TEAM TALK: TOP 10 WORST OUTBOARDS OF ALL TIME (JUNK!) 

At first I was upset that the G2 was like 9 but after seeing the top 3 it made sense😂. I literally felt so bad about a guy that had a force at a boat ramp I took him fishing. I knew they’d never get to go fishing otherwise 😩

Most of the Force failures were from people running bad gas or cheap oil, the people that bought them weren’t seasoned boaters and didn’t know how to take care of them. As shown in these other comments, people that actually take care of them properly have good luck with them.

This is freaking awesome,my family was in the boat biz for many years and we started out as force/mariner,then mercury after 96-ish.My buddy traded in a Suzuki 150ss and when I sold it the guy came back and said it quite on him,ended up just a bad stator.keep up the good work fellas.

Thank for the great laugh today I needed it. I agree completely, this was the most entertaining one so far! Thanks again smiles for days.

My Dad bought a 1979 Mercury 140 tower of power. I was nine at the time. I have been running that same outboard up until two years ago. ( I’m now 52). That motor ran as smooth as a baby’s butt. Never had a issue.

Valuable insight from a life long boat mechanic. I love your episodes. I found your experiences on Chrysler outboards interesting. My grandparents bought a home on Pine Island Florida in 1967 and after failing with Mercury he swore by the Chryslers holding up better in the salt water. He used the 120 primarily. I know they were always run very hard in rough conditions at times.

I am so happy to see Force number one on this list. I think my dad had the worst boat and motor combo ever probably in your eyes, he had a mid-80s Bayliner with a mid-80s force. There was times you couldn't even get that off the trailer.

OK, nice video. I had a 2.6 ducted Sea Drive. It should have been #1 on your list. Not enough money in the world to keep it running. I replaced it with a Suzuki 225, with two plugs per cylinder. Best two-stroke I've ever owned, ran it countless offshore miles for years and had almost no issues. It was fast too. Loved that motor. Take it off your bad list. Today I'm running a pair of '21 Suzuki 200 hp. Very nice engines.

I have a1986 Force 125, and a 1985 85hp and both run great never an issue maybe I'm just luckey.. But I believe it is the owners that make a good motor as most people just park them in the off season, and never matenance then as they should. After nearly fourty years the compression on both of mine is still 145+ on all clynders.

Hit the nail on the head..for fun back in the day we put a chrysler 100hp on nitro methane...surprisingly it lasted for 2 full quarter mile passes and idled at 4k rpm...😆. I never seen a piston turn into tooth paste...it oozed out the block.

My uncle had a Johnson fast strike that was in the shop more than on the water. I’m sure by the numbers OMC made a decent motor, but we never had luck with them.

100% correct. I spend more time fixing carb 4 strokes than any other motor as far as tuning them.

Was waiting for the force if it wasn't on here I wasn't going to subscribe lol but you have now earned my subscription lol

I truly enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing some knowledge , and then making me laugh several times. 😆 … I mean I am still picturing the kid swimming with the rope in his teeth 😂

Dude...the Evinrude G2 rocks. Didn't sell that well but it was the best outboard of all time. A shame it wasn't more popular because it was a high tech piece of kit.

I bought a ‘96 bayliner with a 120 Force and our first trip out blew up the carrier bearing in the lower unit and hated it ever since!

Haha..the "Tower of Power". We had one when I was a kid and there was always SOMETHING you had to phuck with to get it to run right and when I was, it went through gas like you were pouring it overboard. Replaced that with a (then new) 150hp Merc Black Maxx and wish to God i still had it. People got into trouble when they'd either forget to refill the oil injection tank or if the oil injection system had an issue, but if properly maintained, that was the best bass boat engine I ever ran

may the force be with you and never behind you

I had a Force 90hp for 5 years. No problems except trim and tilt. It didn’t produce 90hp. Water skiing , cruising, with good oil, no smoke. Ran it WOD frequently, tried a few different pitch props, always ran the same speed. I feel lucky now.

Enjoy your videos .keep them coming ! I have a question ... I have a 2005 Suzuki DF 115 I got it usead whit a boat and i want to know if its anyway to find out the nr of houres and how , thank you !

