G'day mates .. rookie here

[BlazinKuztumz]

Well, I'm a boat novice for the most part. I went out on my dads boat as a young man, and helped load/unload them, clean them, etc. but never enough to be super familiar with them. Now I've just been given a center console Gulf Line 16ft (I think, have to measure it) with an 85hp FORCE motor on it. All I was told was: "it's been sitting a good while, has a whole in the floor behind the CC, and the motor hasn't run in a long time due to a faulty carb", so guess we will see if I run into more problems, or if that's all I'll be up against. Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself with a post, and see if any of you guys have heard of Gulf Line, since I can't find much info about them online. Also, is FORCE a pretty good motor?

Thanks, and looking forward to posting up and picking some knowledge bases around here.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Welcome aboard the iboats forum. The experts here, which I am NOT, can help you solve any boating problem. However, be aware that some forum members are affected by a serious condition called MBS or Multiple Boat Syndrome. It is contagious but can be treated. I am a recovering MBS victim. Good luck with your "free boat". Some may tell you there is no such thing!

 

[erikgreen]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Welcome!

I think most people will probably tell you to part out the motor and get something better... Force is an older, orphan brand at this point and it was never that great to begin with. Parting it out rather than fixing it may get you a little cash to work with for a replacement motor or the boat rebuild.

The boat can be fixed, it all depends on how much time, effort, and cash you want to spend on it. Don't get too fixated on the "free" thing if you can.. it's a great feeling, but boats cost money one way or another

Post some pics of the boat's current condition and we'll give you some ideas. I will warn you that if there's a hole in the deck, the odds are pretty good the deck and everything underneath it are rotted and need replacement. Again, not impossible to fix, but if what you really want is to be on the water, there are better ways.

Erik

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Thanks for the warm welcome. Yeah I have heard of FORCE before but wasn't sure if it were worth fixing, or a good brand. The boat brand I haven't heard of before either, but am not that concerned as long as I can find some parts and am able to fix it. The hole is where the seat was before, but I have not been able to take a good look at it just yet. The boats been sitting and has leaves and a ton of stuff laying in it, so I'll have to clean it all up and out, and then I can get a good inspection done, and pictures as well. I'm not all that fixated on the FREE part, other than that if it works out, it gives me a good basis to start working on, and the only investment will be sweat, elbow grease, and some $$ for new parts and supplies. I'm hoping it's in fixable condition and I can part the motor out and get a bit newer Evinrude, Mercury or Honda for it. Guess we will see.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

never heard of the boat , Force, are no longer built there are some parts still left, and some are Mercury parts, mercury was the last owner of Force, so they are the parts source for the motor. it all depends on what is wrong with the motor. but an 85hp running Force is only worth $500 US. so consider that when you start looking at parts, it may be worth more, selling it's good parts on ebay.

check this out. http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

[oops!]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

welcome...!

anything you want to do to your boat ....we can help you wreck.......er....i mean fix it........

cheers
oops

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

sounds awesome.....My Free Boat Cost me 1000 so far.

 

[ylop]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

what part of the world are you in ???????????????and remember the old saying


boat= bring out another thousand, and there has never been a truer word spoken

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm going to tear into it first before I get too excited, but I'm hoping it's still in fixable shape. This was my father-in-law's boat, and my wife remembers going out on it when she was younger. He stopped using it because of a carb problem with the motor, and then it go mothballed and has been sitting ever since. He and my mother-in-law are now going through a divorce so he gave it to me to fix up. I just saw another running FORCE 85 on craigslist today for $400, but I don't want to make any moves until I know for a fact that the hull and boat over all is worth the investment.

My location is Brandon, FL right outside of Tampa.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Hi there BlazinKuztumz

Welcome , your in the right place we all will help all we can , can you get some pics posted ??

Are you noth of tampa ?? my mom is in New Port Richie , John

 

[Willyclay]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Usually someone suggests that you NOT spend a penny on repairs until you are certain the boat, motor and trailer can be registered/titled in your name. Some of the FL members can give you good advice. Good luck!

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Actually, it's my father-in-law who gave me the boat, and had it legal before, so I believe he has the title and all paperwork to accompany it, but not entirely sure just yet. Still have to get with him again and ask and see, but my wife seems confident that he has whatever it is that I'll need.

I haven't had a chance to begin cleaning it up, but once I do, I will get a good amount of pictures and post them.

And John (jcsercsa), I'm located East of Tampa, about 10minutes, heading out Hwy 60 towards the east coast (Vero Beach) direction.

