Goose52

Sure. A box is just a box...............................until something becomes "collectible"...................then the box becomes $$$ ! How much of a premium? Who knows, but the more complete the package the better.

An excellent point made by Josh. This reel is an early 4-screw - most of the 5000 De Luxe reels that I saw on eBay were 3-screw models with the later counter-balanced handles. Early reels do tend to command a price premium from collectors. There is one 4-screw 5000 De Luxe on eBay right now with a BIN of $400 but it has considerable rash/wear. To the OP, if you're not familiar with the term, the 3- and 4-screw designations refer to the number of screws on the tailplate. In your photo below, note the 4 slotted screws. This feature was present on Ambassadeur 5000's until around 1967/68 (according to Shimomura). Reels made after that point had 3 screws and one locating pin. Also note on your reel the script Ambassadeur De Luxe marking - the later reels used block-type lettering. According to one source (Shimomura) the De Luxe reels were made from 1962 until 1973. Another source (Skupien) says 1963 to 1977. Regardless, your reel is from the early part of those time-spans so should command that price premium. So, when looking at eBay auctions, focus on those for the 4-screw model.

I recommend that before you rush to sell it, that you spend a couple months watching auctions on eBay to determine typical asking, and actual SALE prices of that reel. Just search on "Ambassadeur 5000 De Luxe". Right now, there are at least 6 of those reels for sale on eBay - with asking prices ranging from $299 for a reel with considerable rash...to a wildly optimistic asking price of nearly $1200 ! Take some time, find out what they really sell for, and then determine what price you think is fair for your reel.

WIGuide got it right. To the other folks, the OP doesn't seem to be interested in the "bass raider" type boats (square, mostly flat, with shallow gunwales)...but specifically in several models having more of a traditional boat-type hull like this image of the Sun Dolphin Pro 120 that he mentioned:

Ultralight spinning reel? Primary: Pflueger President - 20 size Backup: Shakespeare Sigma 025 (1980s vintage)

The last two digits "00" means the first basic design - no changes.

There were at least two versions of the "Prolite Special" - both were "special run" reels that had very little in common (other than the term "Prolite") with the earlier "Prolite Finesse." The Prolite Specials were offered for a short time, usually at sale prices, and were somewhat of a loss-leader to generate sales. They capitalized on the name "Prolite" but did not necessarily have the performance of the much-loved Prolite Finesse The Prolite Finesse came in three versions (PRL05H, PRL05B, PRL05C). The final version (PRL05C) is shown in the photo below. The REAL Prolite:

DVT x 4 ...

The one-year only (1962) Ambassadeur 2500 was about 7 ounces. BUT, the Ambassadeur 2500C that we have been discussing in this thread would weigh between 8.5 and 9.5 ounces depending on the installed handle, the frame material, and the finish on the sideplates (with the limited-edition models having chrome-plated sideplates being the heaviest). Here's a typical 2500C with the single-knob counterweighted handle: Here's another photo of what oldschoolbasser mentioned earlier in the thread - "finesse" fishing, 1970s style - Garcia Conolon "light-power" rod, Ambassadeur 1500C reel, and 1/6 oz. Roostertail. I fished it this morning and caught a little bass. Total weight - rod, reel, line, bait - 17.8 ounces. Not a problem, since I'm only 63 and not old enough yet where tackle weight is a big deal. After I worked down the bank with the above rig, I switched to another BC combo that weighs about 8.8 ounces all up (rod, reel, line) - almost exactly half of the 1970s rig. Did I have a problem adjusting to the weight difference? Nope...but I did have a problem adjusting from a push-button BC reel back to a clutch-bar BC reel...

Here they are! The one on the left is stock. The one on the right has ceramic-hybrid spool bearings and the drag upgrade. No full-boat Pixzilla upgrades for me - that's what my PX Type R is for. The next time these reels will be seen in public will probably be on eBay in a month or two...

I had the 6' ML Crankin' Stick from the earlier generation (the top rod in the photo). If the new model fishes the same, it will be perfect for what you want to use it for. Same with the Pixy; the market has softened on those and prices are way down on eBay. It is an outstanding reel for what it is but is getting outclassed by the latest generation of BFS reels and is a "dead-end" platform since it has a unique spool size no longer used by Daiwa. HOWEVER, it will work great for your purposes with perhaps only a drag upgrade that you might consider. I have two Pixies and was considering selling them and went on to eBay just the other day to check current pricing and was surprised at how low prices are now. It's the right time to be a Pixy buyer, less so to be a Pixy seller...