Great video! So I’m looking at buying a new still in the crate 2021 Suzuki DF200 ATL3 outboard from a marina. But after watching your video I’m having 2nd thoughts. What’s your thoughts? Thanks

Already having issues with a covid motor. Any idea what would cause a merc 250 pro xs 4 stroke randomly shake at idle but run fine otherwise??

I’m restoring a 1974 Allison sst and I was given a running force 120. Hadn’t had it in the water yet but I hope it last long enough for me to find 2.5l merc.

Best quote, "There was one out of....there's one that ran good, I think."

When I was a boat mechanic in the 90s I made a good living replacing and rebuilding Johnson/Evinrude 60hp powerheads.

I had the Force 40hp 1994 model. It only needed sparkplugs about once a year. Never had any other problem with it. Sold in 2000.

I have a 2005 175 Ficht engine. One of the best engines I've ever owned. I did have to have the top head computer rebuilt by DFI Industries in Alabama. Came back better than ever. The best engine I owned was a Johnson 150 GT (1981????). Always ran, ran ran. And super fast.

I just bought a tracker with a 1999 mercury force 90hp. Thing runs great but only had a few days. Should I try to resell it in the spring or go with it? Can I get pets for it? Thanks.

Believe it or not. My Dad and I had a 150 Force in the mid 90’s. Dad was an old boat racer and we modified the hell out of the engine and on our 16’ 89 Cajun we would leave mercs, evies all takers. It broke peoples minds. Funnest boating of my life.

I had a Tracker motor I was told was a Force. Could never keep it running. I am glad that was #1

We bought our Suzuki when Covid was just getting started. (we weren't even wearing masks yet) so hopefully we are safe. Carburetors are great for engines that are used regularly, but on outboards that sit or troll a lot, over time they just lose their tune and don't work right. I see small boats with electric trolling motors all the time simply for the reason that their trusty old carburetor outboards just don't troll right anymore. My marine mechanic has the Merc Opti max on his list as well. Good video by the way.

I had a 99 ficht on my old Ranger with around 650 hours on it when I sold it three years ago. Sipped oil and fuel and ran like a champ. I had it for 8 years I think and besides routine maintenance the only problem it had was a cracked capacitor in the ecm that needed to be fixed for starting in cold weather. The lower unit did give it up right before I sold it, but it was the original, so pretty good. I'll tell you I hated indexing those damn spark plugs though lol

I’m kinda worried now I got a sedative 115 so far it runs good but what do I need to look out for on it ?

I had a tower of power 150 and that thing was a tank!!! Loved it!! Just so loyal!!! Every time I hit the key that motor with fire and run!

I have a mercury 115 power of tower bought it from a guy that didn’t know much about it. Just need a tune up and carbs clean. It hasn’t miss a single beat since and owned it for 5 years now still going strong as brand new. Plus I just pick up a mercury 175 that’s been sitting for 15 years after a tune up that bad boy fired up like it never been sitting at all. Crazy the rare finds on them good motors.

I got a 98 ficht 150 with 890 hrs and still runs great, very dependable motor as long as it had the recall. Pin it and trim it. Wished 2 strokes was still manufactured

My 97 force 40hp has been reliable as hell for over a decade. Not the smoothest but it idles good and the only thing I ever had to do besides maintenance is a starter. I have not been easy on it and it still hauls but. Maybe I just got really lucky.

I will have to say, I bought a new Nitro 700LX back in the 90's with a 90 hp Force. I fished out of it all year for 6 years and beat on it. yet never had a single issue with it, but I maintain my stuff. I sold it and upgraded to a new 2002 Ranger 518VX with the 200hp Opti. Still running it today.

I still wake up at night in a cold sweat and run to the garage and make sure there's not a blue motor on the back of my boat. The Evinrude Ficht stranded me way too many times to count after I bought it new in 2000.

Carburetor for four-stroke Mercury is because they're using ethanol gas if they use non ethanol and put a little seafoam in each fill-up you never have a problem

My Merc four stroke is one cold natured motor, but once it starts it runs great.

