Which Lower?

[PaulO]

Looks like I'm buying a boat from an S&F member that needs a lower. It is a 92 merc 200 20" and I need to know what lowers fit on this and what the right ratio is. I read in the "lower units" for sale section and there is talk about 4 hole and 2 hole. No idea what holes they are talking about. I don't think I need a CLE or cone except for the fact that I want low water pickup. Any help on this so maybe I can get a good lower from someone here quickly?
Thanks,
PaulO

[Tampa Cat]

My understanding is the 200s came with 1.87 gears and 175s and 150s came with 2.00 gears and both may fit your motor.They say the cle is more durable than the regular one when jacked up.

[Tampa Cat]

Forgot to tell you ,the 2 hole 4 hole thing is the low water pickup.

[PaulO]

Thanks Tampa!

[viper15]

I have a CLE that came off my stream if your interested. call me 631 484 2526.

I have a stock case with a bobs cone partially installed. it was epoxied on but thats it if interested. Both are 20 inch.

[Fish]

the 2.4 litre and 2.5 litre LU's should fit and I think the 2.0 litre will bolt up too. look for a 1.87 with a 200hp as mentioned above.

The CLE (Crescent Leading Edge) was Merc's first attempt at a consumer hipo LU. They started with the 2 hole CLE (means 2 small water inlet holes on the front underside of the bullet tip ). Next came the 4 hole with 2 additional holes to add more water for cooling. Next came the sportmaster which is MUCH beefier. Internals are stronger, case is stronger... much stronger LU.

Common wisdom/opinion is that the 2 hole is faster than the 4 hole. both CLE's are supposedly faster than the sportmaster. I went to a sporty after breaking my CLE and have had no problems with it. The sporty was a little slower than the CLe for me, but I have yet to get it dialed in so I cannot say for sure from my own experience whether the common wisdon is true.

You can also take a standard LU and have a bob's cone, titus cone, or other aftermarket cone added to it and have a surface piercing LU for a lot less than a sportmaster or a CLE.

Running a LU on the surface at the RPM's a lot of folks on this site run can be tough on a LU. Also, pretty much the only thing keeping you straight in the water at speed is your skeg and if it breaks it can be a real bad thing. The LU takes a lot of torque at speed on the surface. Sporty's are the strongest inside and out, then the CLE's since both have hardened internals compared to the standard LU.

This is just the basics but should get you going in the right direction. Yammer, feel free to jump in here and add your expertise to my recreational opinion. :)

[yanny_haulinbass]

Some great info here on LU's. I have recently put a Bob's cone on my stock lower. Haven't had time to do any testing. Should a guy beef up the bearing carrier?