1991 150 Force any good?

[whatsadixie]

Thinking about buying a boat with this motor and would like any input anyone has. (good or bad)

 

[what200]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I understand this to be a real oddball motor. Buy it if it is the right price. (BTW this would really be like a 125 if rated at the prop like mercury's).<br />If someone wanted me to buy the motor, I'd give no more than $500 if it was in good running condition.

 

[ewaltb]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Depends on the boat and the condition of the motor. I have a '93 120 Force. Has a few quirks here and there, but my boat was also abused before I bought it. If you take care of it, and give it regular maintenance it will last. <br />My 120 runs well and very smooth. <br />The only thing you might almost definitely have a problem with is the trim/tilt. Haven't heard a person yet who hasn't. My trim/tilt leaks down but still works fine. If you can stand that, you might want to consider it. <br />Make sure you take it for a test run before you buy it. Also, how long has the engine been sitting?

 

[ewaltb]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

P.S. What200 is right about the HP rating. Don't assume you will get the same performance as a similar boat with the same HP and different engine.<br />Just a heads up.

 

[whatsadixie]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

This motor is on a 26' bayliner rendezvous and has not been used in at least 2 years. So maybe I need to think a little harder about buying it?

 

[ewaltb]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

How much is the sale price? What condition is the boat? That might give you a preliminary idea of the engine condition.

 

[whatsadixie]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Boat has been sitting at a boat dealer for sometime and the seat are bad (to much sun) and the motor is hard to turn (steering grease is very dry on cable by motor, but looks like if you remove old grease and regrease it, it will be fine)<br /><br />PS just found the same boat for sale in TX ,same price 120 hp motor and it said it is in ex. con.<br />(road trip?)

 

[ewaltb]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I think any Force sitting for 2 years will be hard to start. <br />I have heard, not my opinion since I have never owned one, that Bayliners have there own problems too. Just a heads up.<br />How much is the boat?

 

[b.gagnon]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Not to start force bashing, but the 150 is by far the worst motor they ever made. And the idea that that motor is pushing a 26ft boat is just a disaster story waiting to happen. The force 120 seems be the only engine they made that will hold up well, and a friend of mine has never had a problem with his. But a 26ft boat with a force 120 (about 100prop hp) sounds like it would be severely underpowered. Do yourself a favor and stay away from force. There is good reason why they don’t make them anymore. As far as bayliners go they had some real bad years. And whether you have a good one or a bad one, there resale value is horrible.

 

[what200]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Sounds like a good one to stay away from. If the seats are faded then the boat probably has seen a fair share of the weather. Bayliners tend to seal the wood and fiberglass less well than others, so it is likely that rot will be a problem.<br />Don't know the weight of the boat either, but 1 200 or a couple of 115's sounds a lot more like appropriate power. Just keep in mind that the motor has a very low value, and you should thoroughly check the transom and floor for any rotting.

 

[Deerdog]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Hey b.gagnon,<br /><br />Do you own or have owned a 150 Force? Just curious

 

[whatsadixie]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

^bump^

 

[b.gagnon]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

No I have never owned one. But if you keep up with this board you will notice force 150's come up with major power head problems... Chrysler can't make a car that runs right so I don't know why they ever made outboards.............

 

[Jango]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

The Force 150 may be the Force with the most problems, BUT there are an awful lot of Mercury/Mariner problems on these message Boards!!! (More Than Force??)

 

[b.gagnon]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

Every motor company has its problems…But the fact is Force has more. You can take the best made force motor and put it up to the worst omc or merc and the quality difference is extremely obvious. You can’t tell me that a Force 150 will hold its ground next to any other brand. You could take a merc and pull a plug wire off and it will still beat a force. I don’t know if you people use your motors in salt water, but I do and the force motors is see out there seem to not like salt very much! I’m sure there are many people out there that are very happy with there force motors, and I’m glad that they have had good luck, but you can’t escape the simple fact that bad engineering and lack of quality control has made force no longer exist. The question of this forum was “is a 91 force any good” I think no, and I would not recommend to anyone buying a motor where the company no longer exists, parts for these motors are already getting tough to obtain. And there are more omc’s and mercs from the 50’s and 60’s still running than force ever made combined.