I was once a strong proponent of North American made outboards but no more. Too much heartbreak with the realization the manufacturers wanted to only clip their coupons instead of trying to improve their product. I would be very very careful if I wanted to buy a motor today and really research the engine and THE DEALER before I made a move. One last thought; I once reached out to OMC for assistance and the company instead accused me of not servicing my equipment. Soon after the company declared bankruptcy.

trolling Lake Erie wallyes with merc io johnson was my go to perfect kicker motor never let me down but the 2stroke she liked was mercury oil

Good job. Toastmaster expert quote: Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them. I'm a former toastmaster and then got too busy for the program. You followed that format, so I told you. I am thinking of being a RU-vid presenter via slide show of my home repair projects. No time for me to do the action videos but am doing progress pics. I can do a good narration of the organized pics. I am deciding if it is worth my while or a waste of time. I hope to get back into boating after I get a good but used full size pick-up truck to tow the boats.

What engine would you suggest (10-20hp range) for an inflatable boat ? Like very light use. Thanks

My fiance and I bought an older bass boat last year with an 89 force 125 on it. Stator went out on it last year, but after that, it's been a great running motor. Idles really well and gets us to where we want to go and back.

Love watching the videos so funny

The 1995 Evinrude Intruder 150 was a solid motor. It wasn't on his list thankfully, but I got mine for free thanks to my impulsive and eccentric neighbor who thought he was a jack of all trades. It started running rough for him. He would go out there trying this or that for an hour, then start cussing lol. He rebuilt the carbs, new plugs, new coils, power pack, fuel lines, etc. But it was just super hard to get started and then ran poorly while stalling when u put it in gear. One day a delivery truck shows up and he purchased a brand new 200 Mercury. I noticed the old Intruder on a trailer. He said it's worn out and going to the dump. I asked if I could have it and he said if you can get it to your house,then go for it..... The next day on Sunday I check compression and it's fine, spark is good. I then notice some very fine dust coming from under the flywheel that looks grayish. I pop the flywheel off and discovered half a magnet cracked and dislodged. I ordered a used flywheel and installed it that Friday. The motor fired right up, but still ran terrible. I figured it was the carbs. I took it to a local outboard mechanic. He laughed and said whoever rebuilt these carbs had 0 clue as to what they were doing. I said go ahead and just rebuild and tune all of them. I have had that motor since 2007 and it has left me stranded once when the starter quit. But while it's a gas guzzler, it's a strong motor..... After fixing it, my neighbor actually thought it would be fair if I paid him at least something for all the money he put into it 😱. I told him I would provide him with some fish..... We have never really talked since, which I think is petty

I got an old aluminum bass boat im restoring it came with a 80s evinrude 28 spl on it how were they and what kind of problems can I expect from it would i even be able to get parts if i need to make repairs to it or would i be better off to just repower it

Had a OMC Johnson gt 175 with the direct injection oil pump. Popped the heads every time due to lack of oil. Then started putting oil in the gas tank. Last longer, but pop goes the weasel. Replaced it with a 175 merc efi.

I have an old evinrude v4 cross flow, the thing is from the 70s and still running strong... would love a 4 stroke or e-tec though, the noise gets to me now and again when trying to have conversations while on plane

I was planning on purchasing a new pontoon with either a 90hp or 115hp motor, with any of the top 3 manufacturers motors, I'm not picky, but now I'm concerned about getting a Covid Motor. What do you consider the time frame for the manufacturer of a "Covid" motor?

I know a guy that had a Fitch…. It was a good thing he put a brand new trolling motor on that boat, he put more hours on the trolling motor then the outboard that thing left him stranded everywhere haha

I am a new boater just bought a 2021 ranger alum rt178 it has a merc 60 on it does this motor have carbs? I know that’s a silly question but I honestly do not know lol

With 30 years in the Industry,I concur with your top ten.

Mercury vs Chrysler Force. I have the one by Mercury, 120 HP, and it runs quite well. I do agree with the leaking carbs, I have no idea why the replacement/oem seals are cork. Once I leveled the float correctly and don't trim it till the pump maxes out she doesn't leak.

I had a stack of evy's and john's through the 70s, 80s and 90s, and they never let me down. The old motors were made to last. I would not buy a new outboard these days.

Does anyone know the reliability of the mercury sport jet inboard engines that came on the basstracker in board jet boats in the mid 90s to early 2000s

Got my 20hp merc 4 stroke since 2008, never ever had a problem. Gets abused beyond hell, never missed a beat!

I had a 87 Suzuki dt150ss with the 12 plugs on a 21 ft bullet ran in the mid 60’s sold it 3 years ago running with original power head on it.

