Penn Super Mariner 49

[Bill Benrath]

I have a Super Mariner with a 3 drag system that I replaced with carbon fiber washers and new ss drag plates.
The reel only had 8lbs of drag when it was brought to me; it had the original washers in it which is why I replaced them. After putting in the new washers (greasing with Cals heavily) I still only get 8lbs of drag; measuring with a spring scale with a full spool of line.
I've had the reel apart numerous times; the tabs are correctly seated in the main gear; it looks like the grooves in the main gear are deep enough; as a test I took the reel apart again the am and tried putting another drag washer on the bottom of the stack to see if the eared drag washer plate was the problem but it's still the same.
If I just eyeball the original steel main gear it looks like the surface might be a little concave but I have no way of measuring it; it may be an optical illusion.
I see that Mystic River Parts has a new main gear that is brass but I hesitate to order it without confirming that the gear is the culprit.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thank You for any thoughts,
Bill

[Bill B]

Bill a couple thoughts come to mind:

-the top eared washed is not inside the main gear you checked it but check again

- the spacer sleeve isn't tall enough to compress the drag stack and bottoming out on the side plate

-if spooled with braid it's slipping on the arbor

- drag star or gear sleeve is stripped and not letting you crank down

-ensure the gear sleeve post isn't turning in the bridge plate



Bill

[Bill Benrath]

Sorry for the late reply. Phones been giving me problems.
Will check things out tomorrow and let you know

[Ron Jones]

I've been bit by the spacer a few times when switching to CF. THey are just thinner. You can make up the room with wavy washers, bellvilles, extra metal drag washers, just about anything.
Good luck
The Man

[alantani]

given that it's a 1+3 drag system and the spool is so tall, the 8 pounds of drag does not surprise me. 

[mo65]

given that it's a 1+3 drag system and the spool is so tall, the 8 pounds of drag does not surprise me. 

   Good point Alan. With a totally full spool that number is really not too far off. Especially when combined with a "short" spacer. It's amazing how fast the max drag power ramps up as line is taken off the spool.

[Bill Benrath]

The line isn't slipping on the spool; the star isn't stripped out; given that the reel had as much drag with the new washers as with the old, I'm leaning toward calling Mystic River and see if the can put a caliper on the sleeve and check it against mine.
This reel is advertised as being a shark reel with steel trolling line I'm sure penn would have designed it with more than 8 lbs of drag. I'm going to try to shim the sleeve somehow and see if that helps.
Thanks for the ideas,
Bill
Ps I put an extra cf drag washer underneath the eared metal washer and that didn't help; does that make sense?

[akfish]

The 49 is not a shark reel and I cannot recall it ever being advertised that way. Originally, it was for wire line trolling, but that changed when Penn offered only the aluminum spool. People up here do fish them for halibut occasionally, but after just a fish or two, the gear sleeve is rounded and must be replaced. Lots of the old timers up here use them for salmon trolling, inevitably spooled with 30# or 40# mono.