 

[Deerdog]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I thought so. I happen to own one and run the 150 on a 19 ft Arriva boat. I run it in fresh water. I also have two friends who have the same motor albeit a few years newer than mine. Mine is an 89. <br /><br />I bought the boat w/motor used in 1991 for a steal. In 1994 I did have to rebuild the top end and last summer I replaced a stator assy. Other than that - that was it, other than routine maintenance which I do religiously. My two friends have not had to do that much.<br /><br />As for performance it will do everything I ask of it. It will run right at 55 at 5600 rpm (and that was done with a GPS, and granted nothing in the boat but me) with a 21 pitch prop. Drop down to a 19 and it will pull two adult slaloms out of the water fine. it will pull one with no problems with the 21 pitch on it. I have also deep water started barefooters. The one good thing about the 5 cyl inline is it has great low end torque. The boat itself is a super ski platform b/c of the relatively flat wake it puts out.<br /><br />Where am I going. I guess it irks me when someone who doesnt own one, or has owned one, can make a comment like that (the worst motor force made). How would you know?????? I can say mine holds it own pretty well against mercs of equal hp. I have spoken to a guy who has the same boat as mine but with a 150 merc and he can do between 56 and 59 at top end.<br /><br />I will admit Forces do require a bit more TLC although some will say no more than any other make. What is interesting is that the biggest problem motors around our part of the lake are the 150 and 175 johhnyrudes (powerpacks) and 200 yammies (electronics). Our neighbor has a 175 evinrude and has had nothing but problems with it. I pulled him in twice last year. I also see alot of those piece of s---t Bayliners cruising around and having a ball. Oh, my Arriva was built by Bayliner also and looks like it did when new.<br /><br />I do keep up with this board and dont see all that many 150 Force problems period. At least not as much as other makes. Im not saying Force is the best motor made because it isnt. I think Merc and Yammies are neck and neck but that 140 Suzuki 4 stroke is really a nice motor. I rode in a boat with one over the 4th and was really impressed. Super quiet, good power and top end, and pretty good on fuel. I and my friends are happy with the 150's on our boats.<br /><br />I guess opinions are like a--holes - everyone has got one. <br /><br />Deerdog

 

[91formula]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I sure hear alot about force engines, I must have been the lucky 1, got a 92/120 force and yes it was hard starting, but thanks to Dhadley it starts better than new, 1-2 seconds, oh I did replace the impeller just recently (first time)I will be changing that out every 2 years from now on, and a new starter, it keeps running, mostly here I've learned about the maintenance aspect of keeping the motor like new, in 10 years I think I brought down 3 times, finally got start and just brought a new starter nothing rebuilt, on the other hand I've pulled in alot of boats, seemed like none had a force on them, but it really does happen to everyone,

 

[sfels]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I'll throw in my 2 cents, although as of today it's more like $10,000. I have a 1992 20ft. Trophy that came new with a Force 150. It has about 300 hours total on it. The motor has NEVER run right. Last year I had to replace the tilt/trim, and the exhaust manifold. One cylinder had always spent more time sucking water than burning fuel iot seems. After taking it out of winter storage, I ran it for about 4 hours total and it blew a piston. Today I ordered a brand new Mercury 150EFI.

 

[skeer]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

I have to put a couple of pennies in the pot as well....! I bought a 92 21' Bayliner (YES - BAYLINER!!) with a 150 Force on it 8 years ago for $11,500 (CA$). Yes, the engine has given me the odd starter hiccup and ,yes, I am in the middle of a power head rebuild at the moment but keep in mind that I also have about 1000 hrs of hard time on the engine. I am not sure of how many hours were on the setup before it came to me. It would also be noteworthy to remember that, dollar for dollar, this 'crappy' Force has given me every bit of service that I would have ever expected of it. Given that I have about 4-5K$ into the engine and a new Merc would cost me about 15K (CA$) I think it has performed well.<br />Not all of us have the big bucks to go out and get the latest, greatest, biggest engine on the market. We are just happy to have something reasonably dependable on the back of the boat. In 8 years I have only been towed in three times.... twice for gas and once for a busted engine. Given these stats I don't have a problem rebuilding my Force and hanging it back on my Bayliner for another 8 years!!<br /><br />And speaking of Bayliners, GET OFF IT!! I have never had a quality problem with my boat and I have never babied it. I have had her in 6 - 7 ft waves when all the others were running for shore because theirs wouldn't handle it. She puts out excellent performance day in and day out, hauls a **** of a load and looks great doing it. I sometimes wish I could afford the 30K (plus) for a new Mariah or such but then I give my head a shake and realize that my boat does EVERYTHING that I intended it for when I bought it. 10 years after her first 'getwet' she still turns heads. She may not be the most valuable boat on the water nor the classiest but I have no problem admitting that she's mine!<br />

 

[Sucker for punishment]

Re: 1991 150 Force any good?

WOW!, This reads like a great book.<br />My 2 cents or .50 cents US would be that I get inspired to live with the 50 hp Force that is on my 15.7 foot Maxum bowrider. I too cannot afford the 7 or 8 grand for a new motor and think I'll tough it out for a while. I just wanted to say at first when I asked about this motor here about 2 months ago...the feedback was mixed but leaned to the negative and I felt like I had an Edsel. Now after two months of tinkering on and off, I think I'll be ok with this motor as long as I take care of it. It has it's quirks but so do I and so far my wife hasn't asked to trade me in.