First boat was a 1982 Renken bow rider with a 1982 Chrysler 115 2 stroke. I brought it to a mechanic to go through it and he told me this is a red headed stepchild but somehow this one was in great shape. It was loud, shaky and smoked like hell but it always ran never gave me a problem. Didn’t have so much luck with the 2006 Yamaha 225 4 stroke though.

Most of the sears motors were Eska, actually pretty good for what they are. I have a 40 year old one. Still runs like a top. The late model ones were made by force I wouldn't touch one of those.

I had a force 125, late 80’s, most reliable outboard I ever owned. Maybe I just got lucky. I had a Johnson 65hp before and that force ran so much smoother with much less vibration. But knowing they are prone to issues I won’t get another. I don’t buy new outboards for several reasons, they are all crap, they are all priced way higher than they should be, they all rely too heavily on electronics. I have my favorites, old evinrude/ Johnson, smaller mercury’s, and for stern drive mercruiser alpha 1 with a Chevy small block.

Actually have a 99 120 Force and have had zero issues with it.

I never thought of covid motors. Ordered a Tohatsu msf50 last summer. Should be here this summer. My first outboard. Making me paranoid it might be junk haha..

I have a 90 force ,some guy ran into it and smashed the cover on this motor it was punished all over the lake .but it is sad we tried to get the bottom gear case redone and no dice ,they stopped making parts for it and if I found parts they were over priced bad .just a rare motor that never blew up and was awsome I call it the lotto motor 1 in a million. Lol

Hey man new sub here you got any news on the old 85 suzuki dt85 , btw hello from Alaska

Im running a 84 25 Evinrude on a 1519DS lol. E25RCR. Shes a good motor still to this day. I use it duck hunting on the flats!

Your list is correct. I still like towers of power, though.

What do you think about a 1975 Johnson outboard motor 2-stroke hp 115

Comment below of if you've ran any of these outboards and what your experience was like.

I had a 96' 90 force on a tracker, most reliable motor I ever had. Never failed me

I got a 1988 force 50 for 400 bucks. Im brand new to outboards but can turn a wrench. I was hesitant but it had really good compression and looked really clean. Figured what the hell. Gotta be better than a dead motor right? Out of the gate had a stator problem which did not inspire confidence, but i fixed that easy and the thing runs good! Gets me going fast, and for a cheap motor, it just needs to get me where i need to fish and i have a good kicker motor as a back up. I think for just getting started, if you just want to get out fishing and to learn about working on outboards without breaking the bank, not a bad choice. This thing is super simple and easy to work on. Maybe I got lucky but so far, as a DIY guy I am not disappointed. Maybe someday i will sell it and upgrade to a nicer motor but so far, Im fishing so im happy.

I had a '98 Force 120hp. I ran the crap out of it. I know it wasn't the best motor ever made, but it did give me some fun times fishing. I didn't own that boat/motor long, after 1.5 years and a starter motor, I traded it off for a new boat that had a Yamaha. I have not looked back. I did run 100% regular gas and Pennzoil Marine 2-stroke oil. Could be the reason I didn't have problems like others have stated.

I've had several Eskas/Gamefisher's (made by Eska). Some of the really old ones (60s) and newest ones were made by others, but most were Eska. I have a 1973 5 HP (air cooled) that my father purchased new that is still going, and a 1975'ish 9.9 twin liquid cooled. It is still running like the day it was new (and it ran good then). It is, however on its 3rd ignition module. Thank goodness for donor motors. Engines made by Tecumseh. I love the look of tower of Merc tower of power motors, but honestly only know one person who has one, and it is a late 60's motor that has been maintained like a baby. Finally, I have a carbureted 4 stroke that runs great, and probably has for 75 years. Yes, it is a 1948 Lauson (by the way, I know that's not what you were referring to, but love the little motor).

