Exactly Seadoc, they weren't all bad... Chryslers were very popular here in 70's but you either got a goodie or a pig.

 

Chrysler sold the engine line to Bayliner, who I believe are the ones who gave it the Force name. They wanted low cost engines to factory rig their boats, perhaps an idea of ahead of it's time.

Then, when Brunswick purchased Bayliner, these probably unwanted, and mostly obsolete, engines came with the deal.

Mercury decided to spruce them up and improve them, with Mercury gear cases/props, CD ignition systems, etc., and market them as 2nd tier engines. I understand, they were actually pretty good, but not really hot performers and with a second tier, "cheapout" image for the owners. The situation spooked Yamaha and OMC enough that they downgraded their own lines, removing oil injection and other items, so they, too, would have a second tier line. OMC called them the "Special" engines, with odd ball HP number to set them apart. Yamaha had a designation for theirs also. As clean technology became mandated, this engine had to die, so Mercury dumped it in favor of putting Merc engine son Bayliners, and all their other brands also.

 

Look at it as an economical motor, without much re-sale value. But it will get you around

The FORCE brand name has been abandoned. This, in itself, is an indicator of the general public opinion of the engines. If the brand carried any particular special attraction, I don't think the manufacturer would have dropped it.
The FORCE brand now seems to carry a negative connotation. Whether that is completely deserved or not is a matter for a good debate. As LHG chronicled, the engines were always positioned as a low-cost alternative.

When considering purchase of a used FORCE engine, in addition to all the usual cautions, you should consider the generally lower value given to these products by most boaters.

A little known fact. When U.S. Marine needed a new moniker for its new line of outboards, it was decided that "FORCE" was an easy abbreviation for:
"F[reak]ing Old Rebuilt Chrysler Engine"

And there you have the history of FORCE.

And yes, the 5 cylinder 150s with the broken crankshafts and occassional frisby flywheel where ahead of their time.

RIP Force.

Worked for a Bayliner dealer 2 summers ago. We took in trade MANY Bayliner packages from back in the 80's that still had their original Force engines running in excellent condition, and these were from back in the Chrysler/Force days. I worked part-time at a FORCE outboard dealer in c.1985 when I was in college. The dealer sold them with his Maxim boat line (top-shelf Bayliners). My job was to set the boats up. We sold a lot of 17', 20' and 23' MAXIM boats which came with either 85 or125 Force outboard motors or 3.0- or 5.0-liter MerCruiser sterndrive motors. Most of the boats we sold were sterndrives, but the 85 and 125 outboard motors that went out the door never seemed to come back. Most of our clients were boaters on a freshwater lake, so maybe that had something to do with it. I do remember these US Marine Force outboards being easy to install and set up. The F-5 150 was announced just before I left, but I never saw hardly any of those motors out in the field.

 

I guess there'll always be engine badge bigots.... I've owned Merc, Yamaha, Evinrude and a bunch of others. My '92 Montauk, which I bought new in 92, came unrigged. I didn't hesitate to put a "Force by Mercury" 90 on it. First major point was the over $1000 I saved on an engine. That engine gave me 4-1/2 years of flawless performance - averaging 100-200 hours per year. Never needed a single part or service call. The buyer I sold it to is STILL running that motor and has had no malfunctions whatsoever. I got a lot of static about this observation, but I'll repeat it regardless. I met up with another '90's Montauk with a major brand-name 90 on it, and we had a run-off on the St. Croix River. Essentially the same loads on both boats. I ran his flippers off. In 1/2 mile, he was a little more than 900 feet astern... Engine weight may have been a factor, since my Force had no oil injection system, but I'd put that motor against any 90 of its era. I understood that essentially the only original Force components were the main block/powerhead - the rest was Mercury.