Conference wahoo::fishing

    Gary,
    
    I don't own one but I can start with a couple pros/cons
                     
           PRO's                                  CON's
  
      1) Proven Design                     1) Old technology
      2) Attractive                        2) Designed by Chrysler
      3) Lower priced                      3) Often paired with inferior
                                              quality boats.
    
    I know someone here who powers his Bayliner (21 footer I think)
    with a Force 85 horse and swears by it (not at it).  My own impression
    has been tempered by the boats that usually include a Force as part
    of the package... usually glossy on the outside, corners cut on
    the inside... Blue Fin is a good example of that.  This is not intended
    to insult any Blue Fin owners out there ... my opinion only FWIW.
    
    -SSS-

    See the boats file on vicki for more info on force.
    
    CC

    
      Easy does it!!
    
      My boat is powered by a Force
    
      I have a Force 125hp on my 18' Bayliner. I have had NO PROBLEMS
    what so ever with it. 1 full bass season with only 2 speeds, One
    stopped - you guess the other.
    
      As stated in .2 older technology, YES. But, a back to basic's
    approach for this company. Force is owned by brunswick which also
    owns Mercury. When US marine took over the line from crysler the
    first thing they did was rid the motor of crysler's power head.
      A very affortable and dependable motor for the money.
    
      Let the FORCE be with you !!
    
      Dave "BASSMASTER" Sullivan
    

    The one thing to be said about the different brands of outboards
    is that everyone has a different opinion or preference. In regards
    to FORCE outboards here are a few facts that may help you.
    
    The original design and manufacturer of these motors was Chrysler
    Marine. When the first came out they were very dependable, and as
    one person has stated, very basic in design. This meant they were
    very easy to service and had less to go wrong. They did fulfill
    the one requirement of an outboard very well and that was to move
    your boat about on a given body of water.
    
    The bad rap that these motors got came primarily when they were
    still known as Chrysler outboards. When Chrysler decided to get
    out of the marine engine business they got out quickly. What this
    meant to the existing engines was that replacement parts became
    scarce. This led to servicing problems and long periods of these
    motors being down due to lack of parts, not because they were poorly
    designed and manufactured.
    
    A few years ago a company came along called U.S. Marine Inc. The
    same company who builds Bayliner boats. What they set out to do
    was offer a quality, low cost package to the boating public. This
    consisted of rigged boat, motor, and trailer as a turnkey deal.
    They also did not want to be tied in to someone elses motors without
    any cost controls, although on their bigger models they currently
    are using OMC stearndrives for power. Anyway, back to the otboards.
    
    What U.S. Marine did was to buy the rights and manufacturing from
    Chrysler outright. They only kept 5 of the original 15 to 16 models,
    upgraded the design somewhat, and started producing these engines
    under the FORCE name. Up until a couple of years ago they still
    kept the old cowling design and color scheme. They also found that
    people still remembered the bad rap the original Chrysler engines
    got so they redesigned the appearance of the engine and gave it
    a blue paint job. The heart of the engine, namely the powerhead
    still remained pretty much the old functional Chrysler design.
    
    What you know have with the Force outboards is large and successful
    company building and standing behind these engines. They also have
    a large dealer network across the U.S. to sell and service them.
    Additionally, Powerboat Magazine has for the last several years,
    rated Bayliner boats tops in its price class for durability and
    performance. It si true they do not have all the extras on them
    that Mercury, OMC, and Yahama have such as oil injection, and
    instrument layouts that talk to you, they still provide the basics
    needed in an outboard. This is to move your boat around on the water
    in a reliable manner.
    
    Over the past 15 years I have owned OMC (Johnson/Evinrude)engines.
    This is due primarily to product loyalty and the fact that I have
    become very familiar with their operation, upkeep, and maintenance.
    I do my own work on these engines after the warranty runs out and
    have acquired many of the specilized tools needed to work on them.
    Is my outboard better than a Force? I doubt it. If your looking
    for a large firebreather in the 200 to 300 HP. range than Force
    is not for you. This is simply because they currently don't build
    them. I do understand however, thy are comming out with a new 5
    cylinder engine putting out 150 HP. This should be adequate for
    most boating needs. If you run one of the larger boats such as the
    25 ft. center console that I have, hang two on the back. The cost
    per motor is less than the other manufacturers and should give you
    long and reliable service.
    

    As stated in the Bayliner Notes, You get what you pay for or,,
    its what you want to spend.
    
    As for Force ingines being made by Brunswick, its the same as 
    the NOVA being made by GM, so isn't a Caddy, again its what
    you want to spend and the old saying go's - You get what you
    pay for.

    Since Bayliner is based here in Washington, you see a lot of
    Force outboards.  Interestingly enough, you rarely see a Force
    outboard on anything other than a Bayliner.  That is slightly
    suspicious.
    
    Anyway, my experience goes like this.  I went to pick up my new boat 
    last July.  While I was there, a family was taking delivery on a brand
    new bayliner with a Force.  They merrily drove off with boat on trailer.
    I decided to make some changes to my boat and I wound up being there
    for 3 hours while the modifications were made.  The family drove back in
    after about 90 minutes.  They said the Force wouldn't start.  I watched
    the repair staff try averything in the book to start it until they finally
    concluded there was no compression left.  They told the people to leave
    it while they fix it!
    
    I told the guy working on my boat that I would have demanded a new motor.
    He said that Force reserves the right to repair any engines under warantee
    and that they wouldn't replace it.  I just couldn't believe this.
    
    The kicker is, he claimed that 1 out of 5 Force outboards ceases within
    the first year of use.
    
    And I was nervous about the dreaded Merc......
    
    Brett.

    As I said: " Opinions on outboards are like ??XXZZ!!?, everybody's
    got one " Buy a microvax, have it not work right out of the box.
    Demand that the engineer not fix it, but replace it. While you're
    waiting for the replacement to arrive, take your Force outboard
    out for a cruise.
    

    I HAVE A 85HP FORCE ON A 17.6FT VIP THAT I PURCHASED LAST YEAR AND
    HAVE'NT HAD A PROBLEM. I RUN IT IN BOTH FRESH AND SALT WATER, ALL
    OF LAST SUMMER.FWIW
    
                                          MIKE