Vintage Penn reels, vintage Penn parts and the Penn Project

[Harold Ray]

Many people use Penn reels and many also collect Penn reels. I do both and fish for a variety of species from kayaks, the surf, flats and BTBs. My vintage Penn reel collection, the result of an incurable illness and addiction to great fishing reels, keeps growing, and it leads me into areas I had not planned to go.

I did a search and saw this site and the mention of the Penn Project, so I thought since there is an interest in Penns here, I would join and ask a question.

First a little history. In searching for vintage Penns, I come in contact with and am contacted by a variety of people. Some have large stocks of vintage Penn supplies such as mint, unused left and right side plates, gears, springs of all sizes and kinds, but all for Penns, and about every Penn part you can imagine or think of.

Most of these people have no use for these parts and want to move them out either so they won't have to worry about them any more or to open space for other goods. None have a desire to work with vintage Penn reels. In one instance with side plates alone, we are talking about several hundred, and hundreds of other springs, gears and parts, all dating from the 1950s to the 1980s. A second person I am talking with right now has even more of all of these items, possibly thousands instead of hundreds. His are from the 1930s forward.

I have been thinking of buying these stocks and opening an online site stocking vintage Penn reel parts, from the late 1920s or 30s, when they first began production, through the 1980s. I realize this is probably not a scenerio where people are going to be beating your doors down for old (vintage) Penn parts, but do you all think there would be a need or demand for a service like this? I would really appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,

Ray

[Sudsy]

Penn has now been bought and sold twice and are no longer making any surf reels in the USA (Internationals are the only reels they still make here). It's not out of the question that Penn may soon no longer carry parts for their older reels. With the demise of the local tackle shop, the guys who used to do the vast majority of the repair work, there are going to be a lot of guys looking for parts and a place to get those parts installed.

Yes, I think there could be a niche for a site that sells Penn reel parts. The trick will be to be able to sell them for a reasonable price. You can get a lot of older penn reels pretty cheap so if the parts prices are too high a lot of guys might be inclined to go buy a beater reel and strip it for parts (that's what I usually do)

[fish on 222]

hi ray i'm interested in purchasing penn reel parts. harry fish on 222

[MAD 69]

I'm interested as well, I'm into all the old Penn reels- the 704z and I have been looking to buy parts as wellsuch as the manual bail kit. Let me know if you have any parts you want to sell.

[fish on 222]

hi mad 69 thanks for the reply about penn parts. unfortunately i have no penn spinning parts, just to drag knobs for the spools. i don't collect spinners ,just conventional reels. the spinners i collect are zebco cardinals, 3, 4, 6, and 7 .i became handicapped and do this as a hobby. i'm always in the market for conventional penn reel parts. thanks again harry

[MAD 69]

Ok Harry, I've been thinking about getting a convench reel - the Squidder 140, maybe I can ask you about parts when I get one.

[fish on 222]

hi mad 69 it would be my pleasure to help you any way i can. i have some squidder parts, not a whole lot , but if i can, i'll help you out. i live on long island, in brentwood, if your local, maybe you can stop over sometime. if you need the white drag knobs for the penn spinners , let me know. harry