CLE Blowout Questions

[xb03fs]

How bad are they on a xb2003

According to the Redbook the limit stock is 9-91 mph, some have cautioned as low as 80 which is worse than a stock 2.5 case.

Thought I did the right thing by gettting this instead of a regular 2.5 fishing lower for the same dollars becasue it at least had the low water pickups for better handling.

I don't plan on running anything bigger than the 26 XOT i got from TBuck until it is coned and skeg cut next winter.

Stock limiter is 6200 but is a soft limiter some say it will pull to 6800 or 6900 will I have anything to worry about if I stick with this prop and smaller till I can get the CLE worked??

How safe at this setup and what speeds should I expect?

 

[xb03fs]

Ordered a Bobs blow out ring for a little extra protection in the meantime, $30 will give a little more piece of mind until it can be done right

 

[Lotus 50]

Didn't Sam Baker race with a CLE? Is the CLE if left low enough?

 

[xb03fs]

From the redbook the below passage, I feel safe, a 26P Prop even at 6800 rpms shouldn't be more than 85 I don't think, unless these hydromotives are that badass, adding 1" for pitch, 27, 1.87, 8% slip and 6800 rpms is 85.....don't even know if it will turn 6800 as it is supposed to start going rich at 6200 rpms

CLE Gearcases are Mercury Marines

 

[Mr. Scary]

I've run stone stock CLEs over 100. I never raced with one though. I did race a drag motor with a SportMaster with only our skeg mods and that ran 115 without a problem. I also ran 118 with a 280 on a SuperSport with a SportMaster.

I always run them 1/2" below the pad to maybe 1/4" below the pad.

I had been told that a stock CLE would blow out at 92. I'm not sure where that came from...I never saw it happen. Keep in mind during a true "blow out", the prop loses bite, the bow drops and the boat will turn LEFT. For those times that we hear about Allison Hooks, typically what causes that is the engine is too high, the driver lets off too hard and the boat bow steers causing it to go RIGHT. Of course there are times that it's possible those directions switch, but I've done both plenty of times in my life and that's what happens 95% of the time.

If you put on the blowout ring and work the skeg like we work the SportMasters (leave the full length - don't cut like a 200, grind away the port side of the rear swept portion until it sweeps like the starboard side, and lightly file/sand the port front portion of the skeg), that should be fine for 100+ at the correct engine height.

 

[max200]

I have a cle with bobs cone and blowout ring on my 2002 I run 95+ without issues and it feels very secure. not my fastest case but good all around. the bobs blowout ring works well!

 

[bassracr]

you cant sit at a desk. and crunch numbers,to find out when and where your boat is going to blow out, it all looks good in theory but dont mean squat. not tryin to be a smart ***, but until you put a cone on that case,cut the skeg, put a torque tamer on , your boat will be a handful to drive,and will be like an arm wrestling match going down the lake. it will drive like crap ,at speed compared to how it would drive with the mods done. if you want to drive it like it is, keep it in under 80.. OR ..put your helmet on ,attach your kill switch and find out where it blows out,...so you know what NOT to do. i have had a cle on my boat for many years. stock.. (not for long) and modified for over 10 yrs. BIG difference.
if your scared of blowing out, do the mods or keep your speed down .

 

[RedAllison]

Aint the main problem with CLEs are the short length (front to back)? The laminar flow is the problem isn't it?


RA

 

[xb03fs]

I think it is the short lenght. But I have a relativley low speed application I think maybe 85 max.

Allison instructed me to call Glen at Renalds Marine and he said I am worried about nothing, as they have run stock cases over 90 but it is slower than a coned 200 or modified sporty Redbook as seen above says over 90 be cautous as well

 

[deadeye99]

I ran a cle with allison cut and torque tab for 9 years. I ran 93 with a pro max about .25 below the pad with no problems. I now run a stock sportmaster on a 280 even with the pad at 100. The cle is a little harder to drive but I don't think you have any worries unless your actually above the pad. Then things get a little dicey. Bob

 

[TBuck2003]

RA,
You are correct about length except for one thing, and that is aspect ratio. Which in simple terms means the length and the width of the object being pushed thru the water. With that in mind ANY object or gearcase has a point when the water flow by the unit wants to separate AWAY from it instead of clinging to it all the way back to the prop. The CLE is the same width as a sporty or 200 coned the difference being the length of it gives it a inferior aspect ratio. Through many years of nose cone research and testing, it was pretty amazing to see the tell tale signs of water flow (or lack there of) back to the prop. On stern drive applications because they run deep we could actually see the propeller burn on the case and the prop, which is the aereation of bubbles because of water separation. It looked like the prop and case had been shot with a shotgun with the marks left (little bb size indents) it would actually burn the paint off the unit!!!! With the addition of a nose cone it was gone immediately. Different set ups will determine what speed or brick wall a certain gearcase will blow out from bad water flow, in your case you should be fine in that speed range, to make certain I would run 1/4 to 1/2 lower than the ideal height with proper lower unit. Hope this helps,

TBuck

 

[The Cashew Kid]

Weren't cle cases originally designed to run on twin engine applications?

 

[TBuck2003]

Possibly for offshore Jeff, but for single engine I know Mod VP had a lot to do with the introduction of the CLE or Crescent leading edge. It was big time back then...

TBuck