Force outboards

[Mogi]

Looking for opinions on Force outboard motors. I did a search...some say the Chrysler years are junk and some say they took a dive when Merc started producing them. I'm asking because I've been walking circles around a boat with a 50hp Force on it and getting mixed reviews on what kind of lemmon it might be.

[bottomfeeder]

   My opinion, look for a different motor. I had a 50hp. force hard to get parts.

[rgfixit]

After 3 years of struggling with a 5 year old force motor, I gave it away and bought an OMC. That was in 1984. Let's just say it was a lesson learned.

RG

[Mogi]

Thats what I was afraid of. Thanks guys. I appreciate the info

[Huck Finn]

Force motor were a short lived production and aren't made anymore, that should tell you something.

Most of the talk I've heard about Force motors has been bad, but I have a friend that swears by the 70 hp. he used to have.

Parts are still plentiful on ebay.

Consider what ever the seller wants for that rig as buying the boat and trailer only with the motor thrown in for free, that motor is probably the main reason the boat is being sold.

You can use the unpopularity of the motor as a bargaining tool when talking about the price of the boat with the seller, and if you wait another couple of months the price will get a lot cheaper I'm sure... and I doubt the boat will be sold between now and then.

[Mogi]

The boat has been sitting for a while. Its a 1988 Superhawk Blue Fin. They are asking $3200. The boat itself is in pretty good shape. I need to get Mrs' Mogi on board before I start talking turkey with them though. Hopefully the longer it sits the more motivated the seller will be.

[Cornbread]

I unfortunately know a ton about Force motors. The higher you get above 9.9hp the worse they get. I wouldn't touch a 50hp Force for twice that much money but I would totally buy that boat, and motor and use how bad they are to get the price lowered a lot. Then once you have it, part it out on eBay to make your purchase even lower. The worst thing about Force motors is getting parts for them. They are sort of the Geo of the outboard world, they run but they are cheaply made so the parts go bad faster than a regular motor and then you play holy heck trying to replace them. They are also under powered for what they say they are rated at, this seems to stem from how sloppy the tolerances are in them and how fast the parts wear out. E.g. getting full rated compression from a Force with any age in all cylinders is a miracle.

I have a 9hp that was made in 94 or 96 and I am the second owner and I have managed to keep it running by sheer willpower and the fact I am super cheap and too stubborn to let it die but someday something is going to go on it that I can't fix, but it only cost me $30 so I won't feel bad. If you don't like tinkering with engines a lot then just buy the boat knowing you are going to replace the motor but use the parts sales from the motor to help off set your costs. Save yourself a lot of pain and do not try and make the Force the engine for that setup in your plans for the boat after you buy it.

[rondog]

Go to NADA boat prices and you will get some idea of what the rig is worth,I couldn't find Blue fin but did look at aluma craft of the same year,the boat is worth $700 to $800 the trailer is worth about $300.  The motors not worth much as you've found out already.
I just picked up a 89 Starcraft 18' with a 70 Hp merc and trailer all in great shape,The guy was asking $4,000 the book had it around $1,600. That's what paid

[Mogi]

Go to NADA boat prices and you will get some idea of what the rig is worth,I couldn't find Blue fin but did look at aluma craft of the same year,the boat is worth $700 to $800 the trailer is worth about $300.  The motors not worth much as you've found out already.
I just picked up a 89 Starcraft 18' with a 70 Hp merc and trailer all in great shape,The guy was asking $4,000 the book had it around $1,600. That's what paid

I did like you said. 1988 Blue Fin w/ a 50hp books at $1,195.00.

[Cornbread]

I did like you said. 1988 Blue Fin w/ a 50hp books at $1,195.00.

Offer him $1,000 even because it is a Force 50hp and show him the book value and dicker from there. You never know he could be willing to listen to reason and you could end up getting a good deal out of it. The worst he can do is say no to your offer and you don't get fleeced on a boat price. What he is asking for it now is way to much but he may not want to listen unless you show him the booked values.

[burgerunh]

That boat and motor doesn't really look like anything too special to me.  At this time of year I wouldn't pay more than $1200 for that setup.  Even prime season its a $1500 setup.  The guys price is way high for a mediocre quality boat and a junk motor.

[Gary L]

I am a bit anal in that I check every day to see what boats are for sale in my local area. I don't know why and I already have two good boats but I still look.

Two things pop out at me every single day. Bayliner boats and Force motors. I have heard it said many times that Bayliner boats are correctly named and should line the bottom of the bays! I have also seen that many buyers with short wallets tend to end up with a low end Bayliner and a Force motor on it. The local Marina here refuses to even touch the Force motors and claims they are worthless junk, I have never owned one. There does have to be some reason for these bad raps and it could be in the fact that a 50 HP Force sells for about half the price of a 50 HP OMC, MERC, or Yamaha.

If the boat and trailer are what you need and want then offer what you think they alone are worth and tell the guy he can keep the anchor Force. Just plan to buy a real motor and if you have the funds then go for a new OMC ETECH or a four stroke. You will not be sorry.

[erieangler]

i have a 198718 ft bayliner trophy with a  125 and 9.9 force motors never had a poblem with them am the second owner of this rig its run great just my 2cent   erieangler

[Yukon Steve]

I guess I was one of the lucky few! I bought a brand new Bayliner w/ a 125 Force in 1989  and was skeptical about buying it but ended up owning it for 15 years w/out any problem except for breaking the hydraulic line for the power trim. I sold it and still see it from time to time on the Saco river. Good luck in your search

[Skipper]

The only experiences I have with them are BAD.

I would only buy the boat at "assuming the motor is junk" prices.

It may just be me, but they sure don't push like the HP rating on the hood says.... a 50 feels like a 30....