A PENN SEA GATE--------->RARE

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m3040c
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A PENN SEA GATE--------->RARE

Post by m3040c »

:shock:

OK, now everyone is going to say, "Whada ya mean, the Sea Gate is not rare !".

I will try a bit of Penn history about the Sea Gate. According to the catalogs, this model was introduced in 1941 as a 250 yard reel with Black side plates. It was made in 1941 and 1945 that way and discontinued from then on. In those years, the Sea Gate was basically a Penn Long Beach 60 with a wood knob handle, rather than the torpedo handle used on the Long Beach. It was a very popular model because it was priced a buck lower than the Long Beach and except for the handle knob and different clicker button, was the same reel. Generally, the 1941 model had a hexagon shaped clicker button and the 1945 model had a round clicker button. So, a black side plated Sea Gate is a relatively common old Penn reel but the Sea Gate had variations, I believe that the Sea Gate was available earlier than 1941 as a product Penn marketed to commercial Party Boats in very limited numbers and in the color of choice for the skippers that ordered them.

These old Party Boat reels were made different looking for a purpose. At the end of the day, the mates had to collect the rented tackle. Having a specially colored reel made it much easier to spot the rigs that had to be collected.

Unfortunately, most of these reel were used to death. Basically, when a reel is used everyday for saltwater fishing and not really cared for too carefully, its life span becomes very limited. The rented reels also got very beat up and banged around. Combine that with a extremely limited production and you have entered the world of "RARE", in any condition.

Which leads me to what I want to show today.

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Here is a recent find. It was a complete mess when I got it. I do not know why someone ever kept it, there is more brass showing than chrome. It spun like a knuckle buster. There was no anti-reverse at all. When I took it apart, I found that the teeth were halfway gone on the anti-reverse gear and the anti-reverse spring post, which is molded into the side plate, was broken off. I replaced the bridge and drilled a shallow hole in the inside of the side plate for a new post. That repaired the Head Plate but now I had to contend with the Tail Plate.

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The Tail Plate was in two pieces. Cracked right across the center. I knew it would never be like new and normally I would just have replaced it but in this crazy color, replacement was not a option. My local tackle shop had a two part epoxy mix that was rated as two ton epoxy, so I glued the tail plate with the epoxy and it held. After cleaning and reassembly, I now have the only crazy color Penn Sea Gate I have ever seen.

This tail plate has the cross hatched clicker button, which is a earlier version than a 1941 model. Also, this Sea Gate is a 300 yard reel, the Sea Gate was never offered in a 300 yard configuration. I believe this reel to be a 1930's Sea Gate, previous to its catalog introduction. How previous I do not know but it could easily date to 1938.

If there are any other members out there with different variations of the Sea Gate, I would love to see them.

The 1941 and 1945 Sea Gate came in the standard Penn black box with the yellow label of the era but I believe these early Sea Gates were put in plain white boxes with a different Sea Gate label.
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Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy
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Sea Gate

Post by Dick Braun,that-zebco-guy »

Nice job on the re-working of the reel! Great write up on the history. Thanks for sharing the info. Picture's sure helped as well. I think Rare is right on the money for this one.
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m3040c
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Post by m3040c »

Nice job on the re-working of the reel! Great write up on the history. Thanks for sharing the info. Picture's sure helped as well. I think Rare is right on the money for this one.
Thanks, this one took a couple of days to get right or at least as right as I could get it. I did not mention the color because I am color blind and I wanted to get a second opinion. I now have a second and third opinion that agree that the color of the reel is Mustard. Funny, I thought Mustard was a flavor rather than a color but I have been corrected. :)
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m3040c
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Post by m3040c »

I am back. Now that I have composed this Sea Gate history, I realize that I have made some mistakes. This is what happens to me when I depend on my memory. :oops:

Today I went back into the Penn catalogs and did some research on the Sea Gate. This model is offered in the 1941 and 45 catalog as a 250 yard reel. It is pictured next to the Long Beach and is identical to a Long Beach except for the spool. The difference between the Sea Gate and Long Beach in 1941 and 45 is the spool, not the handle! The Sea Gate has a plastic spool and the Long Beach has the chrome plated brass spool. Both reels have the Torpedo handle.

I went back to the 1940 catalog and found no Sea Gate model offered at all but going back one more catalog to 1939 changed things and made me realize why my memory played tricks on me. In the 1939 catalog, under the Long Beach picture listing is a footnote listing without a picture. It offers a new model named the Sea Gate in two sizes, a Model #125--250 yard reel and a Model #126--300 yard reel. It states the Sea Gate is exactly the same as a Long Beach but without the Torpedo handle.

So, the origins of the Sea Gate are 1939 as a non-Torpedo handle Long Beach in 2 sizes. This makes the reel I pictured correct in its 300 yard size and handle type according to the 1939 catalog but it still should be Black.

Now that I have refuted myself I believe I deserve a Vodka on the rocks. :bash:
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kingfisher
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Post by kingfisher »

Mike , great job on saving the rare coloured Sea Gate . It sure had a hard life. Just thought I could add something to your Sea Gate history lesson.

Regarding info on the boxes , the Bayheads had the white boxes but I have what must be the first year Sea Gate box and reel .
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The drawing shows the handle nut is a Hex and the knob is a pear shape of the 34-36 style . I don't believe the Sea Gate was ever made with the hex nut and this early handle shown on the label , considering it appeared first in 1939 . Price: $5.50 which is correct for 1939.

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The reel has the 250 yd. metal spool which is correct for the first year. The handle is NOT the torpedo shape ( This one is green ) shape is correct for this first year.

Image

The tail plate is plain ( no graphics) and has the waffle click button .
Last edited by kingfisher on Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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m3040c
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Post by m3040c »

Thanks Kingfisher,

Great reply and I stand corrected again. The box is black (not white, as I stated) with a white vintage label. This box label is a throw back for 1939, especially for a new model name. Going by the hex handle retaining screw and the round spool bearing, the picture on the box may be a picture of a 1934 Long Beach or not. It could also be relating to the fact that Penn was using up its old parts on a reel that was designed to sell to commercial fisherman. What is also curious is the head plate seems to have the main gear oil port, which was not used on early Penn. The box label is a complete conundrum, it does not make sense for 1939.
:shock: :?

Ray, why do you feel the Sea Gate first appeared in 1938 :?: I do not see it in the 1938 catalog.
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kingfisher
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Post by kingfisher »

Mike,

You are correct .The year should be 1939 not 1938 . I stuffed up. FIXED NOW.

Ray
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