Force outboards

[Adofish]

Does anybody out there have any comments either good or bad regarding Force outboards. Thinking of buying a used boat with a Force 120 and I am a little skeptical. Thanks!

[Gundog]

I had one on a Bayliner Trophy I ran for 9 years. I bought it new in 95 it ran good for me. They are very simple motors mine tended to be a little cold blooded until it warmed up. I did simple maintenance on it and no problems I am not sure how many hours it had on it, I did not have an hour meter.
Mike

[Lured In]

From what I understand, Force has traded hands at least a few times over the last couple of decades.

I am not sure who the current owner is (used to be Merc), but looking into who was overseeing the manufacturing during the year yours was made would be a good start.

My dad had an 86 that ran well for a while(10 years), but eventually gave up the ghost. Another friend had one (made by Merc) that was running well when he sold it after 5 years. And still another friend had one he bought used, and other than being a little neglected, didn't seem too bad.

Not sure if that helps, but that's what I know. :crazy: :wink:

[NorthRiverRick]

Adofish,

Depending on the year, you may be making a BIG MISTAKE!
Force was Chrysler in the 80's before becoming part of Brunswick (Mercury). In the late 80's Brunswick started using some Merc components on the motors to save money, BIG problems resulted in a never ending stream of reliability issues.

I had a '90 150HP... 3 recalls, and one powerhead later, I had to sell the entire boat to get out from under the motor that would have cost me $9K to replace. The motor had me in the shop more than 12 months out of the 24 that I owned it, but only during the months that I was planning to use it. First question everyone asked when I had the boat for sale was "Is it a Force motor?" When I said yes, at least 75% of the conversations ended right there. Everyone knew of their reputation back then.

Since later motors are, I assume, all Mercury components (Merc's low-end line) they may be OK. Gundog had good results...

If you're not sure, be very careful. Price the cost of a repower, just in case. Find an independent mechanic (not a dealer) that is willing to do service on a Force and ask their opinion of the model and year. There used to be a certified Force mechanic out by 82nd and, I think, Halsey, he was good, but that was a long time ago.

My name is Rick Cummings and I approve of this message.

[goodkarma]

I've never known a force that ran well and the one's I've been around have always needed more servicing than most motors. I have stayed away from them, but was once tempted due to a great deal on a Trophy but I finally passed on the deal. When the dealer asked me why I didn't want it, I pointed out that it had a Force on it. He just smiled and said "I don't blame you". Just my .02, maybe others have had good experiences.

[As yet un-named]

Adofish,
I've got a '97 Force 120. The original Force outboards (chrysler)had crummy lower units and weak connecting rods. Mercury switched over to their own lower unit in I think '95. At that time they also re-engineered the con-rods to make them stronger. I've owned mine for 3 1/2 yrs. Only problems I've had are that the rectifier/regulator burned up (my own fault for hooking the battery up backwards once) and I replaced the impeller and thermostat last spring as I was having some low rpm cooling problems. As for my impressions of the motor overall.... The only thing I don't like about my boat is the motor. I have to qualify that though.... The motor runs like a top, and with the cost of a new 120-130 hp o/b, I'll run this sucker 'til the day it dies. My dislikes are twofold. First, what other modern 120hp o/b do you have to premix your damn gas. That's a huge annoyance at the gas station. Second (I've been told both ways on this) I've been told that the Force o/b's measure HP at the flywheel whereas all others after some date measure it at the prop shaft. That would equate my 120hp Force to a 90hp anything else. I don't think that's exactly right, but I do have buddies with similar boats with 115's that can outrun me by about 3 to 5 miles per hour. They also burn about 60% of the fuel I do. OH... Almost forgot the smoke factor. When I fire this baby up for the first time of the day, everyone else at the ramp thinks I've blown an engine or something. It really smokes. I've thought about switching to synthetic and reducing my oil ratio, but the poor fuel economy doesnt' seem to justify the added expense of sythetic 2 stroke oil. If you have any other specific questions feel free to PM me. I do all my own maintenance. It is a very easy motor to work on once you decipher the manual.

ML

[Gundog]

As yet un-named,
Exacttly my experiance with everything but the rectifier well said. :applause:
Mike

[Adofish]

Thank you for the responses. :cheers: Your comments are inline with others I have heard. Gonna pass on the boat.