Force motors

  • bonecarl
    Rochester,MN
    Posts: 56
    #1261537

    Just looking at buying a boat with a 50 horse force on it. ive heard they are discontinued, dont know for sure but thought id check on here seeing as knowledge isnt hard to come by on here. hes including the same motor for parts. im very grateful any feedback . also thinking about testing it out this weekend at everts….. CAN NOT WAIT TO GET ON THE WATER.

    kris_brantner
    My river
    Posts: 1678
    #746961

    my buddy has a 120 force on his nitro. he has had it for a few years and loves it. its 97 and i think he bought it in 04. they are made by merc i believe

    steveo
    W Central Sconnie
    Posts: 4102
    #746974

    my Dad had a 50 Force on the back of a Bayliner Capri. must have been an early nineties model, maybe older. lots of troubles with it. i would pay someone to go over the engine before purchasing. mostly lower unit problems

    phishirman
    Madison, WI
    Posts: 1090
    #746981

    I think I would have to pass up anything with a Force on it unless you can afford to repower it if it hatches. They’ve been discontinued for 10 years now and i would imagine it could be pretty tough to find parts or even someone to work on the thing.

    justinwitmer
    Posts: 124
    #746983

    I have a 90 Bayliner with the 50 hp Force And really have had no problems with it. Put a water pump in last year and had no problems finding parts. The motor starts better than any other motor I have had, Merc Johnson Evinrude, however a friend who was a mechanic at a dealership for years told me they were junk. Make me think like most things, Autos, 4 wheelers, ect. there is good and bad to anything.

    Randy Wieland
    Lebanon. WI
    Posts: 13407
    #746986

    Doesn’t FORCE stand for Forgotten Old Rebuilt Chrysler Engine

    A buddy of mine had one on a Bayliner he had for tubing and putting around with. Had so many carb problems, he got fed up and sold the entire rig. Persoanlly, like everything else, I think if it was well maintained it might suit your needs. If not, sell it.

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22386
    #746988

    I have never owned a FORCE, but from what I could see, they were mainly put on alot of “Fun” boats…. and most everyone I knew of, who owned them were weekend warrior tubers and skiers, who did little to no maintenance on the things. Parked it and tarped it at summers end, drop it back in the water in the spring. Quite honestly, I don’t know alot of motors or lower units that will last long in our climate, treating an outboard like that. If it was taken care of, I would not be afraid of it. Especially if he has a donor engine to go with it, you have 1 of everything already

    big G

    jetdriver
    Hudson WI
    Posts: 491
    #746991

    I beleive the Force motor was a combination of two companies. Seems I remember mercury motor evinrude lower end. Had one on a pontoon. Nothing but trouble. Never heard anybody say anything good either.
    I personaly would not buy a boat with a force on it unless I was planning to replace it right away.

    AverageSportsman
    SE MN
    Posts: 178
    #746999

    I know quite a few people that had them, ALL of them had numerous problems including computers going out and engines blowing up. I would not touch one myself, there is a reason they do not make them anymore. Look for a reputable brand name and you will have more peace of mind and less troubles.

    tuffyboone
    Brooklyn Park, MN
    Posts: 21
    #747010

    I have owned two Force motors. The first was a 120 we put on a older bass boat and the second a 90 on a Nitro. The 120 my brother and I combined to own for 7-8 years and the 90 I owned for 6 years. Neither motor was ever in the shop other than preventative maintenance under our watch. Once Mercury took them over it was a Chrysler design with Mercury parts. Find out if it is pre or post Mercury and you will know if it is worth it. The Mercury lower units are great quality, but the older Chrysler Force motors had many issues.

    tomliver
    Almost North of 8
    Posts: 148
    #747060

    Never owned a Force or known someone who did but all I can say is that if it comes with a “parts motor” the previous owner has had problems with it and surely you will too.

    Brian Robinson
    central Neb
    Posts: 3914
    #747065

    Quote:


    I think I would have to pass up anything with a Force on it


    Yup.

    All the bad boat stories I have all have one thing in common: they all involve force motors. You couldn’t pay me to have one taking up space on my property.

    jerry b
    western WI
    Posts: 1506
    #747086

    I asked the same question to a dealer down in Iowa a couple years back. He said that the original motors were made by Chrysler and are still a good dependable motor. After Force sold out to (self edit here), the new owner cheapened up the motor to the point of unreliability. If this is the old original Force motor, I’d not have a problem buying one, but a newer version wouldn’t get a second look jerr

    Don Miller
    Onamia, MN
    Posts: 378
    #747098

    Last summer I helped my elderly neighbor sell his 17′ boat with a 70 hp Force motor. Purred like a kitten but buyers were turned off. So be advised the resale value of any unit with a Force motor is going to be very, very low. I was quite surprised at how little we got for a very clean boat. Some places will no longer work on them. The newest ones have the Mercury lower units and ignition components and would be a better deal come time to find parts.

    doubleshot
    Brooklyn Park, MN
    Posts: 277
    #747113

    I currently have a 70 hp Force on my boat. Its a 1994 I believe. I bought it used from someone I knew and there have not been any problems with the motor.
    I have owned it for 3 years now with no problems. Starts good, runs good, no problems.

    Mine says FORCE by Mercury Marine on the motor….for whatever that’s worth

    maurice
    Posts: 123
    #747114

    it is my understanding that the force motor horsepower was a powerhead rateing not prop which would make a 50 about 38hpat prop

    Chunk
    New Hampton, Iowa
    Posts: 206
    #747121

    Have a 40 horse mercury force and I bought it brand new in 1998. Have not put one penny into it. It starts right off the bat and purrs like a kitty!

    toothycritters
    Posts: 253
    #747127

    PASS!!! RUN AWAY!!! I’ve owned 2 Force outboards; a 50hp that was a dead dog! and an 85hp that I did alot of work to make it run decent. a friends brother had a 120hp for a couple of weeks until a piston escaped through the side on the Chip…

    walleye_wisdom
    Big Sky Country Helena, MT (Adel, IA home)
    Posts: 1160
    #747148

    I hate to say it, but i’ve heard the same thing most people are saying about Force, just a bunch of junk.

    I also heard that their HP was rated at the powerhead, not the prop, and there was a considerable amount of parasitic loss through the drivetrain.

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