Oh, by the way ... I've been doing a good bit of searching and found other FORCE motors for sale on CL, but haven't found an 85 parts motor as of yet (anyone around Tampa have one, or parts even? LOL). But, I've found how expensive outboards are and was wondering .. instead of buying a used/rebuilt motor from someone else, wouldn't it be better for me to just break this one down and rebuild it? I know you guys weren't real thrilled with the FORCE motors, but just a thought since it seems I can get replacement parts, manuals, an entire forum area to help me with it. Plus I'll have the experience of rebuilding it myself, and know the parts used and have a better clue if something goes wrong, of what was done to it in the rebuild. I'm not looking to get any $$ out of it, just want a reliable and strong motor to make the boating experience fun, once I get the boat to seaworthy shape again. By the way, I'm mechanically inclined, and do sheet metal work, welding, custom fabrication, wood working, and have a good amount of the tools I'll need to do the work, as an FYI on my abilities.

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Well, went over and dug out about 8" of growth, rotten leaves, and mud/dirt. Found the deck finally though. LOL The middle console literally broke away from the floor, but is still in pretty good condition, only needing a new window, front cushion seat and inner shelf. The floor is rotten, and busted (just like my father-in-law told me) except more area than he had originally thought and told me about. While digging around, I found some stuff for the boat, including the keys to it. I was able to check and found that the steering still works for the o/b, but was unable to tell if it has tilt/trim on it or not. I'm hoping to get some pictures of everything mid-week, which hopefully will allow you guys to be able to help with advice on my best options to fix everything and get her back on the water. Anyway, so far looks like I just have to fix the deck, and miscellaneous other things, the motor (or get a new motor) and get the trailer up to par. Just thought I'd give an update. Can't wait to start tearing into this boat and rebuilding it.

 

[maxum247]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Sounds like your in for a full on rebuild from the way you describe the boat so far. Stringers, transom, new deck, etc.
If you think you can do the repairs for a $1000, triple that figure and you may be close.
Not trying to be negative just stating what I've experienced with my boat rebuild projects. I've done several, so far each one has cost about three times what I would have liked it to in the end. It's the little things that add up.
I started with a boat in about the same condition several years ago and can tell you from experience it can be done, but it ain't cheap.
By the way mine sat for 12 years and the motor still runs pretty well after investing about $800 in the motor and the fuel system, the $800 includes a couple of mistakes on my part, I tryed to work on the engine without a manual and little knowledge of how Force engines work, learned the hard way, yours could cost less or more depending on the condition of the motor.
Check the engine compression first thing, if compression is 100 psi or more per cyclinder then it's probably worth repairing depending on the parts you will need and your budget. Compression should be within 10 to 15lbs. from one cylinder to the next.
It probably has trim and tilt being an 85h.p.
Anyway good luck and have a great time working on the boat should you decide to carry on.
Be sure to wear the proper safety equiptment while working on your boat! Protect your eye's and lungs.

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Thanks for the input. I'm not sure the stringers and main beam will need repair/replacement yet, but know for a fact that the deck does. The transom from what I can see looks fine as well, but I'm hoping that you guys will be able to tell me more once I get some detailed pics. The motor was running but the last thing that I was told was wrong with it was a bad carb. I believe they tried fixing it, but decided a new one was needed, that's when it just started sitting. So, I'm kinda in the dark as to what I'm going to find when I tear into it. I'm hopeful that a tune up, fluids change out, and new carb will get her back to running and then I'll just be up against finishing the deck and customizing the boat the way I want it to be. Guess we will see. Even if it costs more than I had first expected, as long as I can get it all back up and going and done properly, I'll be happy, since the boat will be to my preferences and I'll have first hand knowledge of all repairs done, maintenance, and hopefully a bit of new knowledge gained from doing the repairs and motor work. Would make me more comfortable out on the water, that's for sure. LOL

 

[ondarvr]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

The carbs are most likely fine, they just need to be rebuilt and it's pretty easy to do. I still wouldn't put any money into that motor though.


If you had to dig that much gunk out the boat the stringers and transom have a very good chance of being rotten also.

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Sorry, it was late when I got home, and I had just finished playing with the boat and doing a mini tune-up to my truck, so I was tired and exaggerated a bit. It was probably more like 2" of material in different areas of the boat. For the most part, I checked most of the boat over, and it was just the floor sections that were soft, and from the looks of it (common sense, since I'm not an experienced boat person) the stringers and lower hull were in great shape. It just seemed to be the floor (underlayment) that was rotten and breaking. Even the middle console seemed fine, the screws that mounted it down just ripped out of the rotten ply floor. As far as transom, splash well, etc. they all seemed to be in good shape, and didn't have any soft spots that I could find. I even went up to the stern and walked around and stood up on the front, and it was pretty solid. The boat was used until a few years ago, when it was parked due to the motor problem, and then just sat. I'm hoping that I'm on the right track and my assumptions are correct. The floor I'm not too scared of, and will fix it, and then put some sort of grip coating over it and reinstall the middle console with an added t-top of some sort.

