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Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
What do you-all think of this one: 18? 1989 Quantum Fish and Ski Boat w/ Force 125hp

I know jack about boats, just know I want something to fish & ski with... and want something for less than $5k

It's an eBay link, here's the description:

You are bidding on a 1989 Quantum FS (made by Maxum) Boat comes with 1989 Force 125hp Two Stroke Outboard with Tilt and Trim. Also equipped with a Trolling motor and front casting deck controls. There is a Hummingbird TCR101 Fish Finder on the Bow and Depth finder on the dash. Two large aerated live wells, one up front one in the rear. Everything on the boat is in working condition. The front and Rear platforms are all new along with new carpeting, very solid. The hull has some rubs and scratches but is solid, what you would expect for a fishing boat.



This boat was bought with the intention of fishing up a storm, however we picked up skiing and wakeboarding. This boat works great for either, it runs great and pulls a 225lb person with ease. Will also get from one fishing spot to the next quickly. Cruising speed is around 35Mph, will top out at around 45Mph. Motor has a 17 pitch prop and planes out quickly. Boat has recently new Battery, 2 months old, and the trailer has 2 new tires.



Boat is sound, and engine is mechanically sound as well, always starts up. Trailer is tagged through June 2005 and the Boat is tagged until September 2006.



Extras: Boat has two fishing pedestal seats, Ski Bar, extra carpet.

Please ask all questions before bidding as all sales are final.

Clear Title for Boat and Engine.
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S

shot

Banned
May 6, 2005
110
0
0
Good for fishing. Not so good for skiing, horsepwoer wise. Remember, boats are money pits and one with a motor that old is going to give you problems sooner or later. New motor would likely run you about $100 per horse, give or take a few $$.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I was recently looking at one being sold locally. Similar description, looked decent enough... $2600 IIRC. Although, the motor was 75 or 80 hp.

"not so good for skiing, horsepower wise"?? I'd say there's plenty. We ski behind a 65hp on a tri-hull. But, it depends on the boat/motor combination.

Personally, I'd be afraid of the comment "always starts" as a definition of "runs good"
 
F

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
3,197
0
0
Well, I'm not sure how that qualifies as a "Fish and Ski Boat" because it sure looks like a "Bass Boat" to me, lol.

I can, however, give you some info on the engine. I own a 1994 Force 120, and generally speaking Forces are regarded as "problematic" outboard engines. They were actually originally chrysler, which was bought by Mercury which brought about the name change. However, my understanding is that the engines remained largely chrylser with a few merc parts tacked on here and there, and that towards the end of the line (1998 I think) they had more and more merc parts - but in 89 it was probably almost all Chrysler.

Now, having said that - I was in the same boat as you, :) I wanted a cheap fishing boat and stumbled across the one I bought - I did the research weighted the cons of the engine vs the price, and decided to go for it.

I am VERY happy with the engine so far. The previous owner had already replaced some of the problem spots for that model, which included the stator, starter, and ignition modules. I haven't had any real problems with mine in the ~4 months/40 hours I've had it, although it is definitely overrated in terms of power. My boat will top out around ~29 mph (maybe 33 if I get some bugs worked out) and others with the same hull are getting ~40 out of other brand 120s.

Hope that is some help. On the plus side, the engine is dead simple to work on, it's just that they have a bad rep and some people won't touch them. If you had a choice between the boat with the force, and the boat with anything else - I'd go with anything else.

In general, boattrader.com is your friend as far as trying to figure out what similar boats are going for in your area.

My Boat
 
Kelemvor

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
81
Prices of boats are normally 75% motor, 25% boat. Not sure on that but I'd check on how old the motor is, any maintenance that's been done on it, etc.
 
HomeBrewerDude

HomeBrewerDude

Lifer
Jan 18, 2001
14,465
1
0
Looks good to me. For that price, you won't lose your shirt if you decide you don't really want it, or if you need to have the engine repaired.

the extras are nice...

ask the guy if he has any service records for the engine.



