Brett's_daddy Posted April 17, 2016 Posted April 17, 2016 I've found a really nice 1997 Fisher 16ft. v-hull boat with what looks like a very clean Force 40hp motor...it says "Force made by Mercury" right on it. It looks newer so I'm going to assume it's the same year as the boat, a 97'. This was on the side of the road...looks like an older man owns it. I've heard Force motors are junk but there seems to be a lot of boats out there with them on so I just wondered if it's a myth or factual how bad they supposedly are?
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted April 17, 2016 Global Moderator Posted April 17, 2016 Yes, I've never met a person who was happy with theirs. 4
Super User S Hovanec Posted April 17, 2016 Super User Posted April 17, 2016 Most of the ones I've seen either had the cowl off or were being towed back to the ramp. May the Force be with you, not behind you! 4
Super User Way2slow Posted April 17, 2016 Super User Posted April 17, 2016 Force motors came to be when they were made under the Chrysler brand name. A low technology low cost motor made to sell cheaper than the name brand motors of the time. Guess you could call them an American made motor, that could have easily been built by the Chinese. Brunswick bought them out when they were having troubles and rebranded them Force by Mercury (doing that, they made it look like you were getting Mercury quality, but was a long way from it) so they could have a bottom line, cheap motor to put on boats manufactures could install on cheap boats like the Bayliner's, and entry level boats like the BPS sells. They never did much to improve technology or quality so if you get one of the few good ones that come off the line, you're lucky, the bulk of them are problematic. They also have about the lowest performance and fuel economy of any motor on the market. 1
shaggydog Posted April 17, 2016 Posted April 17, 2016 I ran a 75hp for three years, not one problem. You will run into snobs that think its junk. My attitude is if it was gonna fail it would have. Also I know the guy is still running my old motor.
Super User Further North Posted April 17, 2016 Super User Posted April 17, 2016 19 minutes ago, shaggydog said: My attitude is if it was gonna fail it would have. There's a lot of truth to this. Most of the "bad" out there with well deserved reputations are already junk.
RFSims Posted April 17, 2016 Posted April 17, 2016 Chrysler outboards owned Bayliner boats, which Mercury bought for the boats and the motors came along with the deal. Mercury replaced the Chrysler lower units with their own which are thru prop exhaust and electronic ignitions, Chryslers were not and rebadged the engines as Force. They were a lower price alternative. The motors weren't bad and I had several friends. As a matter of fact the first outboard I bought was a new 1973 20HP Chrysler and was a great motor. My dad had a 1974 45HP Chrysler on a stick steer 14' GM aluminum and he fished over 200 days a year and skied my sons for 14 years and never even changed the water pump. I owned a 105HP on a '77 Ranger 175 and was a good motor. My dad's best buddy and camping partner had a 150HP 5 cylinder force and fished over 200 days a year. The people I know who knock Chrysler/Force never owned one.
RUSS9999 Posted April 17, 2016 Posted April 17, 2016 I back in the ninety's from 1992 to about 2001 I worked evenings for a boat dealer. There was a lot of Force motors on the lake then. Most of them was what keep the shop working over time. When they where running a 35hp Mercury would run off and leave a 50hp Force even if the Mercury was on a little heaver boat. The lake cop had a Force on their boat and most of the time you never seen him because the Force was being worked on. 2
Super User slonezp Posted April 17, 2016 Super User Posted April 17, 2016 I had one blow on a Bayliner during break in. As far as I know parts are NOT available for these motors
Super User Way2slow Posted April 18, 2016 Super User Posted April 18, 2016 shaggydog, just want you to know, I've never considered myself a snob and don't really appreciate being called one. To keep from getting to ugly, I'll just leave it at that. 2
Super User WIGuide Posted April 18, 2016 Super User Posted April 18, 2016 They have a very well proven poor track record. They were very underpowered for their ratings. Legally they have to be within 10% +/- of their advertised hp and most manufactures run close to the line on the high side. Force on the other hand ran close and even over the line on the low side. You couldn't pay me to take one off your hands. There's a reason they don't make them anymore. If you were luck enough to get a good and it's still running, it might be ok, but it won't be worth what any other comparable motor would be. 2
Super User J Francho Posted April 18, 2016 Super User Posted April 18, 2016 I'd say the biggest problem is locating NOS parts, or even scavenging off old, broken motors for parts should something go wrong. 2
mhtranger Posted April 18, 2016 Posted April 18, 2016 I have a 97 fisher bass boat with a Force 90hp and I am the second owner. Not to jinx myself this motor has been trouble free for me and previous owner. I do get laughed at because it says Force but it is technically a Mercury. As far as parts the only thing I have needed is the impeller and those are readily available through any good Merc dealer.