By the way ondarvr, the motor thing .. is it just a personal preference of yours about the FORCE motor I have, or is there a technical reasoning behind it that I should know. My thoughts are this: I don't have a couple grand to pump into a new motor at one time. However, I do have money to buy a few parts, starting off with what I was told was wrong with the motor, and some tune up goodies, and go from there. Even if it turns out to be that I have to break the entire motor down and rebuild, I could afford it being step by step, part by part, instead of 4g for a new motor of equal size. Plus working on the boat it's self, and getting it back to tip-top shape, and customized for my wants/needs. Just my thoughts though.

Oh and one other question .. in the rear, I see where the battery and gas tank would go up under the rear deck transom/splash well area that is there (with a seat mount above it) and there are two compartments (one on each side) that have the tops open, and there are holes through the hull out to each side through these compartments. My only thoughts on this is that this is live bait wells? Figuring the water comes in by it's self and keeps the compartments filled while in the water and under the water line? Just wondering if someone understands what I'm meaning and can maybe confirm my suspicions.

Thanks for all the comments, help and encouragement by the way guys. Can't wait to get some pics up, and rip into my new project.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

I don't hate Force motors and I've had a couple over the years. The problem is they don't make them any more, most shops won't work on them, most parts can be purchased, but they're not as easy to find, the resale value is very low and the ones I had didn't hold up to salt water very well. A rebuild is pricy and even if you do all the labor yourself you still have a motor of little value when you're done. If all it needs is a carb rebuild a few gaskets and water pump, then fix it and use it, if needs much more work than that part it out and get another motor.

The reason for saying there's probably more rotten wood is if you read new posts here every week you'll see many just like yours that say " I found a soft spot in the floor, but the rest of the wood looks fine". After they dig into it they find it's far worse than they first thought.

 

[BlazinKuztumz]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

*Warning, please don't take what I say personal, being as though it's not meant that way at all. I just have a way to how I talk, that sometimes can be taken that way*

Gotcha. Just wondered. I've seen a good amount of FORCE o/b's for sale on CL, as well as other brands, and noticed that: Yamaha, Honda, Mercury, Evinrude seem to top the price scale when it comes to 85-90hp motors. That's why I'm fairly sure that I'll be better off rebuilding this one if I can, vs. buying one. I thought about getting a broken better motor, but usually if someone is selling it because it's broken, that tells me it's more $ and trouble than they are wanting, so it's probably more than I want as well. I've found this out first hand with other dealings on lawn equipment, dirt bikes, etc. that I've had given to me for free. And I know for a fact that old adage about "Free is never FREE!" holds true from personal experience. LOL Just wanted to make sure that there wasn't some huge flaw or something with FORCE motors that would keep me from sinking money into it, knowing that it will just trash out right after. As far as the worth of the motor, well .. as stupid as this may sound to some, my worth of something is based on what it's worth to me, not others, or resale value. So, if the motor will hold up, and won't break the bank on rebuild, then it's worth it to me to do it, so that I can spend what I can, when I can, and have a running boat to have some fun with. The entire purpose of getting the boat ... go out and fish and play, and de-stress. LMAO So far .. it's about a 50/50 proposition at this point, but looks like it might be a knowledge gaining and fun experience. Just don't want to get into a money pit of a project either though.

On the wood .. I found an aluminum fish hook (kinda kewl little sucker) that was in the boat, and I ended up hooking the top deck with it and pulling a lot more of it up than had been broken up to begin with, so that's why I was pretty sure that I've found most of the damage. I'm smart enough to realize though that until I get into every little crevasse of my new toy, I won't know the full extent of damage and repair work needing done. So I'll keep my comments conservative and upbeat for the moment. LMAO

 

[erikgreen]

Re: G'day mates .. rookie here

Your "fish hook" sounds like a gaff?

The reason people say what they say about your boat is the fact that the interior structure of a boat rots from the bottom up... makes sense, given that water runs downhill and will collect there first.

So it's a rare (1 in 50?) boat that has a rotten deck yet everything underneath is just fine.

But... it's still fixable in either case. The techniques aren't really very hard, either, just time consuming.

The hardest part most people encounter is disillusionment... where they realize they'll need a couple thousand dollars to turn their "great deal" or "free" boat into something useable. That may not be the case for you or your boat, but folks here are just trying to prepare you. It's discouraging to think you have a great boat then to realize it's a pile of junk without $$.

It sounds like the boat means something to you or your wife, and that's a great reason to commence a full rebuild. Post some pics here and we'll see if we can give you some better ideas on what's needed.

Erik