Problem With Revo-Inshore, Probably Because Of Salt

[MassBass]

I took one of my combos off the wall today because I was gona strip the line. My revo inshore, which has been a model of reliability, is all seized up. The problem is the thumbar doesn't click down and engage freespool. One side of the thumbar goes all the way down but the other side is jammed. I even hit it with a mallet. Then I dropped the spool and nicked it on the cement. They don't make this particular reel anymore. This reel was gona be my cranking and surf casting reel. Now I must rinse down my reel after every use in the surf. I thought because it was "inshore" it was invincible to saltwater. However I gave it a good rinse before I put it away for the year. I know I could get a brand new real for the price of shipping and repairing my revo. Like a daiwa laguna.     

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

In-shore / Saltwater approved etc. does not mean invincible as you've found out the hard way. Any reel used in salt water should be rinsed immediately after use, set out to dry, and fully serviced at least annually. The ding in the spool may or may not affect performance depending on location and severity. A spool is probably around $40 if needed. The cost to service the reel is $19.80 for members here plus shipping and any other parts. It's [probably worth saving even if only as a backup. I'll be happy to help if you'd like. Just promise, no more mallets on reels.  

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Holy shyt using a mallet on a reel.even a reel that aint any good dont get a mallet.its either fixed or gets a sledge hammer.NO IN BETWEENs

[fisherrw]

You should clean your reel every time y use it on the salt. I will last you a long time as long as you clean and grease it well

[0119]

I took one of my combos off the wall today because I was gona strip the line. My revo inshore, which has been a model of reliability, is all seized up. The problem is the thumbar doesn't click down and engage freespool. One side of the thumbar goes all the way down but the other side is jammed. I even hit it with a mallet. Then I dropped the spool and nicked it on the cement. They don't make this particular reel anymore. This reel was gona be my cranking and surf casting reel. Now I must rinse down my reel after every use in the surf. I thought because it was "inshore" it was invincible to saltwater. However I gave it a good rinse before I put it away for the year. I know I could get a brand new real for the price of shipping and repairing my revo. Like a daiwa laguna.     

Rinsing only pushes the salt and sand into the reel. You need to do much more than that after salt exposure.  Go to the Abu sub forum on alantani.*** and check out the Revo Inshore tutorial there.  There is a white metal or pig metal part in the clutch assembly that gets buggered and useless.  The tutorial tells you the "Revo Recall" part number to get a replacement and shows you how to do the work.

[kikstand454]

^ I fish twice as much inshore salt than I do bass- and I use bass tackle to do it. In a kayak no less.

DVT is right of course. ..you need to MIST rinse your reel everytime you come home from a salt trip and let dry. Inspect/service the reel every 6wks or so and have it fully serviced once a year. It will be fine.

Except the mallet damage.....

[SirSnookalot]

I salt water fish nearly everyday, I don't rinse my reels every time.  If I'm fishing with no wind blowing salt air or sand and my reel isn't dunked I may not rinse.  If I'm boat fishing, beach fishing or it's windy then I always rinse, don't forget the rods too. 

[MassBass]

Whats the best way to rinse? Garden hose nozzle on the mist setting?

[FloridaFishinFool]

Rinsing only pushes the salt and sand into the reel. You need to do much more than that after salt exposure.

 

We have a winner! Finally, the real deal.

 

Rinsing can cause more harm than good.

 

If I have a reel in salt water environment I would tear it down immediately after using it, and use a product called Salt Away to chemically neutralize the salt. Just keep a glass jar of it on your workbench and as you tear the reel down, toss relevant parts into the salt away, rinse, dry the parts thoroughly & re-grease or lube parts and put reel back together again. Otherwise, what happened above will happen again over and over.

 

In fact, reel manufacturers are counting on it! Some intentionally use materials they KNOW will corrode with salt contact. Reel manufacturers love to hear stories like this one- so you go buy another reel from them, or pay them as much to fix it as another reel might cost. It is called built-in obsolescence.

 

I would not let reels go for any length of time without some sort of servicing. Gotta protect the investment. So for me, any salt water use demands immediate servicing no if's, and's, or but's about it.

 

For my rods, salt is extremely corrosive to some guides. So I take a small paint brush and brush salt away all over the guides, let it stay there per instructions for the time it takes to neutralize salts, then rinse. And, to prevent any corrosion, I will often wipe the guides with corrosion X and put the rod away, and wipe it off before next fishing trip.

 

My rods and reels will be ready come next use. Will not have any surprises if I follow some basic ground rules.