I 100% agree with you on the Chrysler outboard motors. They suck. My dad bought a brand new boat with a Chrysler motor on it. After the first year the only way you could start it is with starting fluid. After that it ran good. In and out of the shop constantly. The boat spent more time in the shop than it did on the lake. I was happy to see that Johnson didn't make your list. We've had 3 or 4 late 70's models that ran like a top after i rebuilt the carbs. We had a 70 hp, a 90hp, and a 70hp stinger that i currently have stored while trying to find a good hull to put it on. I also have a Mercury black max 150 ( late 80's) that runs very well after i rebuilt the carbs on it

I had a early 90s 15hp Game Fisher also. We took it to Lake Fork. 1st time out. The 1st stump we rolled over a stump the prop nudged it and the prop didnt spin. Little did we know they put shear pins in the prop shaft!!!!!! We had to be towed in! I used make my own shear pins out of welding wire for it. Total junk

I had the carb 9.9 mercury 4 stroke.. bad fuel pump and carb rebuilds every year. Now i got a yamaha 150 sho covid motor.

What year did 4stroke outboard motors go to fuel injectors?

Out of all the boat motors I've owned the best is from omc have a 1963 evinrude 75 hp v4 still run it...been in the family for over 40 years had a 1979 Johnson 100 v4...omc made some pretty tough motors in the day

I was a Sears tech for 20 years.The models with tecumseh powerheads were nothing much more than a lawnmower engine under the cowling(ignition timing and carb were slightly different.They had many issues. I do remember Sears had other manufacturers too with issues but We had a couple models with a Japanese powerhead.We had dozens here in south florida getting run hard in salt water,ran great with no abnormal/early failures.

Came here for Force. Did not disappoint.

Ran a 1999 40hp Merc 4 stroke and those carbs were horrible! I rebuilt them several times and once parts on the acc pumps broke you were screwed. Had some one off shit that wouldn't cross over to the yamaha's. I currently run a Ficht (DI) and find it to be less problematic than the optimax proXS engines I've owned and far less maintenance.

My brother-in-law had a force Engine,the carbs seat nut kept coming loose. No one their knew to put a little lock tight on it.

Bought my Suzuki 200 December 2019. Thank God I made the decision before covid.

What’s do u guys think about the 90’s model merc 2 stroke EFI’s?

My tower of power was great, when it ran. It was the loudest motor on the lake. Passengers needed earplugs. Finally burned out #3 cylinder, stopped caring after that.

Had 1999 force 120 for 6 years had 150 psi on all cylinders and was amazing. Had almost no hours on it when I got it so probably why it was good it didn't have time for a beginner boater to trash it. May be the only other good Force out there

Is the 1993 Evinrude E25TEETS good outboards??

My dads boat had a Yamaha 100 4-stroke carborated. Ran flawlessly for approximately 25 years until we sold it with my dad’s passing. The gentleman that bought it said it’s still running great after he cleaned it up a little after it sat in storage for 5 years. One of the reasons when I bought my last fishing boat in 2020 I insisted on Yamaha

I think I have the only good running Ficht. I bought the boat in 2011 and was told my engine was going to blow up soon. It is a 2001 135hp V6. I have had my issues, but it still runs strong due to my great mechanic and regular maintenance.

He must be a Vintage VW Dude !!!!! Great video as always !!! Tell it how it is !!!

I had a Johnson 90hp, 3 cylinder. The tech that worked on it always said it was a Chrysler disguised as a Johnson......Happy day when it was gone!

I have a 2003 BRP Evinrude 225 thing makes gas, i love it runs like a dream, got a good one

Tower of power - changing the #6 spark plug....uuggghhhh... What where they thinking when they designed that??? It has an excellent hole shot though!! Are the carbs designed to leak a little?

My dad bought a boat with a Chrysler 70hp I think like 22 years ago and we sure were glade to see that thing go

Top 2 out of 10 is good right?! Hahahaha! I have an old 1978 Chrysler boat and 75hp outboard, didn’t realize they were so bad. Appreciate the video! 🤘

I still run a tower of power sometimes. Pretty finicky and hard to work on, but otherwise it's been a great engine.

I just bought one Force 120 0f 1999 pay just 200 bucks. This has no compression in the fourth cylinder. Could you help me find a spare pistons kit in the US ? Please! I'm from Kazakhstan

My first boat had a 45 Chrysler. It would always drop a cylinder at idle. About shake the transom out. Come out of the bay and hit the throttle. She'd sputter and cough and then the cylinder would come back and run good. Ended up putting a 6hp Johnson kicker on with it. Trolling was outta the question with it. 2nd boat was 115 tower of power. Little temperamental but ran forever. Eventually it tore the transom outta the old MARK TWAIN boat. Hung on it another boat and ran it several more years.