Reel Maintenance And Cleaning Options

[kkw]

How do other members clean their rods and reels after a days fishing? I generally just hose my gear off, give it a wipe down with a wet cloth and stand it in the garage. I also loosen the drags. Every couple of months, I remove the spool and oil all the necessary bits.

Some recommend washing gear in warm, soapy water and then hosing off. How do you all do it. Not what you should do, but what you actually do. I still get corrosion on chromed reel bits etc, despite the washing and hosing.

A mate washes his reels and sprays them with WD40 after each outing, and the reels are in terrific condition. He doesn't mind if the spray gets on his line either.

[Fed]

Aside from keeping my gear away from salt water I don't do anything at all.

[poly]

the rods get a hose off and a wipe down the reals i wash under the tap and wipe dry remove the spools and let dry in the sun when dry i strip the drag apart clean and grease i do the hole reel about every 5 outings
P.S. i always leave the drags loose when not in use
BET I AM WRONG

[SUMOFISHIN]

I hose mine down and spray them with a product called CRC Tackle Guard which is specially formulated for reels and is very good on firearms , it comes in a small pressure pak of 100g/130ml 1 1/2 inch diameter 6" high

This post has been edited by SUMOFISHIN: Dec 27 2007, 01:24 PM

[Christos]

I wash the gear down after every outing. Let them dry out in the garage.

I stripped the reels down for cleaning, once a year or try twice a year.

[TomMc]

I spray them with a spray bottle, whipe it all down.
Then i spay the rods again and put them a way to drip dry...
the reels iwhipe over and losen the drag.

[Majed]

I never used to do anything to them until Christos got me in the habit into hosing them down after every outing....

[Mully]

Wash down with a slow running hose ,,wipe clean with my wifes tea towls then spray tackle guard or inox, both are also great to spray on your lures or hooks in your tackle box to prevent rust also..
To clean rust off hooks and lures INOX left on it for a while and wiped off will clean it up..

both sprays are 100% safe on all lines and braid so no problems even my rods get a wipe down with the stuff as eyes do build up with oxide and some reel seats also clag up....

INOX is cheaper and you get more also not to mention it can be used on your outboards too....

This post has been edited by Mully: Dec 29 2007, 04:13 AM

[Smelly]

I loosen all the drags off before hosing (yes lightly not blasting) all my gear down after a trip or next day on the night jobs . Then they get a good shake before being wiped down with a rag & sprayed with tackle gaurd before going back in the rack .

If the rods are real scaly i strip the reels off'em & give the rods a good wipe down with baby wipes then a clean rag . after say four or five trips i'll strip all the reels off and give them all a good going over , stripping heaps of line off the spools and cleaning all the crap off that builds up under the top lip , give the drags a qik service and give the reels a spray and a wipe down , i also do the rods again with the baby wipes .

BTW: JG this might help you :

when using the baby wipes i've found their great for picking up any cracks in guides by running them threw you'll see a bit of fluff get caught up if it's cracked or even if there's any small crusty stuff stuck there .

any baitcaster's or complex overheads i take to the shop for a service i also give all my reels a good going over every 12mnths .

[It'l Do]

I loosen all the drags off before hosing (yes lightly not blasting) all my gear down after a trip or next day on the night jobs . Then they get a good shake before being wiped down with a rag & sprayed with tackle gaurd before going back in the rack .

The guy at the tackle shop told me to tighten the drag wash with water, dry, wipe over with Inox then loosen the drag.
Made sense to me as the drag does not have a seal to stop water getting in.

Here is a question nobody mentioned, what position do you place your rod/reels when they wash then with water, standing up or laying down?
I stand mine up but now thinking about it it might be better to lay them horizontal to stop water entering down the main shaft. Not sure if this applies to dual drag reels as well.

Your thoughts.

[Sir Reel]

Here is a product you may not of heard of
Salt away

You use it to flush your motor as well as rinsing off reels, Just make sure you tighten the drags first,(so you dont push salt into the drag washers etc) allow to dry then back off the drag. At least once a year service your reel by taking the spool off and spraying with inox as has already been mentioned.

Check this,

The above head gaskets came out of the same outboard motor. Before he
knew about Salt-Away, Greg Moss, the owner and mechanic of Moss
Marine, Channelview, Texas USA, had always flushed his motors with
fresh water after every use in salt water. The gasket on the left, flushed
with fresh water for a year, was removed during the motor's annual
overhaul. Greg replaced the gasket with the one on the right and began
flushing every time with Salt-Away. It was used in the motor for one year
and was removed at the next annual overhaul.

More details here Salt away

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Sir Reel

Somebody asked about that Salt-Away on another board & I was not aware of how it worked this is a copy of my reply

Going by the name of the product one would assume it's designed to remove salt buildup which has allready occured.

I wouldn't waste my money buying it & really cant see how it could be of any benefit unless you're submersing your motors leg in a tank & the solution is in the water being re-used.

Cant see how it can work using rabbits ears ???

Wheather using a tank yo flush [smaller outboards] or using the wabbits ears either way you still need the motor to be running in order for the impellor to start pumping the water [ works of your driveshaft]

Even if the water galleys are blocked due to salt buildup [bet your short & curlys allways around thermostat] water is still cooling your power head just that it wont come out though that thingamajiggy hose & will escape alongside your exhaust outlets.

