[Bluegills Unlimited]

Hello, I just picked up my new toy, Blue Fin Aluminum Fish & Ski with an 85 hp Force. I was always wary of Force, but this one ran great on the test, and has a proven track record as far as problems/service. Decent price too for the boat/motor/trailer package. Very excited on finding one of the good ones. I really want to keep it nice, and make it last, so...

1.) My V4 90hp Evinrude on my old boat used a 50:1 gas/oil ratio, what should I use with this?
2.) My V4 90hp Evinrude on my old boat ran 89 octane, should I do the same with this one?
3.) What brand of oil do you Force/Merc owners run? I still have a 3/4 full case of Evinrude/Johnson oil I'd like to use up...
4.) Any other tips for keeping these babies running strong? I of course change plugs annually, and check lower unit oil every 3-4 times (my very first boat motor's lower unit seized up the first time I had it out.)
5.) This is my first ALUMINUM boat (very excited) What do you recommend for keeping the aluminum looking nice. It is bare aluminum the bottom half, and the top half is painted blue, with some nice, late eighties pinstriping that matches both the motor and trailer

Thanks for your input.

[HAV2FISH]

Originally Posted by Bluegills Unlimited

Hello, I just picked up my new toy, Blue Fin Aluminum Fish & Ski with an 85 hp Force. I was always wary of Force, but this one ran great on the test, and has a proven track record as far as problems/service. Decent price too for the boat/motor/trailer package. Very excited on finding one of the good ones. I really want to keep it nice, and make it last, so...

1.) My V4 90hp Evinrude on my old boat used a 50:1 gas/oil ratio, what should I use with this?
2.) My V4 90hp Evinrude on my old boat ran 89 octane, should I do the same with this one?
3.) What brand of oil do you Force/Merc owners run? I still have a 3/4 full case of Evinrude/Johnson oil I'd like to use up...
4.) Any other tips for keeping these babies running strong? I of course change plugs annually, and check lower unit oil every 3-4 times (my very first boat motor's lower unit seized up the first time I had it out.)
5.) This is my first ALUMINUM boat (very excited) What do you recommend for keeping the aluminum looking nice. It is bare aluminum the bottom half, and the top half is painted blue, with some nice, late eighties pinstriping that matches both the motor and trailer

Thanks for your input.

1. 50:1
2. 89 octane is fine
3. any oil thats TC-W3 Your old oil will be fine. I use Castrol from wal mart
4. Run sea foam through it every now and then (see sea foam in the frequently asked questions engine.)
5. wash it off every time you come off the water.

[This_lil_fishy]

As had been said, a well maintained Force or OMC is ten times better then a poorly maintained POS merc or volvo. Congrats, as for two stroke oil, as was said, anything with the proper rating would do. I splurged on motomaster (Canadian Tire) Synthetic Marine 2 Stroke oil. Dunno why, but I've always splurged on oil. I don't fully believe in the hype, but I can afford it, and it certainly can't hurt. I'm just about to do the first oil change on my new baby, and gonna go spend the money on that Royal Purple crap, heck they seem to have spent a fortune on advertising with boattest.com. Heh..



Ian