The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Ok where do we go from here ?
I am all for it, Any one have any ideas to move forward.

Well yes: I'm happy to make contact with Kingpin but before I do so I want at least 20 members to express a genuine interest and to indicate exactly how much they would be prepared to pay for such a reel. Also if they could indicate the specification they would want then we can see if there is enough interest to make it worthwhile making enquiries and if there is any chance that we could agree a specification.

Were all the above criteria met then either I or we collectively could run it as a Kickstarter. That means interested parties have to put up hard cash before the reels get made. It's the only realistic way to fund such a project. I suspect at that point all that would be available to make the decision to take part or not would be the CAD drawings. But essentially you'd get a new Speedia made to modern tolerances and finish with any changes that were decided collectively. I suspect the problem with doing this will be lack of real interest or the fact that a specification can't be agreed on. Folks like me will naturally say I want one but I'm only buying it if it meets the specification that I want.

Hi Beresford

I am not sure king pin would be the ideal manufactures to approch for such a reel ,given the fact that Kingpin reels retail for £300
It would make the project a non starter for me and a lot of others ?.

By all means research other manufacturers and get a cost. There are plenty of specialist CAD engineering companies who specialise in small runs of precision parts. They will either need drawings to cost against or a Speedia in their hands.

Maybe it is possible to rebuilt the SPEEDIA.Maybe it costs not so much how we are afraid of.
For me the main question is : will a replica have the feeling and the charisma of an old Speedia which has scratches,patina and a little bit dull coating,but turns brave round and round?
Is it possible the undescribable feeling and haptic of the old-alloyed iron to transplant in modern reel-components?
Maybe the buyer of the replica is disappointed,because it is NOT an original Speedia?
People are sometimes special ...
And angling people are often very special...


...but don't misunderstand me : every Speedia-Replica is much better than the most "Modern Centrepins"

Ronni

Beresford wrote:As solid arbour would be fine with me as it's an improvement and I'd be happy to go for wide or a middle width drum. Of course the obvious way to do this would be crowd funding using Kickstarter. From what I was told about the Barder pin I think we'd need to have a run of about 25 to make it viable.

So there's the question: who is interested enough commit and how much would they pay for such a reel?

The benefit of this over the Walker net parts project is that this is a final product and not just an incomplete kit of parts.

I am posting some previously posted pictures of a reel from an unknown maker, would this type of reel be very costly to produce, as it certainly looks great and runs beautifully!

Please add me to the 'interested' list.

Mark wrote:Personally I prefer a late 1950's original Speedia like the one I have, old reels with history.

I know what you mean, my Mitchell 300s remain resolutely unstripped and repainted. But one can understand the desire for the Speedia look and performance without the risks one runs in online auctions or car boot sales. Perhaps one of the options could be a "pre-distressed" model with assorted minor external scratches and wear marks in specially faded paint but in perfect working order, rather like the 'worn' jeans one can buy and akin to Flann O'Brien's idea of professional book-handling http://www.english.txstate.edu/cohen_p/ ... Brien.html.

Well you could have the option of having your reel non-annodised then you can apply the ageing chemicals as used by some makers, notably Witcher and Carter on their reels. For me the appeal of a new Speedia is that it eliminates the pitfalls of buying used. I don't need one – I have other pins but I'd still like one if it worked perfectly. Lea Dweller – I like the simplicity of that reel. It actually reminds me of the Barder reel. However there is no on/off for the rachet and one of the appeals of the Speedia design is the lever ratchet.

Beresford wrote:Well you could have the option of having your reel non-annodised then you can apply the ageing chemicals as used by some makers, notably Witcher and Carter on their reels. For me the appeal of a new Speedia is that it eliminates the pitfalls of buying used. I don't need one – I have other pins but I'd still like one if it worked perfectly. Lea Dweller – I like the simplicity of that reel. It actually reminds me of the Barder reel. However there is no on/off for the rachet and one of the appeals of the Speedia design is the lever ratchet.

There most definitely is an on/off ratchet, the button is clearly shown in the second picture. It is not I grant you a rim lever type but maybe that could be incorporated in a new design. It is similar to the Barder reel but I suspect a fraction of the cost?