Re: Is 85hp Force motors any good?
I had a (new) 45 hp Chrysler on a 16' boat and it was obviously under powered.<br /><br />I traded for a (new) 85 hp which had plenty of power. But as mentioned, the thing was a gas guzzler. Now this was in the late '60's when the engine was cross flow fuel charged.<br /><br />If the Force of the '80's became loop charged, then the fuel problem I mention would be significantly mitigated.<br /><br />The other problem I had with the 85 was the way they designed the prop, but Force uses Merc props and they don't have that problem.<br /><br />I had no mechanical problems with either but they weren't sleek. As I recall West Bend made motors and went out of business to Chrysler who marketed boats (they built) and motors (which we had) who went out of business and so Brunswick tried their hand at it.<br /><br />What I thought was stupid was the fact that the Force had a typical early version of the exhaust outlet but used the Merc thru hub props....that had no exhaust going thru the hub so there must have been some drag off that prop with that big blunt end and no exhaust to fill it......when they were gold and white (Chrysler) they had a nice bullet shaped hub to reduce that drag, same location for and type of exhaust. I guess Brunswick knew more than Chrysler......<br /><br />My 2c,<br /><br />Mark
<br /><br />Stay away from Force motors older than 1992, and be warey of the newer ones.<br /><br />Better yet, wait a month and you will have more boats on the market and more to choose from. Then you can buy one with a Merc, Evinrude, or Johnson.