solid although heavy. It appears they have been discontinued --cant even get them on Amazon. Can anyone give me their 2 cents on these. Will use as a trolling setup for albacore here in Washington. Thanks

I like them.  The marquesas are nice underrated reels as well. 
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.