Reel Maintenance

[Freedive4life]

Seasons right around the corner, and I'm prepping all my gear. I have the new Riffe composite reel on my gun, and was wondering what kind of maintenance I should perform before season is here. I blast water into it after every single dive, but that's about it. Should I disassemble it and grease it? Or just check it over? It doesn't have any play in it, and it is only a few months old. Rather be safe than sorry.

[Bob Ballew]

Not familiar with it's construction but, on most reels with any metal parts, you should dissemble it once a year and check for corrosion build up...either sand it off or scrape..On my metal bolts going thru the reel to the frame, I put a little water resistant grease like they use to lube trailer bearings..if you have washers, they may need scraped also to ensure smooth surface to surface movement..on soft parts, you can often remove corrosion by soaking them in vinegar...

[Marco]

If it is a good reel, just rinse with fresh water after each use and you're done. If you need to disassemble periodically it is not a GOOD spearfishing reel.

[greekdiver]

Originally Posted by Marco

If it is a good reel, just rinse with fresh water after each use and you're done. If you need to disassemble periodically it is not a GOOD spearfishing reel.

I was just about to post that exactly.

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by greekdiver

I was just about to post that exactly.

I sort of agree. I have a Riffe vertical reel, and its nice to have that drag that only works in one direction but lets it freespool when winding line back on, but it has moving parts. One time many years ago a guy borrowed my gun to put a second shot in a fish on the bottom, and the reel jammed. Since the reel doesn't have a line guide, he was able to get the gun to the surface by pulling line off the side of the spool like a spinning reel. Since I live just four miles from the Riffe plant, I took it over and Jay fixed it while I waited, but it would have been a bitch if it had jammed on a first shot to a big fish.

I can't help thinking that the new Riffe horizontal reel with that drag lever must have some parts that could potentially screw up too.

Reels like the Rob Allen and Wong composites don't have drag rollers, springs, and metal. There isn't that can go wrong as far as I can tell.

[Hank49]

I put some Penn reel grease around the shaft by the bushings on my RA composites. Don't know if it really needs it but I figure it can't hurt.

[BEEK]

Originally Posted by Freedive4life

Seasons right around the corner, and I'm prepping all my gear. I have the new Riffe composite reel on my gun, and was wondering what kind of maintenance I should perform before season is here. I blast water into it after every single dive, but that's about it. Should I disassemble it and grease it? Or just check it over? It doesn't have any play in it, and it is only a few months old. Rather be safe than sorry.

put new bearings in it and new drag washers.

[NaClAddict]

On some Riffe vertical reels there are drag cones. When these cones (or washers) get worn they can break apart and cause the reel to lock up. Using the drag with a lot of sand or dry seemed to cause more wear to the washer cones. Heard the new ones are more durable. I think they were $6 shipped to my door from Riffe. My last set lasted years and dozens of fish.

If your drag is very uneven or you that it has a lot of wear then taking the reel apart to do a visual inspection could be a good idea. At least be familiar with how to take it apart in case you have to do an emergency repair. For $6 you could make it bullet solid for years.

[Bob Ballew]

sorry boys, but, many old school guys are still using Charlie Sturgill welded aluminum reels...heavy duty with a stainless bolt in an aluminum frame that has heavy duty bronze wood screws into the wood gun...requires some upkeep but, it is a given that no fish is going to rip it off or break it apart....composites may be great but, it depends on how thin the material is, as to whether it will hold up on a once in a lifetime big'un...

But, everyone knows I am a technology dinosaur...

[greekdiver]

A good reel should hold enough line and just release line out smoothly without tangles and not be heavy. It should not need maintenance. You don't need a "drag". Your hand is your drag and that wont need changing. It's a spearfishing reel, not a fishing reel.

My 2 cents.

[Bob Ballew]

Hnmmm, I have yet to find anything that goes into saltwater, that does not need any maintainance due to salt buildup or some form of corrosion from minerals....even a good rinsing doesn't remove all salt, as any reel fisherman can tell you to his dismay , if maintainance isn't done on a regular basis..all threaded bolts or screws will seize up and ultimately break if not removed and cleaned on occasion...but, some people have to learn life lessons the hard way...all reels need a little drag to keep line from falling free...no reels need a stop or locking brake, as it will cause you a lost fish or lost gun sooner or later...all my reels have two washers (one teflon and one rubber) on the bolt between the reel and the frame..this allows me to tighten down the bolt just enough to barely keep the line tight without putting drag on the fish..has worked without fail for over 40 years....simple but highly efficient WHEN properly maintained...

[thedodd87]

i have ben spraying that new dupont silicon spray with teflon, i dont know how good or bad this is, but seems to keep the bands fresh and leave a thin layer not a greasey layer on everything. SO far its been fine on my wood guns, aluminum guns, rubber, metal, and my mako reel is still runnin suer smooth. ............what do you guys use to keep guns, shafts and other dive gear clean and free from corrosion?

[Freedive4life]

Well, I just pulled the whole reel apart. Came apart very easily, but there was a light coat of salt on some of the parts. The bolts had some surface rust, nothing major though. I cleaned it all up, and put a thick layer of full synthetic Green Grease that you get from NAPA Autoparts. I wasn't cheap with that stuff either, all the parts got some of it on there, especially the moving/metal parts. I'll probably do it again at the end of the season.

[BEEK]

Originally Posted by Freedive4life

Well, I just pulled the whole reel apart. Came apart very easily, but there was a light coat of salt on some of the parts. The bolts had some surface rust, nothing major though. I cleaned it all up, and put a thick layer of full synthetic Green Grease that you get from NAPA Autoparts. I wasn't cheap with that stuff either, all the parts got some of it on there, especially the moving/metal parts. I'll probably do it again at the end of the season.

Rinse with fresh water.. forget about it. There is nothing to em.

[Bob Ballew]

Now, we know why Beek can't see his toes...