 
S

StrangeRanger

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,316
0
0
The things that jumped right out at me were the Force motor, its age and the fact that it is a 2 stroke. I've worked many, many springs and summers in a boat yard here and learned to not like those motors. And the fact that it's a 2 stroke doesn't help.
While it probably could pull a skier OK, I wouldn't bet on it. He basically says so himself in a round about way: "This boat was bought with the intention of fishing up a storm, however we picked up skiing and wakeboarding." I think you will be unhappy trying to pull anyone with it. Do some more research and read opinions.
j
 
F

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
3,197
0
0
Also, I should point out that you really need to see boats in person to get any kind of accurate representation of what condition they are in. I went and looked at nearly a dozen boats made in ~1992-1999, and 90% of them were what I would consider "almost trashed" cosmetically, even though in photos they looked to be in good/very good condition. Things like peeling decals, faded paint, cracked vinyl, rotted floors, broken gauges, etc, you just can't tell without looking it over in person.

In fact, of all the boats I looked at, only two of them were actually in good condition... go figure, people buy $20,000 toys and then 8 years later they're worth $3000 due to neglect...
 
F

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
3,197
0
0
Originally posted by: StrangeRanger
The things that jumped right out at me were the Force motor, its age and the fact that it is a 2 stroke. I've worked many, many springs and summers in a boat yard here and learned to not like those motors. And the fact that it's a 2 stroke doesn't help.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with a 2 stroke motor. In fact, almost anything pre-1999 you find will have a 2 stroke on it. 4 strokes are nicer, absolutely - but MUCH more complex, much more expensive, and even today I think they are still selling more brand new 2 strokes than 4 strokes. It wasn't until about 2-3 years ago that they became popular for outboards.
 
Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Thanks for the input all, the motor doesn't bother me too much, and I don't mind the emphasis on fish in fish & ski, just looking for something to puddle around on.

The motor doesn't bother me too much, as long as it runs...

The NADA link was very helpful.
 
L

labgeek

Platinum Member
Jan 20, 2002
2,163
0
0
Originally posted by: shot
Good for fishing. Not so good for skiing, horsepwoer wise. Remember, boats are money pits and one with a motor that old is going to give you problems sooner or later. New motor would likely run you about $100 per horse, give or take a few $$.
Click to expand...

We've went skiing behind a 16' trihull with a OLD 65 Chrysler deep drive... 18' with 125, should pull a skier just fine.
 
B

BAMAVOO

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,087
41
91
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Originally posted by: BAMAVOO
That is not a fish and ski, that is a plain ole fishing boat.


This is a fish and ski!
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I know... I really want a bass boat that'll pull too:)
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I know the feeling. i had a ski boat and didn't want any fishing done out of it. Now I want to get a fishing boat and not ski in it. I think we would get more use out of a fishing boat. The only problem I see buying from *bay is not being able to put it in the water to test it. Looks nice otherwise.
 
Scarpozzi

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,391
1,780
126
Yeah....the boat you linked to is a bass boat. You'll probably want a bow-rider. You can still fish from it, but it'll be more family friendly if you wanna take people out and ski or tube. Plus, it'll probably be a little nicer for seating and space. Bass boats usually have a lot of space taken up by stow room and live wells.

I have a 1992 Sunbird Corsair 175. You can see a picture of it in my sig. I talked the guy that was selling it down to $3800 when I got it. It's nice cause it has a 4 cylinder, 4 cycle engine. At 3.0 Liters, it cranks out about 140hp and will do 40mph on the lake. It will pull a skier no problem and gets excellent gas milage compared to it's big brothers on the lake. Just remember that you'll have to pay taxes on what you get...be sure to add that to your total.
 
A

acemcmac

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
13,712
1
0
DON'T GET A FORCE OF THAT VINTAGE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I own a 1990 Bayliner Capri with a Force 90 and it's been nothing but trouble since the day we got it!!!!!!! Prepare to get assraped the full value of the boat all over again to repower that thing!!!!!!

I have been stranded a great many times in it... we've rebored two cylinders on it.... alternators.... everything.... DO NOT GET A BOAT WITH THAT ENGINE UNLESS YOU'RE READY TO REPLACE IT!!!

call it the ATOT hot tip of the day
 
Pliablemoose

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Originally posted by: acemcmac
DON'T GET A FORCE OF THAT VINTAGE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

I own a 1990 Bayliner Capri with a Force 90 and it's been nothing but trouble since the day we got it!!!!!!! Prepare to get assraped the full value of the boat all over again to repower that thing!!!!!!

I have been stranded a great many times in it... we've rebored two cylinders on it.... alternators.... everything.... DO NOT GET A BOAT WITH THAT ENGINE UNLESS YOU'RE READY TO REPLACE IT!!!

call it the ATOT hot tip of the day
Click to expand...

LOL, yep, seems to be the common opinion, thanks, I'll keep looking...

 
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