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.
IDO » Forums » Fishing Forums » General Discussion Forum » Force motors
Force motors
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February 10, 2009 at 11:55 pm #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
February 11, 2009 at 12:35 am #746974my 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
February 11, 2009 at 12:58 am #746981I 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.
justinwitmerPosts: 124February 11, 2009 at 1:15 am #746983I 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.
February 11, 2009 at 1:24 am #746986Doesn’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.
February 11, 2009 at 1:28 am #746988I 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
February 11, 2009 at 1:31 am #746991I 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.February 11, 2009 at 1:48 am #746999I 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.
February 11, 2009 at 2:16 am #747010I 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.
February 11, 2009 at 5:01 am #747060Never 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.
February 11, 2009 at 6:33 am #747065Quote:
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.
February 11, 2009 at 1:54 pm #747086I 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
February 11, 2009 at 2:29 pm #747098Last 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.
February 11, 2009 at 3:04 pm #747113I 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
mauricePosts: 123February 11, 2009 at 3:08 pm #747114it is my understanding that the force motor horsepower was a powerhead rateing not prop which would make a 50 about 38hpat prop
February 11, 2009 at 3:22 pm #747121Have 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!
toothycrittersPosts: 253February 11, 2009 at 3:31 pm #747127PASS!!! 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…
February 11, 2009 at 4:06 pm #747148I 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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