If you are talking about the "new" Lew's products...then they didn't start shipping product until October 2010. So, the oldest reels out there are just over 5 years old (like Bluebasser86's reel). True long-term durability may not have been proven yet. You will get reports from people about how many "seasons" they have used the reel...but unless they can quantify their use of the reel during those "seasons" (now many days on the water, how many hours, how many casts, whatever), you are not getting a very accurate report of the actual use of the reel. For instance, I can report that I have a Mitchell 408 spinning reel that is approaching it's 50th "season"...with no parts breakage and only minor cosmetic wear (pretty impressive huh - but it doesn't mean much unless I stated how often it had been used over those 50 years). Considering the first (new) Lew's reels were from the Doyo factory, and shared many common features and parts with certain BPS reels (in particular the Pro-Qualifier), you might want to read my long-term test of a PQ that revealed that two likely areas of wear on a Lew's having dual-braking with brass brake drums will be the brake drum and brake shoes, as well as wear to the frame under the clutch bar. Details are here: Lew's owners having reels similar in design to a PQ might want to examine their reels for this type of wear: Brake drum grooving: Brake shoe wear (worn on the left, new on the right): Frame wear (the grooving under the clutch bar at the red arrows): Keep in mind that the photos above were from a PQ that had been on the water approximately 1000 days (or more). If you only fish once a week then it might take you 15 or 20 years of service to see similar wear...

Well said indeed... The Pure Fishing corporate honchos may not be too hot on keeping the small Ambassadeurs going...but the Abu folks in Svangsta tried to give it a good go...culminating in what might be the ultimate factory-released model - the 2600C Elite released in 2009. Also, that 5.26 oz 2500C prototype discussed on pages 141 and 142 of the Small Ambassadeurs book would have been pretty nifty as well...

Hey Kirby - I know about that mileage...! It's fun playing with this old stuff. Many on the board wouldn't agree, but fishing is about much more than catching. It doesn't have to be about speed, maximizing yield, only using equipment optimized to the 'nth degree, "tourneys", etc. It should be about doing what is fun for you. Few would "get it" when I say that catching that 10" bass in the photo earlier in this thread was pretty rewarding (although, of course, a 4 pound fish would have been even more rewarding ). It started with buying a reel that probably hadn't been fished in 40 years or more, taking it apart, cleaning and lubing it, adding line, putting it on a rod, and fishing it. Having to unlearn all your muscle-memory for working a BC reel and learning how to deal with a reel that has no drag system and no anti-reverse. Then catching a fish with it. Hopefully, the next time I fish that reel I'll get some bigger fish, and perhaps get my "knuckles busted"! But for now, the effort that lead up to getting that 10" whopper was just as enjoyable, or perhaps more so, than just buying and using the "latest & greatest."

Yeah - and us Ambassadeur guys sorta tunneled off to the side...

Some are knucklebusters, some are hybrids: The 2000, 2050, and 2500 are knucklebusters - the handle spins on the cast. The 1750/1750A, 2600, and 2650 have a button on the center of the handle that you can press to disengage the handle during the cast for additional casting distance (although everything else is moving - spool, line guide, main & pinion gears). The reel with Simon's red-knob handle, and the reel mounted on the rod, are 2650s - you can see the button in the middle of the handle. Since the handle disengages on the cast, you can add a custom, heavier handle to the "button" reels. If you added a heavier handle to one of the knucklebusters, you'd rob yourself of about 1/2 of your casting distance. There's a reason why the early Abu handles were so tiny - they needed the lowest mass possible since the handle was part of the rotating mass during the cast !

Maybe I got them...if so, they're in good hands... There are just TOO many Ambassadeur models. I told myself that I was going to STRICTLY limit myself to the 1500/1600/2500/2600C lines. That's it. NO expansion of the collecting theme... ...Then I got into these - cute as all get out and an opportunity to fish knucklebusters while still staying in the "Ambassadeur" family and not having to go all the way back to the original Records. My goal is to fish every one of these and catch at least one bass with each. I've already started with one of the 2650's. And for the non-Ambassadeur folks reading this, the 2650, as well as the 2600 and 1750/1750A are interesting hybrids. They have no drag system or anti-reverse like a traditional knucklebuster...but they have a button that disengages the handle during the cast - improving casting distance. All of these reels also have centrifugal braking systems. Neat little reels... Yeah, I know, it's not very big...but it's a bass. That's all that hit that squarebill that day. At least I got the reel on the water for probably the first time in 40-50 years... I read the book cover-to-cover, over a period of two days. Had a hard time putting it down. I read every word except for the patent drawings. Don't forget to read the end notes as they're referenced in each chapter - LOTS of detail in the end notes.

The 150 Plus was a decontented version of the 1500 - produced in 1991. Beadblasted sideplates, plastic cast control cap (which Joel has on some of his custom reels), and plastic cover over the handle locking nut. If you haven't purchased it yet - you MUST purchase the book "Small Ambassadeurs - The Legendary Light-Line Fishing Reels". I've only been dabbling in the small Ambassadeurs for 3 or 4 years now so my acquired knowledge was meager compared to you guys. However, the book is simply an outstanding work that covers EVERYTHING that you would want to know about these reels. Who would have known there were more than 60 Abu-produced variants of these reels! I wrote a review of this book on Amazon.

I have one of Simon's production handles...but it's on a 2650 ! The only CDL stuff I have is the complete, factory, teal CDL from the 2012 run:

On the right-side reel - looks like you scored the grooved "Nostalgia" sideplates from the 1998/1999 production. It mostly looks like the factory Nostalgia reel except for the chrome frame and handle...

