1992 50hp Force questions

[buckeye_sean]

Hi guys, thinking of buying a used fishing boat with a 1992 50hp Force with tilt & trim. (Boat is 1991 16' Spectrum V aluminum.) Boat is in excellent condition, but I'm a little leary of the Force outboard. (Heard a lot of general comments about staying away from Force engines since they are discontinued.) Owner is 2nd owner of boat, and while he never had any problems with the motor itself, he said he has had the lower unit rebuilt once right after he bought it, and then just 3 years ago replaced the whole lower unit. I guess it was constantly leaking at the seals. Is this a common problem with Force outboards?

Also, while I know it's tricky to evaluate used engines without an hour meter - how many hours do you think I should "assume" is on it. (50 per year...100 per year...more?) How much do you think the motor by itself is worth? I'm trying to come up with a reasonable offer, since his asking price is a bit high.

Just curious what you guys think about this motor, and if I should bother with it at all. (I do like the boat though!)

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 1992 50hp Force questions

Most Force motors are no more failure prone than many others. Average use is under 50 hours per year. Since it's a fishing boat, it would be logical that seal failure was caused by fishline around the propshaft. Get a compression check. A lake test is wise if the water isn't too hard near you, but wait for a day above freezing. Unless they've been done very recently, fresh gearlube, new sparkplugs, new water pump impeller are automatic when purchasing a used unit. You can use those as haggling points.