I need serious information please !

[wraith661]

K I bought a 1989 bowrider 19.5 ft with a HP force l-drive I guess it is..what I need to know is how does this system work ? can anyone give me some specs? the guy said the motor had 20 hrs on it...all rebuilt and the leg was done..

Second question is how many do hours you get with these 2 cycle engines? are they dependable? is there something I should check on this system before it hits the water ?

I need a schematic of this system...Have I made a huge mistake? I would appreciate all info on this system...ty :confused:

 

[NYBo]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Welcome to iboats!

You have purchased a 1970 Capri Bowrider with the infamous Force L-Drive.

The good: It uses a standard 125 HP Force powerhead, for which parts are easily available, and which is reliable if taken care of properly.
The bad: The rest of the powertrain is unique to the L-Drive and hard, if not impossible, to find. Further, you cannot convert the boat to standard outboard or I/O power in any cost-effective way.

My advice would be to take very good care of the L-Drive (don't hit anything with the lower unit!!!). If possible, pick up any extra parts for the lower unit that you can find.

 

[wraith661]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

well its a 1989 lol and ya its all been done brand new motor,ujoints leg is there any maintenance to the l drive a guy should know ?

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

1970 is the model# of the boat.Those drives are hard to work on and harder to find parts.
It was only made for 2 years.Not the best setup.The motor can last for a LONG time the drive can too if it's properly maintained.Keep it greased and check the oil every couple of trips.Don't run it in salt water.
I had a pair of Forces with way over a thousand hours.J

 

[Cannondale]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

No matter where you live, OP, I'd contact this guy about buying his L-Drive lower unit. They don't come around very much.

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/boa/2194614686.html

 

[wraith661]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

right on Ill check into this...Im in B.C Canada that's great to hear..anyone know where I can get a maintenance book or diagrams for the l-drive?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

I'd sell it while it was still running.

 

[wraith661]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Im going to run this thing until it breaks ...well see..now its just a challenge..lol if it breaks ill go buy a new boat..a nice inboard with a cuddy still loking for someone that has one and knows the maintenance and what to look out for ..

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

ezmobee gave ya the best advice "sell it while it was still running"!!! When one pulls on the lot for service, I point em right back out on the road!!! They had shifting problems from day one and several updates on cables and bellows.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

you should keep your eyes open for a good used 24" jack plate..when the force goes out remove the L drive and attach the jack plate and get yourself a 150 evinrude or mercury or yammy. there is a guy near me been trying to sell a OMC C drive 21' boat for over a year..the boat and trailer are in great shape..but the cost to put a new jack plate , motor, steering are too much so no one wants it. usually you get what you pay for..i assume you got the boat because it was a good deal...now you know and knowing is half the battle.

 

[wraith661]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

So let me get this straight a guy brings his boat in to get serviced and you tell him to hit the road lol this must be because the l-drive is way to hard for you to understand or something...a new boat doesn't make you money, its the boats that need parts and extra shop time that make you money..if everyone had a new boat your mechanic would be unemployed...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

wraith, the reason mechanics don't like to work on stuff like an L-drive or an old OMC Stringer and things like that is not that they don't understand or know how to work on it, it's that they don't like having to tell a customer that they can't fix something (sometimes even a routine repair) due to not being able to find the parts. A mechanic isn't going to sit and scour ebay for parts for you. So they'd sooner just not even work on it. Owning an obsolete powerplant is pretty much a DIY affair. You asked in your first power if you'd made a mistake. Well yes buying an L-drive is a mistake. However, now that you have it, if you post your specific repair questions here (in a new thread that isn't titled OMG what have I done) you will receive knowledgeable responses on how to fix it. We were just letting you know that if you want to try to get any money back out of this boat, sell it now while it's running. After something breaks, it will essentially be worthless. Good luck and the guys here will help you if you decide to keep it and wrench on it.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

I concur with above post...and believe me the new motors keep the mechanics plenty busy. especially if they keep putting ethanol in our gas..guys who have old obsolete motors that you cannot get parts for usually freak out when you give them a $1800 repair bill for a boat they only paid $1200 for..there is just no money to be made working on old obsolete motors and it can give you a bad reputation because as soon as you fix one thing another thing breaks and they blame the mechanic shop...so they mostly have learned to send them down the road. I dont blame them one bit..

 

[wraith661]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

I agree Im going to sell this boat and buy a different one with a cuddy...I traded this old car for this boat and my lack of knowledge about boats got me here so ty for the information..its too bad there are people out there still that are dishonest...but i should have known better its a nice boat I should be able to get close to my money back...then Ill add to it and get a real nice boat...being new sucks Im not used to not knowing about something as simple as this..I should have done more reaserch...I did look on this site but couldnt find enouph info by then it was too late..ty guys...

 

[Don S]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

I traded this old car for this boat and my lack of knowledge about boats got me here so ty for the information..its too bad there are people out there still that are dishonest...

When you sell it, are you planning on telling YOUR perspctive buyer what you know about that motor and drive?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

Re: OMG What have I done !! I need serious information please !

For the next one, stick with Mercruiser or Volvo. The possible exception to that being the Mercruiser 470 (has a couple other names, all are 3.7L 4 cyl). For outboards, anything but Force or Chrysler is fine.

Personally I don't think the seller owned you any explanation about the current parts/service situation for that drive and I don't think you owe to anyone else either. Now if it had a cracked block or something like that, well that's a different story.