tlapinski,
A Penn Z reel was used for this purpose before any sealed drag system reels came along. The original wetsuiters used these reels with the Ht-100 drag washers and never had a problem. If you open up a Penn conventional drag stack or Newell,you will see they are larger than the majority of spinner drag stacks and that's why the boat fisherman use them, because of their superior drag systems. I am sure the Avet is a well designed reel. I wish you the best with your Avet.
Good Luck,
Steve
Threaded Mode