Now some of the larger HP outboards do have a hose fitting which allows you to flush the motor/'s with fresh water if the boat is moored.

Even in that case senario couldn't see how this saltaway thingy stuff could be of any benefit cause if your motor is cold then your thermostat will be shut so it couldn't possibly be doing a full clean.

If you flush your motor/'s with fresh water that is all you need to do salt desolves very easily so with the fresh water it will not settle & dry out internally in your powerhead.

After seeing the gadget I still stand by what I said in above reply.

Going by the pics this Greg Moss chappy claims to be true ???

I think the guy is talking out of his arse pics may not be doctored but a very very very very very very good guess is that they are a very unfair conparisment in order to promote his product.

The above head gaskets came out of the same outboard motor

May be very true but no mention was made how long that head gasket had been on the motor B4 it was taken off but Mr Smart arse Greg Moss Chappy Fellow was very quick to point out this

It was used in the motor for one year
and was removed at the next annual overhaul.

I've seen enough head gaskets pulled off outboards to know that the original head gasket was on that motor a hell of alot longer than 12 months & to pull off a head gasket in the 1st place that motor was sick low on compression etc & very close to around or over 500hrs.

You do your maths & tell me how old you guys think that original head gasket was ?????????????????????????????????

[Sir Reel]

Sir Reel

Somebody asked about that Salt-Away on another board & I was not aware of how it worked this is a copy of my reply



After seeing the gadget I still stand by what I said in above reply.

Going by the pics this Greg Moss chappy claims to be true ???

I think the guy is talking out of his arse pics may not be doctored but a very very very very very very good guess is that they are a very unfair conparisment in order to promote his product.



May be very true but no mention was made how long that head gasket had been on the motor B4 it was taken off but Mr Smart arse Greg Moss Chappy Fellow was very quick to point out this





I've seen enough head gaskets pulled off outboards to know that the original head gasket was on that motor a hell of alot longer than 12 months & to pull off a head gasket in the 1st place that motor was sick low on compression etc & very close to around or over 500hrs.

You do your maths & tell me how old you guys think that original head gasket was ?????????????????????????????????

I was told by a friend who had is water valleys blocked and motor was overheating (jap motors have narow water passages)and cleaned them out, then started using this product. Over a year later the mechanic couldnt belive the motor was so clean. After rinsing my boat I couldnt belive the amount of salt that was building up. Since using this product it is fare to say I dont see anywhere the amount of salt dried up on it. After flushing the motor for about 6 min I turn the salt away on fore a couple more min. Turn the motor off then s/w atach garden hose and rince trailer and rods with the leftover. Ask me in a year if i still think its good and I'll let you know. To get the thermastat to open try running at fast idel. If it does a ounce of good for my Honda and mates yammaha and trailers, reels, alliminum parts on boat, its worth it. And I have seen some difference allready. Salt used to pool on a inspection plate lid and on windscreen. I have no vested intrest in this product and people will say anything to sell a product, but I heard about the results first hand and thought I would give it a go.

This post has been edited by Sir Reel: Mar 14 2008, 06:56 AM

[Spudly]

Will be interesting to see in 12 months time..

As a mechanic and in boat shops ive seen so many similar things for cars and they were all crap!

Personally I beleive that if you flush the engine long enough that the salt will desolve, especially when the engine warms up.. Also beleive that a good wash and wipe of the boat is all that is nessacary

It kinda sounds like the Electronic rust protectors... I actually tried to talk people out of buying them things and they still paid me to install them!!

[Jumpus GooDarus]

John you'll find I clown around a fair bit oin these forums

BUT if something interests me I change gears into Serious Mode, I'm not one who just lunges out & says the 1st thing which comes into my head & you would've noticed by my previous reply here I put some thought into it & most importanately I gave reasons why I thought this product to be not what it was cranked up to be.

Esp the way it was portrayed in the pics I call that false advertising & very misleading.

My trade background was done on Alloys Tech course was pretty crappy like most Tech Colledge courses go but I did my time @ QANTAS & spend another near 12 months in their own colledge B4 being released out into the hangers that was every working day of the week & most of that was theory study.

I've 4gotten most of what was taught but still know the fundamental basics of alloys, yes salt can harm your alloy outboards but just as bad can be this product called Salt-Away If it is using a acid to do it's cleaning have a read of the bottle & see what the ingredients are ??????????????????

Not that long ago I rebuilt my bigger boat not one for doing things 1/2 cocked I pulled my 11 yo 2 stroke yammy's apart whilst I was @ it.

Powerheads off motors striped virtually right down & after 11 years / 500 odd hrs the insides were pretty spotless just a wee bit of corrosion on the water/exhaust plates which were replaced.

I did nothing special in all those years exept what Rumpus said, when I did flush it was prolonged flushing none of this bullcrap some peeps do 10 seconds & she'll be right mate.

Dont know if some of you guys recall going backabout 20 odd year now ??

A stink came about in regards to coolants in motor cars, well they found certain coolants corroded away alloy head engines cause if I recall correctly a light acid was in the solution.