I'm a right hand drive guy, so did not attempt the convert over to left hand during the season. Will get back to you on that. When I say the reel screams, what I mean is it is exactly like the old Hardy drags...sweetest sound on the water![8D] Very cool indeed. The Islander drag is louder on the retrieve than when a fish runs out line and that is something that is annoying. I want to hear the reel sing out on a big slab - there's almost nothing like it in the world short of nookie.[:0]
The North Coast is pretty much identical to an Islander MR-2, and requires similar cleaning and maintenance of the cork drag, which for me is to apply oil about every 10th day on the water and make sure other parts are clean and oiled. Takes about 5 minutes to complete and all you need is oil and a slotted screw driver.
I was very happy with the reel we test fished - and with this past season off shore it got a work out on some really large fish and performed well. On the first day of our Charlotte trip the North Coast was responsible for landing a 35 pound Chinook, and had a lot of interest from the lodge guides.
As Rob notes, the reel has been in development for years, and the team at Normark were totally committed to making sure we had the best product. They listened carefully to any suggestions and were never afraid to incorporate suggested changes prior to going to production.
We also had an opportunity to match up the North Coast Reel with the new medium action North Coast series mooching rod. This is a nice combination.
Searun