89' Force 85 Hp

[Walleye-man]

I am in the process of buying a 17' Maxum Runabout w/ a 1989 85 Hp Force engine on it. The Boat is in very nice shape and the engine is clean (no oil or carbon burn visible). I am primarily a fisherman and do not have alot of experience w/ ski / cruising boats. <br />Q: I have heard that the Hp rating of Force engines is misleading? Should this motor have enough power to pull a 200LB. adult on a ski? <br />I am putting the boat in the water tonight, are there any pointers on what I should be looking for besides the obvious?<br /><br />Thanks

 

[12Footer]

Re: 89' Force 85 Hp

Welcome to iboats,WM.<br />You are correct about the HP rating on Force engines.<br />In the old days, all outboard's labled HP was derived from HP developed by the powerhead.<br />Today, all outboards are rated at the prop. Force never changed thier rating system to my knowledge.<br />so your 85HP is more like 75-80 at the prop.<br />You should have no problems pulling up a 200lb skier, providing they aren't slallum,and even then, no problem if you're strong <br />It should do fine. <br />Run decrab cleaner thru the carbs every 80 hours at plug changes. And never use alcohol enhanced fuel, or the fuel pump will soon quit.<br />If you do not know when the impeller was changed, change it.<br />They are good running engines. Weaknesses are exaust port plate is prone to warp after many hours, or if and whenever it overheats.<br />Fuel pump (as mentioned above). Not an uncommon design, but they cannot handle anything but gas,or the rubber diaphram gets brittle.<br />Lower unit is a weak design, so drain/inspect often---at least once a season.<br />Take care of it,and it'll run forever, in spite of what some people will say about Force.

 

[plane]

Re: 89' Force 85 Hp

Walleye man, I've had a '88 Force 85-HP on a 19-ft Blue Fin Sportsman for ten years. Both my son and I are over 200, and have skied behind it. In those years I've replaced a starter solenoid and a tilt/trim relay, for about fifty bucks. The boat weighs about 1300#, and with its 17" pitch prop my GPS says it's do about 332 mph.