thomas15 Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 If you want hours of care free family recreation on the water then consider something other than a Force. Stick with basic no frills well cared for power. Mercury, JonnyRude, Honda. On the other hand if you want a project motor there are plenty to choose from low cost even.
GetJigginWithIt Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 Way2Slow is very knowledgable person on these boards for motors and boats. He is always helpful and has so many tricks up his sleeve I have learned quite a bit from reading what he posts. I saw nothing in his posts that make him look snobish. Because someone does not like your brand of motor does not mean you should get upset. Force motors have a proven track record of problems. History dictates this. I am happy you have one that runs good. You are a lucky one. 5
Brett's_daddy Posted April 19, 2016 Author Posted April 19, 2016 I spoke to a local dealer as I'd like to take this boat over to have them check it out before I make a decision. I told him about the Force motor and he said that it sounds like one of the "newer" Force motors made in the mid-late 90's and especially since it says Made by Mercury on it which he said means it basically is a Mercury 2-stroke motor so would be one of the "good" Force motors.
RUSS9999 Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 Bass Pro sold a lot of boats with the Mercury- Force motors and they where a lot better then the old Force motors.
kjfishman Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 I had a Force 15 hp on a early or mid 80's Spectrum deep V for 15 years and never had a single problem. Spectrum was another brand that was bad mouthed and I never even had any leaky rivets on the old boat. No brand is perfect and sometimes if you pay more you get more other times all you do is pay more. I have a 2001 Fisher Hawk 165 Deep V with a 2002 50 HP Mercury and it has been trouble free and after a day of fishing not a drop of water comes out of the hull after pulling the drain plug. s
Junk Fisherman Posted April 19, 2016 Posted April 19, 2016 My 9.9 from the 90s has been a reliable motor AND I have not been very good with maintenance. I only run it once or twice a year. 1
shaggydog Posted April 21, 2016 Posted April 21, 2016 On 4/19/2016 at 5:52 AM, GetJigginWithIt said: Way2Slow is very knowledgable person on these boards for motors and boats. He is always helpful and has so many tricks up his sleeve I have learned quite a bit from reading what he posts. I saw nothing in his posts that make him look snobish. Because someone does not like your brand of motor does not mean you should get upset. Force motors have a proven track record of problems. History dictates this. I am happy you have one that runs good. You are a lucky one. GJW, I never said anything about W2S, I never said force was "my" brand. I don't care what you think. You should mind your own business and W2S should quit acting like hes insulted.
Timmylee Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Thinking of purchasing an 87 Bayliner with what the seller listed as a 125 2 stroke mercruiser out board. Zooming in on the pictures the motor does say Force. Does anyone know if this is the “bad” or “good” force? This is my 1st boat so forgive me if I don’t really know anything about it. Just looking for some good old reliable advice weather to stay away or go ahead and make the purchase.
Hower08 Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 We had a force. Was nothing but an anchor and I question if it would have even done that well to be honest.
Guitarfish Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Had a 1996 Spectrum 19' with a 115hp Force I bought used. Never leaked, never in the shop. I guess I'm one of two of the luckiest suckers ever. I did replace the deck ply and carpet. I thought it was a great lake and bay boat. It rode nice too. 2
Shimano_1 Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Surprised someone hasn't already shut this down. Seen em shut down for a lot less than this. Dude asked an honest question and has been given honest answers. Apparently force motors have a bad rap. If you have a good one awesome. I personally would steer clear simply based on history and so many "better" options 1 1
Super User Log Catcher Posted August 4, 2020 Super User Posted August 4, 2020 I would avoid anything that has a Force motor on it. I had a 1998 40HP motor on my boat. Blew a cylinder in it in 2002. Before that I had to replace tilt and trim solenoids in several times where they went bad from the vibrations in that motor. I replaced it with a 2003 Merc and have not had any problems at all with it. Parts would also be very hard to come by now since they have been out of production for several years.
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