Setter: Your repairman is correct. I fished with Okuma fly reels in saltwater for a few years because it was all I could afford. The steel reel seat was attached directly into the magnesium reel body by screws into a threaded hole without any insert. After a few uses corrosion enlarged the threaded holes and the reel seats fell off.. I learned on brand new reels to take out the screws and screw them back in with Loctite. Despite freshwater cleaning and soaking the spools in freshwater overnight after every use, the powder coated finish peeled off the reel exposing the corroded magnesium beneath the failed finish. I liked the price and the cork drag. Good thing parts are available because you are going to need them. You get what you pay for.