 

Information on salt away from their website:

 

Salt-Away is a water-based, non-hazardous, biodegradable solution and contains properties that dissolve, release and remove salt crystals from any surface. WATER ALONE WILL NOT REMOVE SALT. Use of Salt-Away will not correct past damage but will work to protect against salt corrosion and reduces costly repairs caused by salt. Salt-Away breaks apart and removes salt accumulation with repeated use.

 

Salt-Away can safely be used on all metals, fiberglass, paint, rubber, plastic, chrome, glass, concrete, brick or any surface exposed to salt. Salt-Away, mixed with water, washes away the salt then leaves a protective film on surfaces until surfaces are again exposed to water or salt. Special high-performing corrosion inhibitors in the product help protect metals from corroding if not rinsed off. Salt-Away will not strip wax or cause streaks or spots. It is easy to apply by using pressure or power washers, Salt-Away's special Mixing Unit, the ready-to-use spray bottles for smaller jobs, and by immersing items into a mixture of Salt-Away and water.

[gulfcaptain]

Mist it. Then wipe down.  I've hosed mine but then also took it apart to lube it after.  Rods got the hose and then a bit of pledge and a rag to wipe clean. Lack of maint on anything will lead to it's distruction.....mallets just make it happen quicker.  Salt Away is a great product also, but you can also use a mild mixture of vinegar and water.  The vinegar's mild acid will react with the salt and do the same thing.  Can also get you a can of Corrosion X.  Works great.  Basiclly you have to do the maint on the reel after your saltwater trips and keep them clean, lubed and maintained.  

[MassBass]

Is there any kind of lubricant that is salt-phobic? Repels salt?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Nothing that replaces regular service. The thing I do differently with salt water reels is coat all surfaces with a film of oil or grease as opposed to just contact surfaces.

[0119]

That tutorial I suggested has a complete maintenance outline for you. Yamaha marine lube helps as it describes. Get that new part too unless you mallet job totaled the reel. Mist is best never from the hose, too much pressure. Use a water spray bottle like your wife uses for her hair. Better yet just wipe well with a wet t shirt or thin rag that'll let you get into crevices.

[SirSnookalot]

I've used those salt away products, can't say I use them much anymore.  About all I do with my saltwater spinning reels is light spray from a garden hose.  I've read where people take their rods and reels into a hot shower with them, think about gargling with warm water and salt for a sore throat, the salt only suspends in the water it doesn't dissolve. I'm pretty lax about servicing my reels, only have it done when needed,  If I tore a reel done myself I wouldn't get back together, lol.

The only repairs that I have to address seem to bail, bail spring or line roller bearing problems, doesn't really happen too often.

[powerduster]

I lay everything on the ground and shower it with a hose.

I agree with DVT's suggestion for saltwater reels.

[kikstand454]

Yeah. ... there's no way in the world you should have to tear down and service a reel everytime you hit the salt. Espicially if that reel is designed for it.

As long as you don't dunk it under the water, a light misting from the garden hose up and down the rod/reel will remove the residual salt from a trip. If you're feeling REALLY frisky about it, you could remove the spool and make sure you rinse the line out completely.

I inshore fish 4-5 times a month in a kayak and use only Bantum curado 200s and quantum accurist reels. Like snook and I said- a rinsing and general maintenance with a yearly tear down is all that is needed to keep your reels just fine.

[SirSnookalot]

I guess I'm in the camp of "if ain't broke don't fix it".  Back in the day when I was a bit more attentive to my gear I serviced my reels on a more regular basis, not always pleased with the outcome.  There were times a reel was serviced for a cleaning, whether it be a local "expert" or the manufacture the and reels came back sometimes a bit geary, most of the time I was happy.   

Now a days a reel only gets serviced when it needs it, I don't want to kill them with kindness.  My wife wonders why her plants die all the time, she is killing them with kindness.............over watering.  A plant tells you when it needs water and plant food, a reel tells you when it needs to be serviced.

 

I agree rinsing your reels after each outing is a good idea but what I see people doing is taking the wrong gear with them in the first place.  I'm sure many people have caught 40# saltwater fish on bass gear, yeh you can do, but I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it.

[powerduster]

I guess I'm in the camp of "if ain't broke don't fix it".  Back in the day when I was a bit more attentive to my gear I serviced my reels on a more regular basis, not always pleased with the outcome.  There were times a reel was serviced for a cleaning, whether it be a local "expert" or the manufacture the and reels came back sometimes a bit geary, most of the time I was happy.   

Now a days a reel only gets serviced when it needs it, I don't want to kill them with kindness.  My wife wonders why her plants die all the time, she is killing them with kindness.............over watering.  A plant tells you when it needs water and plant food, a reel tells you when it needs to be serviced.

