Back in the saddle again part 2... 1-TI50WLRS, 1-TI80W, 2-Penn 80VSW

[Tightlines667]

A fellow dockmate pulled 4 trolling reels and dropped them off for service last weekend.  

Complaint on reels were as follows...
-50WLRS: loss of origional drag range, rough cranking under load, loose/wobbling handle
-80WA: could not rotate spool at all, hangs up in low gear when switching back to high
-Penns: both had broken shift buttons, 1 would not shift, lever movement stiff, rough cranking under load, 1 had loss of drag range

I dissasembled the 2 Tiagras first.  Broke 3 screws, corrosion/salt intrusion noticabke on both.  All 4 ratchet plate screws had backed completely out on the 80 causing one screw to lock the spool in place when wedged against the clicker pawl retainer.  Some bearings were rough, antireverse pawl/mechanisms were corroded qith 1 nonfunctioning on the 50.  The 50 had the older bronze pawl retainer which are known to fail, and the pawl and pins were corroded beyond proper function.  2-speed mechanisms were gunky.  I fully dissasembled the reels, cleaned all parts, and placed a parts order.  The Tiagras required all new drive shaft, and pinion bearings, as well as a left plate and right spool bearing for the 50.  I ordered all new bellevilles, ratchet plates, new pawl, pins, and SS retainer for the 50.  The antireverse pawls/mechanisms cleaned up fine.  

Parts costs were ~$150 on the 50wlrs and $65 on the 80W

This past weekend I broke down and cleaned the 2 Penn VSW reels, and placed my parts order.  These reels were around 15years old (same as Tiagras), and like the Tiagras had only been serviced once aproxamately 5 years ago while seeing regular offshore trolling use (~250+hrs/yr).  The Penns showed visable salt intrusion and corrosion.  The cam pockets in particular showed alot of deep pitting and some marring.  Plates, lugs, and frame were also spotted with corrosion.  Bellevilles were corroded, and likely aided in the intrusion of rust into the pinion bearings which had failed.  Drive shaft bearings were rough.  All these were replaced, along with all bearings on one reel (5 big, 4 small total).  New metal shift buttons were ordered, along with 2 new handles (heavily corroded).  Drags and gears looked unused/unworn.  I was able to remove all stand screws.  Everything cleaned up nicely, except maybe the cam pockets which were smoothed out, and will be greased liberally.

Parts cost on these 2 reels was ~$315.

I am into these about 16hrs labor now, with maybe 4-6hrs left.

I intend to assemble, adjust, and maybe respool all reels next weekend and will update when the job is complete.

The customer is looking at a service bill of roughly $650 w/o line.



John

[Tightlines667]

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[Tightlines667]

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[Tightlines667]

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[Gfish]

Whoa! Good object lesson for more frequent reel service. What'er you gonna recommend to your client for service intervals?

[Tightlines667]

And my customers/friends/slip mates...

Captain Saney from Australia
Captain Jay from Outter Banks, NC

and some of their catch from their last charter.

[Tightlines667]

Whoa! Good object lesson for more frequent reel service. What'er you gonna recommend to your client for service intervals?

I always recommend annual service.

Some reels may require it 2Xs/year, while others may be able to go 1.5-2yrs between service intervals (if used lightly).  If not used at all, I would think they could sit for 3 years and still have decent lube if stored in a cool/dry place?

John

[Ron Jones]

This is what I saw Oahu do to everything! Anytime you didn't maintain any piece of metal it corroded into nothing.
The Man

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

John, which do you prefer, the Tiagra or the VSX?

[Tightlines667]

John, which do you prefer, the Tiagra or the VSX?

They are both very capable reels with each their own strengths and weaknesses.

Of these 2 series my vote lays with the Tiagra.  

The newer penns might prove to give the Tiagras a run for their money in the 80 and 130 class big game trolling reels though.

Just an opinion.

The penns have stronger gears, and drag material, and a strong/positive engagement 2-speed mechanism.  They are marginally more difficult to service.  The VSX series are prone to problems with salt intrusion binding of the cam, and require regular shimming with wear.  The bellevilles also corrode/ degrade more quickly, as do the clickers which are not as loud and wear faster.  I don't like the outter portion of the drive shaft/2-speed mechanism, just too complicated.  The handles themselves trap water and corrode, but the assembly can be fully dissasembled which is nice.  The bearings wear, but continue to function when rough, but they are closed and can trap water if not fully packed with grease.  The antireverse pawls in this series are simple and effective but loud.  I don't like the cooling shield design, they can be problematic to remove, and a screw holds the drag components compressed.  The stands are strong, but where they mount to the frame is more prone to electrolysis than the Tiagras.  Anodizing color tends to hold up longer in UV, (I think? but both are high quality).  These reels are tanks, but have higher tollerances and are much more complicated than their simplier predecessors.

The big 80&130 Tiagras have long been favored by trollers.  The reels are slightly smoother, and quieter (when new) and have louder clickers. I like the sealed Tiagra drag chamber and drag component design (with the exception of the drag material itself).  The Tiagra clickers are louder, and keep the water/salt out better, but the springs are prone to breaking, the levers get banged/bent and the heavier clicker pawl damages the spool and vibrates the ratchet plate screws loose more quickly than the Penn.  The open ceramic hybrid bearings spin freely )even when dry, or improperly lubed), don't trap water, and are less prone to corrosion issues.  They don't seem to wear as quickly, or as gracefully as the penn bearings.  The harder material seems to chip and get really rough or fail quickly when they finally go.  The lever and cam design seems to be smoother, less water/salt intrusion, and hold up better, but the cams themselves show minor wear when the penns tend not to.  The gears are slightly smoother when new, but they wear more quickly.  They are however much cheaper to replace.  The spool shafts are not as strong, do get lightly marred, and the pins can get struck if they develop any corrosion, though I rarely see spool shaft problems affecting functionality.  The outter drag plates remain free floating on the shaft, where the Penns can get sticky. The Tiagra antireverse gear wears and the coating on the aluminum deteriorates, though it usually remains functioning, the pawls themselves do bind ul and stop functioning when corroded or improperly lubed.  These reels often require shiming along the spool shaft (to maintain proper spacing with component wear), and the bellevilles can lose compression over time.  The bridge is plastic which actually helps with some corrosion issues, but tends to trap water against the headplate which can lead to others, especially around the drive shaft retainer, and clicker.  I don't like the fine thread screws on the Tiagra.  The 80 class reels have the hydro thermal expansion device to help prevent drag fade, though I'm not sure if it helps or not?  

They are both good series of reels well suited to the task of trolling for big game.

Just a few personal opinions.

John

[mo65]

   Great work on those reels John.

[Donnyboat]

Thanks John, I like you opinion, & details, thanks for sharing, you would think the owner would look after them better, maybe wash them down more often, & give them a light spray, to keep the electrolises, to a minimum, cheers Don

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

Thank you John for taking the time to educate all of us on these reels.

I am very jealous that in addition to living in paradise, you are getting in so much fishing with them that you have become intimately familiar with their weak spots!

Thanks again,
Randy