On my boat, I purposely kept the outriggers behind me. Having the outriggers behind you does two things: 1) it keeps everything that might foul your line behind you, leaving about a 200+ degree arc in front of you clear for casting, retrieving, and landing fish and 2) gives you the option to paddle...although the end of the paddle stroke is somewhat limited by the outriggers. As a result of this design, out of nearly 4,000 fish I've caught out of this boat, only two ended up fouled on anything, in both cases I was anchored and they wrapped around the anchor line. On your boat, due to the multiple seating positions, you might have to experiment with where to mount the outriggers giving consideration to which seat is the primary paddling position. In the event you need to mount the outriggers towards the middle of the boat, you will need to keep your rod extended out to the side of the boat enough to keep the line clear of the floats.

Ha - no motor or gyro in that stand ! To check it's weight-bearing capacity, I did "load-test" it by using it as a scooter around the garage for a while - I know it will take up to 170 pounds with no problem. Good thing too since I modified it last year to store two TMs plus the battery so it now has about 120 pounds on it... BONUS POINTS for wearing the PFD !!!!!!!!!

First, if you can, KEEP your yak - they are wonderful watercraft. THEN, if you can, get a bigger canoe for use either solo or tandem. The Discovery 133 has a tremendous beam (40"), but is heavy for it's length (13'3"), and would be REALLY cramped for two anglers. I would advise a full 14 ft as a minimum, with 15 ft better. Depending on what you want to spend, you can find 15' canoes that would weigh about the same as that 133. Whatever boat you get, you will have to decide if both anglers want to stand and fish. If that's the case, you will either have to get an even longer boat...or go with outriggers. It sounds like you are NOT considering motoring the boat? That makes a big difference in boat selection. I don't think us canoe guys are trying to change anyone's minds about their watercraft selections - we're just pointing out that there is a difference between a stripped down, basic "canoe and paddle"...and a fully-rigged boat.

To the OP - as you can see, everyone usually has some good reasons on why certain boats are good for them. Your mission is to figure out what works best for you. If you search through this forum you will find a number of threads that you might want to read to get even more opinions. As to your original post - you mention that you fish alone half the time. What about the other half - do you want a boat big enough for two anglers? If so, you will have to look at tandem kayaks or canoes of 14 ft. minimum. My boat is 11'6" and while it originally had two seats it would absolutely not accommodate two anglers. Regarding some of the above generalizations about canoes - as I posted before, there are canoes, and then there are CANOES. Generalizations often do not apply. Examples: Get on the water fast: My boat does take about 12 minutes to rig, from the time I pull up to the lake with the boat on the roof of the car until I push off. Not bad. Awkward to load and unload: My bare hull weighs 34 pounds - compare that to kayak weights. Not awkward for me. Transportability? No special roof rack needed, no lifting aid needed - I just pick it up, put it on the roof of the car,and strap it down . Now, I'm only 63 and someday when I get "old" I might have to get a special rack and a lifting aid - that will be a few years down the road hopefully. AND, I have enough clearance to drive into the garage and be ready to leave the next day - no unpacking/repacking: Room - especially standing room? I've got some: State of the art electronics? Well, I've got DI/SI sonar. I don't have 360 imaging but could rig it if I wanted it. What other electronics do I need? High winds? I just spent three days in a row on the lake with winds of 15-20 mph, gusts up to 30. Not fun, but doable. That's why I have a 55lb trolling motor... Standing capability: I literally stand all day, only sitting down to change baits, bring in fish, and eat lunch. I fished seated the first season that I used this boat and it drove me crazy. For the past 5 years it's been all standing. Not only standing, but standing while under power so I can cast and work an area while underway - especially handy when the fish are shallow and you're "beating the bank". In the photo below, I was under power, working down that shoreline. Why bother with a pimped out canoe - why not get a real boat: Well, as I pointed out in my earlier post, it's a matter of capability - not vessel type. The pimped out canoe does everything I need it to, without gasoline, a trailer, a consumed garage bay, maintenance, etc. How much boat does one need for lakes 200 acres or smaller. Storage? Along one sidewall of the garage and still have room for a vehicle in that bay: Rough water / heavy rain: I have to concede that. Kayaks are MUCH better in those situations - especially for white water or in the salt. However, in my case, where I live, heavy rain often means lightning as well and it's off the water for me in that case. If heavy rain is forecast, I don't go in the boat that day - I fish from the bank. On the occasions when I do get caught in heavy rain, I usually pull up to some shoreline cover, and bail the boat out as necessary. So, the above are some of the counterpoints to issues raised above that apply to my particular boat, rigging, and needs. AND, another benefit of having a lot of inboard room is that you don't have to handle fish like this in your LAP... As I said in my earlier post, some types of small watercraft (canoes, kayaks, bass raiders, float tubes, pontoons, inflatables, etc.) are perfect for some people. No one type of small watercraft is perfect for all people. AND, generalized statements often do not apply to all situations... Different "floats" for different folks... It's all good... (if some reading this think it sounds familiar - it's because much of it was in the February thread... )