The DNG brand has been through a few changes over those years, but today this is in the hands of the Slippurinn shipyard, which is where the new DNG reels have been developed – a process that the yard’s Hilmar Guðmundsson explained was already in hand, but which was given added urgency during the Covid pandemic when gaps appeared in the usual lines of supply and some essential components could no longer be sourced.
The C6000i reel that has seen use around the world was launched in 1995, and right up to 2022, it saw only a few minor changes.
“These reels were so far ahead of their time in the 1990s that it’s only now that technology is catching up with them. It’s because they were so advanced back then that these have been difficult to update.”
He commented that when they encountered problems in sourcing components for the C6000i reels, the decision was taken to accelerate the development of the new generation, and the result is the R1.
“This is only the second time since the 1980s that there’s a new model,” he said.
There’s no doubt about the new reel’s parentage, with the size and weight similar to the older reels, and the look is very close – although there are some modifications, including a colour screen and a black background chosen to minimise glare.
But there’s a lot inside the casing that’s new. All of the familiar settings from the C6000 reels are there, but these have been augmented with a range of new settings options. While the old reels weren’t noisy, the R1 reels are virtually silent in operation.
A key addition is that the reels are now equipped with Wi-Fi, and as they can communicate with each other, the user has the option of synchronising the reels to work together. A further option is the Reelmaster software that can be run from the wheelhouse to manage the reels on board, and this has proved popular with boats jigging for mackerel, often with a complex array of jigs, strippers and chutes that all need to work in concert when the fish are there. For the mackerel jiggers, the Reelmaster management system allows skippers to programme depth, speed and jigging characteristics, and co-ordinate the reels without having to step onto the deck.
Guðmundsson commented that while the C6000i reels set a record in remaining unchanged for almost three decades, it won’t be another 25 years before the next update comes along.
“There are a few years to go. We have very strong development teams for both mechanics and software, and we’re already working in this.” he said, and added that when the new R1 reels were launched, there was a rumour that servicing for the older reels would no longer be available.
“That’s not the case at all. In Iceland we’re taking the C6000 reels in part exchange for the new R1 reels, and part of the reason for this is that it allows us to build up a bank of spare parts for the older reels that fishermen want to continue using. So, we’ll continue to service these as long as we have spare parts.”
