Just bought my first boat! 1996 Maxum 1700 with a Force 120 Outboard

[JordyOutboard]

I don't know anything about boats really. I did take the safety course and have my certificate. But I really don't know much about maintenance or general operating procedures.

Either way I am here to learn. If anyone has any tutorials, please point me in that direction.

SO the boat did die the first time I took it out this weekend. Everything was good for about 45 minutes then it suddenly started loosing acceleration and sputtered to a complete stop. Not sure whats going on but hopefully the guys in the tech section can help me out.

In the mean time, I do want to clean it up a bit and change the speakers as they are blown. Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap speaker setup? Also, any tips and tricks for cleaning?

Here's a quick picture!

 

[Suprathepeg]

I put the Boss kit with head unit and 4 speakers in my 1700 and I like it, loud enough to have tunes while cruising but not loud enough to get really loud. The whole kit shipped to my door was under $200.

 

[Suprathepeg]

Also I'm sure you know this but don't tow the boat on the trailer with the bimini up like that...

 

[dls322]

Congrats on the new toy. I had a Maxum as my first boat...they are a good entry level boat. The Force engines people balk about because they are hit or miss and some shops wont work on them. i had a Force 85 on my Maxum and it worked great. You should have the water pump impeller replace just incase. You might have overheated it if it wasn't pumping water...hopefully not. I would suggest getting a water/fuel separator if you dont have one installed.
Remember if testing out your motor on land make sure you put on muffs and run water. There is a wealth of info on this site.
For a cheap radio setup with speakers you can find Boss, Pyle or Dual marine series setups with speakers for under $100

Feel free to ask plenty of questions

 

[dls322]

also is you outboard oil injected? Something to inspect and if not make sure you are mixing your oil and gas.....mine was not oil injected, but was older than yours

 

[TCATTC]

Those old Force motors are some of the easiest to work on.

 

[Suprathepeg]

The good news is you can easily replace those older outboards with something similar for $1000 or less if you're trolling the internet. If I had an outboard (mine's an I/O) I would just buy an older 115-125 merc or rude and store it somewhere for a rainy day. Its a cheap way to stay on the water. I would also consider removing the oil injection if yours has it and just premix your gas. The older units can fail and then you're motor isn't getting any oil, which is a bad day at sea.

 

[JordyOutboard]

The good news is you can easily replace those older outboards with something similar for $1000 or less if you're trolling the internet. If I had an outboard (mine's an I/O) I would just buy an older 115-125 merc or rude and store it somewhere for a rainy day. Its a cheap way to stay on the water. I would also consider removing the oil injection if yours has it and just premix your gas. The older units can fail and then you're motor isn't getting any oil, which is a bad day at sea.

I was actually told to premix this gay on this myself. So it may not have an oil injection?

 

[NYBo]

I don't believe Force ever used oil injection. 50:1 mix is what you want.