Spectrum Boat

Force are Junk...When was it rebuilt???

Well...Spectrums are decent boats.my buddy has one but his is a merc 3.0L I/O...Force were a bottom of the line outboard when they came out...Built by chrysler(which has no business being in the marine market)...It is not uncommon for them to be rebuilt..The question is how long before something else goes wrong..Did they rebuild lower unit as well? Complete overhaul? Or did they just put a new powerhead in it? Force's reputation was less than desired. They have a reputation of being cheaply manufactured with cheap and thin metals..Therefore the powerheads don't last long, neither do the gears. Some people can get a decent amount of use on them as long as maintenance is done regularly and even when not required (Lower unit oil changed multiple times per season) The seals were claimed to be a problem as well. But, if it is for the right price, it may be a viable option for you. Also, you may want to make sure that a reputable shop was used to rebuild. Some backyard mechanic could have done it and made it run...But for how long. If it were me, if the price was right, I would take it to a reputable mechanic and have them look over it before purchasing.

ORIGINAL: bulldog1

Depends on the year, Force and Mercury were the same a few years if I recall.

 
Mercury got the force line because they purchased bayliner...Then dropped force in 2002...Most guys say it was like playing russian roulette with them...Some get descent ones and some get bad ones..."May the force be with you" was a common quote among previous force motors. Well we know that it had to be rebult once, Question is, did they get merc or force parts I guess????

ORIGINAL: BWAngler

 Both boat and motor are 1997, we bought it in 2000.  The sticker on the motor says Force by mercury marine 

 
Yes, this motor was built with mercury heads and gears. Some chrysler parts still exist on your motor and it is still of a chrysler design but with mercury retro-fitted parts. They are assembled at a Mercury Factory as well. These motors are said to be of better quality becuase of the Merc Parts. No chrysler heads or gears. BWAngler, Yes i have owned a Force. 1987 40 Horse that was JUNK....Built by chrysler though....Stator went bad, Water-pump went bad, lower seal went bad, and finally a cylinder lost compression for your info....

ORIGINAL: BWAngler

Thanks for my info tough guy.  I hear Kastmasterpro is looking for someone to argue with.

 
Just telling the truth....Merc bought bayliner and got force as a kicker in the deal....So they could sell cheap sizeable boats that people could afford...Truth there too...Never owned a bayliner so I can not comment on them...

yeah, I wasn't referring to the fact that Force motors can be piece of junk.  I realize that and am not defending them.  I was calling you tough guy cause you had to add on the "for your information" to your answer from an honest question from me.  Go be an internet tough guy to someone who cares.     

Steer clear....IMO both are junk.  The boat uses thinner aluminum and are not well constructed at all....same goes for the motor...hence the reason they are so cheap and get virtually NO re-sale value.  I know, I know Merc. made them....however, they also sold them as package deals on the spectrum and once blue fin boats (which were actually a better boat when called blue fin)  Made cheaper, kinda just like tracker/evinrude......junk.

For the money you have, wait awhile and save up a little more and get yourself something better like a well cared for Sylvan, Smoker, Crestliner, Starcraft, Lowe, Sea Nymph, Alumacraft or even Lund...the list could go on of boats better than Spectrums.  The deals are out there.  If it were me, I'd wait until something better pops up.  Good Luck!

May the force be with you, not behind you.w_w.

Andyg,
 
Few things to check:
 
1) What year the motor is...94 and newer as centerpin says..(I didn't know the year) will be of better quality, but from the sounds of it being rebuilt already, it is an older model and could be a ticking time bomb
2) Where the rebuild was done and what OEM parts were used (If you take it to a boat mechanic to check it out, make sure it is not the same mechanic that did the rebuild and make sure they are reputable)
3) Was total overhaul done in rebuild or just powerheads. This could be a mojor factor, if just the powerheads, the lower unit could crap out tomorrow, or water pump, or impeller...List goes on. Get reciept of work done to motor from seller, this should contain all new parts added in rebuild.
4). As far as the hull goes, check all riveted seems to make sure there are no rivets missing or loose (Loose or missing rivets above waterline are not as crucial, but still need to be adressed)
5) Take it for a test run. You have nothing to loose but time. Always take a prospect boat for a test run, don't let them just run the motor with muffs on it in their driveway. Some motors you can't see a problem until under load. You want to feel comfortable with the boat.
 
Hope this helps!

BIGSLICK,
I don't know about all Spectrum hulls but mine is all welded and has no rivets and definetly does NOT leak. 

ORIGINAL: BWAngler

yeah, I wasn't referring to the fact that Force motors can be piece of junk.  I realize that and am not defending them.  I was calling you tough guy cause you had to add on the "for your information" to your answer from an honest question from me.  Go be an internet tough guy to someone who cares.     

 
I apologize for the statement...I wasn't trying to portray that at all..Just wrote that because I wrote out all the things that went wrong on mine. 

ORIGINAL: Hammerdown

 It is riveted But only leaked once. that was when I put the plug in the live well drain by accident when it was dark. Learned my lesson

 
Yes, LOL, That might be a problem........I have a starcraft 22' islander...double rivetted seams...never had a problem with it...Starcraft has a lifetime warranty on the double rivet seams if anyone wanted to know.

That's a nice boat for a good price...You can't go wrong there...All set-up and ready to go...Fuel efficient 4.3L V6...Super low hours....Versatile...Walleye perch or bass fish off of it..

Spectrums are not all junk. I had a 1991 19 footer made by Blue Fin it was at least as good as a Starcraft which I have also owned. Fisher made some also which are junk if you are going to use them in lake Erie. I would stay away from a force motor. The price would have to be good due to the engine being a force. I sold my 91 spectrum (blue fin) with a mercury 90 (cause the force was blown up after using it for 30 hrs), mercury kicker and bow mount trolling motor for $5000.00. It was in good condition and ran very well. The merc motor had very low hrs and was newer than the boat. As far as quality I thought it was pretty decent and handled the river and small lakes great. Took a guy for a test ride in erie with 3 footers and wasn't horrible but not comparable to any of what I would consider an erie boat. Good luck with whatever purchase you make.