GPSguru

I dont really do drawing's, but I will tske a still off a vid to demonstrate wot I mean.

No, not too tight, there is a knack to finger placement which sends the bobbin in the opposite direction.

Even tension will only be applied over length of knot IF ALL THE WRAPS are applied with equal tension. The PR bobbin makes a better job of the tension than could ever be applied by hand. As a time served transmission and cable balancing engineer, there is a formula for length of pull sleeve ( Chinese finger) given cable dia, and pull tonnage. This would be equally applicable to line dia vs BS.

The FG, PR, and Bimini (loop) are all based on the Chinese finger principle, i.e. the harder you pull, the tighter it gets. Also the load is spread through the whole length of the knot ( think cable pulling sleeve), so the longer the knot, the more the load is spread.

2 years ago, I tried to get the shimano from both a USA supplier and an Oz supplier. Both told me that they were not allowed by shimano to ship that product to the EU market. I guess that may have changed.

I only splice when using hollow core braid.

No, you can use the PR knot on light lines, just reduce the bobbin clutch tension. The PR knot is essentially a very tight FG with many more turns. the bobbin keeps the line tight to the knot as it releases line through the clutch. A properly tied PR is very streamlined and deffo 100% of the line strength. I use it mainly on my SPG gear. Tying 20lb braid to a 20lb FC leader, but I also use it on the shark rods for tying 80lb braid to the 80lb co polymer top shot.

You can get a PR bobbin from Terry at Jigabite for less than £30. Mine is a trabucco from Italy and cost me £44. I am pretty sure the Shimano is not available in the UK.

The charter special from new has about 30lb of not very smooth drag that gets hot pretty quickly, however if you change the drag washer to Carbontex and use Cal's drag grease, you can get about 35lb of silky smooth drag.

Use a PR knot, same as the FG but heaps quicker and and much neater finish. However, you will need a bobbin tool. The PR is 100%, but if you want a snag to break at the leader knot then use a Yucatan knot which is 90% if tied correctly.

In their day they were good enough, especially for Conger. I have measured the drag on my Fin - nor MA2011 reels and one gives 42lb and the 46lb, although I won't be using max drag on Blues and Porgies as I like them to be tired before they come to the boat, otherwise they tend to go ballistic when unhooking. No, I won't touch Penn gear, and TBH I am tending to give Shimano a miss at the moment.

Alan (my mate with the Offshore 25) used to be very much into Penn gear, but when on his boat I have seen a few Penn boat rods snap, and also a few Penn multi's lock up, but I have to agree that most folk highly rate the Penn FS reels. However, the really old Penn Multi's, like the Senator 6/0, were absolutely bombproof and there are still a good few in use today, and can command a high S/H price.

That is really a Carp Reel, does it also make the coffee that it grinds ?

Yes, it came from boats.net, and Suzook12 has kindly placed the link. The opti is actually a very good engine, and when running properly is also very reliable. The oil injection system is somewhat complex, put generally apart from the 'oil level' issue, give very little problems. The opti always had a reputation regarding the oil injection, as some used to just sip oil and others used to drink oil, but there seemed to be no reason for the difference and the usage and performance was similar. If you get the opportunity, it maybe wise, to have a marine grease monkey who is very familiar with the opti to take a look at it, as some of the fault symptoms and codes are not what they seem (a bit like cars). There are several thread on the USA site 'Hull Truth' that relate to your issues, but be warned, Hull Truth can be quite toxic at times, but equally a good source of info from a good number of folk that know what they are talking about.

Yes, no problem, I will hopefully sort it out later this evening.

I only carry one box now, on the port side, and toward the transom. We only ever used one as a dry box, so the second was a waste of space. In the dry box, I carry mainly a few emergency tools, like short bolt cutters, a tool roll of spanners, screwdrivers, etc. Also, a box of fuses and electrical tape. All the stuff you hope you never need ! No, I don't carry flares, IMHO they are a liability on a small boat. I carry a PLB with a homing beacon on my LJ, and the boat has AIS and a Epirb.

Yes, mine is a pole mounted LED light mounted in the top centre of the A frame on the stern.

You can ( and a lot of users do) epoxy the magnet back onto the float. Not all the opti’s have the float switch, but a wiring fault gives the same alarm. Is your tank like this ?

If the oil alarm is activated, the optimax goes into limp mode, which means it wont rev. Do you have an engine tank as well as a main tank, if yes, the you have to prime and bleed the engine tank. Just take the lid off and run the engine until the tank fills, then refit the cap.

No, but the white 360 degree light does. The orange anchor A3 buoy is just a good visual the show the warp, and would probably be taken into favourable consideration if there was a MAIB incident investigation.

Single speed or 2 speed ? TBH, I don't rate the Penn reels when compared to a Fin-nor. Penn reels always seem just a bit clunky, and most have bearing issues within 12 months of use. On all my Fin nor reels (mostly 12's, but also 2 x 16's and 2 x 2011) I remove the secondary anti slip pawl and also the brake sleeves. The 2011's are set to 40Lb Max drag (20lb Strike) and the sprag bearing (one way bearing) has never slipped.

I rarely use the black ball, but ALWAYS display an all-around white light, and a bright orange anchor buoy.

You need to get on the boat and do the 20 mile trip to the skerries ! There are some decent Plaice being caught at the moment. I have decided that even on the school run days, I am still going to the skerries, but leaving polly steps at first light, to get back in time and to get some decent fishing time in. It is only a 40 - 45 min steam.

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I sincerely hope that @JonC doesn't fall overboard, the muppet might get eaten 🤣