 

I agree rinsing your reels after each outing is a good idea but what I see people doing is taking the wrong gear with them in the first place.  I'm sure many people have caught 40# saltwater fish on bass gear, yeh you can do, but I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it.

that's absolutely true about being too attentive towards your reels. like you, i learned it,s better not to mess with it too much until you actually need to. fretting too much and acting on it can make things more complicated than it should.

[Sam]

Salt, sand, dirt, grit are the silent killers of reels.

 

Send it to DVT and have them clean and repair the reel for you.

 

 

[Catt]

We got this crazy little contraption called a faucet, it attaches to the other end of your hose. I can turn the pressure up when I want to wash my truck after I go muddin. I can also turn the pressure down to rinse my rod-n-reels.

Really y'all need to try it

[MassBass]

DVT, thanks for the offer. I stripped my reel down, but I was in over my head putting everything back together. That website alantani helped but my reel is a slightly different model so I was a little confused. Working on reels is a learning process, like other aspects of fishing. So now it is dissembled in a box on the edge of my reel graveyard box. I ordered two new reels, shimano caius and daiwa laguna. I am hesitant to buy a high end reel right now, with the way my revo sx had to be repaired (for the cost of a new low end reel). And my old ambassaduer I have sent it away about three times, the reel is unique and sentimental so I will pay for repair rather than buying something new.          

[FloridaFishinFool]

I hope you won't mind if I post a few photos from the salty state of Florida...

 

Just today I received some reels in from a buddy of mine who lives along the coast. He was told about the president reels from things he read on internet fishing forums, so went out and bought himself a couple of them last year. Well now they are with me for repairs. And he brought along his Bass Pro bass fishing reel that he admitted he had used several times in the intracoastal waterway over the last year and he is now wondering why the spool won't spin and he can't cast with it.

 

I asked him how he dealt with the salt water issue and he swore up and down he rinsed them off after every fishing trip. His reels are not even one year old! So let's take a look at the reality of using non-salt water tolerant reels in a salt water environment... and really, even those that say they are salt water tolerant may not always be so tolerant...

 

Just remember, he swore up and down he rinsed his reels off!

 

Here is the handle of his president spinning reel. Notice how the salt water has gotten underneath the chrome plating and has either eaten it completely away, or flaked it off by destroying the bond between the chrome plating and metal underneath:

 

 

Now let's take a look at his aluminum spool- same as any other spinning reel's aluminum spool. Notice the pitting in the aluminum found under the fishing line? All he did was fish in salt water and rinsed off his reels when he got home and this is the result of simply rinsing them off. This damage was below the top of his line out of sight and he did not even know it was happening. But he swore up and down he rinsed after each fishing trip. Conclusion: rinsing is not effective enough to prevent this kind of damage! End of story. You gotta do something else to prevent this type of damage! That is why I use a product called salt-away to neutralize the salt. But the salt-away would have to penetrate the rolled up line and get down to this point to do any good in preventing this kind of damage.

 

 

Next, let's take a look at his less than one year old Bass Pro bass fishing reel he used for reds in the intracoastal waterway. Just starting with the handle it was a bear to take off as the stainless steel screw was corroded to the handle. Once I got the screw out and the handle nut plate retainer removed just look at all the salt water corrosion and damage under that plastic cap! This is the real world of salt damage that rinsing can not stop- and this handle is fully anodized aluminum- and it still corroded. All rinsing does is PUSH that salt deeper into the reel! And here is the evidence of it. Remember, he swore up and down he rinsed. Did it do any good? Here's the proof it does not.

 

 

Take a look at the outside of the reel. What you see is a painted aluminum frame. I have circled with yellow circles to show the damage salt water has done to the bottom side of this reel's frame. What you see is where salt water has gotten down under the paint and the corrosion is spreading under the paint causing the paint to crack and bubble up becoming disconnected from the reel's aluminum frame that is corroding away under there.

 

 

In this next image you can clearly see both sides of the frame. One side the paint is bubbling up from the aluminum frame underneath corroding under the paint. Look at the other side that has not corroded in the same place and looks nearly new.

 

 

Take a look inside this reel's frame where there is no paint to protect it from the salt water corroding it. I have circled some spots inside the reel that are now corroded from salt water intrusion into this reel that went around the spool to get to this spot. This is what rinsing does to a reel. It moves and pushes the salt deeper into the reel and here is the evidence of it.

 

 

This last image shows very clearly how salt water has gone around the edge of the spool from simply using it in salt water. The exposed aluminum clearly shows within the ring where the spool would normally be the darker discoloration caused by salt water intrustion inside the reel corroding the exposed aluminum. Rinsing will not get this out! It will only push it deeper into the reel and that is a fact!

 

 

I found more rust and corrosion in the handle bearings. The owner of these reels says he never dunked the reels in salt water. But he did admit to rinsing them. And here is more of the results of that type of thing as found in the handle- notice the green colored corrosion inside the cap of the handle. That is clear evidence of salt water has been forced down into this one handle grip destroying both ball bearings that will have to be replaced even though they still spin freely.

 

 

 

Both of his reels are salvageable even with this kind of damage. But damage to the aluminum in pitting and other can never be repaired at any price. Your only choice is to replace all the corroded parts, or just replace the reels and start over. But these reels will live on to see some more fishing even with this kind of damage.

 

But the only conclusion I can come to is that rinsing simply is not enough and rinsing is not the answer period.

 

In order to prevent this from happening, only a complete tear down after each salt water fishing trip will suffice. All parts must be cleaned inside and out and all salts must be either removed or neutralized- even under the fishing line too. No other way around it. Once that is done, the reel can be put back together and all parts need something put on them to protect them from this happening again. Corrosion X is a good choice, Reel X is a choice and some will even use just plain old grease and oil to coat parts.

 

The bottom line here is rinsing can just make this worse. These two reels are all the proof I need, and I have seen this same thing for nearly 35 years now and I will continue to see it for many more years to come here in salty Florida.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot, the reason his spool won't turn is because the bearings are rusted and frozen up. Rinsing is more than likely what pushed the corrosive salts into them. Now I have to replace 5 bearings in the Bass Pro reel, and the president needs new rotor bearings and a new line guide roller bearing just for starters. (correction: 7 bearings have to be replaced)

 

Rinse away fellas! That is not the answer nor the solution to this problem. I guarantee it.

 

When I put these reels back together, I will use either grease or an anti-seize compound for every single screw or bolt I put back into this reel. Salt water corrodes the two together and makes them near impossible to remove, but coating the threads with grease or anti-seize compound will help me take the reel apart easier next time I see them on the work bench.

[tstone]

2 low end reels that aren't designed for saltwater didn't hold up when fished in saltwater? Go figure.

[FloridaFishinFool]

So true.

 

Anodized aluminum corroded. You see anodized aluminum on salt water reels too. It will still corrode.

 

Aluminum frame and spools corroded. We see the same material on salt water reels too.

 

Salt + aluminum = corrosion.

 

Rinsing simply can not and will not get the all the salt out, and will not stop the corrosion. That was my whole point.

 

I have seen salt water reels corroded up too, bearings, and aluminum parts all corroded same as these reels. The brass gears turn green from the corrosion.

 

Aluminum on a $500.00 salt water reel will still corrode just the same as aluminum will corrode on a $5.00 reel and aluminum boats, and outboard motors too.

 

There is a right way to go about prevention and then there are wrong ways to go about it, even with a belief they are doing good by rinsing, the truth is they can be causing more harm and damage, and that was the point of my post with photos was to show by example.

[kikstand454]

I understand and respect your professional oppinion FFF. Clearly your pics show the results of salt on reels.

I can only off MY experience as you have offered yours. I ALSO live in Florida. 10minutes from the coast. I fish inshore for reds and trout 3-6 times a month from a kayak. I ONLY use baitcasting bass tackle. My three main reels are hand me down shimano Bantum cu200s. I take these reels everytime I go. My back up reels are two Quantum accurists- one a pt and one a pts. They go on occasion. ( they're heavier and so don't go as much) .

I have fished these reels.... hard. ...in my kayak. .. for about 5 straight years now. And I have NO damage such as you show in your pics. And all I do is gently mist them when I get home and then every month or so I take them apart and service them lightly. Once a year or so they get tore down completely and get regreased and oiled...etc.

I have replaced ONE set of bearings in ONE shimano in that time. My Quantum pts had TWO sets replaced but it went for a swim and I waited about a week to clean it. ( stupid me) .

I do not baby these reels and since the shimanos were hand me downs and the quantums I got on clearence when they were phased out- I have very little financial guilt placed on them. At this point. ... I'd be mostly upset if something happened to them because those old green shimanos are going for like $70.

These aren't miracle reels. I don't even honestly service them well. .. or on a tight schedule. And yet, here they are. Working every weekend.

There is no doubt that salt will always win. Always. There's nothing you can do about it. I've lost cheaper reels to corrosion. A buddy of mine constantly buys $30-40 spinning reels because he just will not take care of them and they last about 2 months.

But there is some middle ground. Inshore guides do NOT completely strip their reels down every night and then use them the next day .....to do all over again the next night. Trust that.