hey. i just sold my old bassboat and im looking for another one. i live in Mexico, very close to the border with Texas and New Mexico, so i though i could search there as well... where do you look for used boats besides craiglist??

 

with the currency we have now (16 pesos for 1 dollar), i have about $5000 to spend on the boat. there are 2 boat within that price range in my city, but i want to check for more options. 

 

#1 belongs to the local fishing store owner, its a 1999 Nitro, Fish N ski, with a 120 HP motor. everything is in working condition (according to him). he wants $4875. its similar to this one (not actual photos)

 

 

 

#2 belongs to a retired man who just took fishing a couple years ago and got this boat... its in very good condition as well, it has an Evinrude Intruder 150HP, and a wireless Minn Kota trolling motor with GPS. he wants $5300. its this one (actual photos):

 

 

 

now, the boat will be used mostly for fishing, but the season goes from June 25 2015 to March 10 2016, so, from March to June we cannot fish. those are the hottest months of the year, and i have a lake 20 minutes from home where we can ski or tow an inflatable. thats why i want at least 120HP (my old boat was 85HP)....

 

i think i prefer a bassboat, but if the Fish N Ski is any good i could consider it, specially because it has 4 seats. but how good is it for fishing?? doesnt it sits too high in the water?? i can go and test it once the seasons starts, but i thought i would ask first for someone who has fished on one of those... 

 

thanx...

 

 

thanx, ill check there, maybe i can find something within driving distance...

If the Nitro has a motor that looks like that then skip it because it's a Force. It'll make you wish you never bought it haha. If it's a Mercury it'll usually be labeled as a "Pro Series" where if it's a Force it'll be the "Power Series" 

If the Nitro has a motor that looks like that then skip it because it's a Force. It'll make you wish you never bought it haha. If it's a Mercury it'll usually be labeled as a "Pro Series" where if it's a Force it'll be the "Power Series" 

 

thanx. but, why is that?? mileage?? expensive repairs?? hard to find spare parts??

thanx. but, why is that?? mileage?? expensive repairs?? hard to find spare parts??

They're ticking time bombs. Their parts have poor tolerances. They are severely under powered for their hp rating. Overall, they are just a poorly put together engine. The ones on the Tracker/Nitro's were slightly better since that was after Mercury bought them out, but you still couldn't pay me to use one. In the long run, you'll be much happier with virtually anything else. Most of the time boats with those on them retail for very slightly more than what they would without a motor. 

Mercury bought Force to market an entry level motor, at a cheaper price than the merc, made a few minor changes, but nothing to brag about. Cheap, entry level motors is just what they are. Their technology is still from the 60's, they have very poor performance, compare to any other similar size motor today. Their reliability is questionable. a few people have gotten trouble free service from them but most wish they had never seen one.

If you tried to give me one and told me I had to use it if I took it, I wouldn't take it.

thanx. in fact i think we already decided not to look at the Nitro because its a fish n ski, and we fish 90% of the time so we prefer to have a bassboat and try to ski out of it sometimes (maybe add a removeable pylon), than compromise fishing ability all year just to be able to ski 2 or 3 times a year....

If the Nitro has a motor that looks like that then skip it because it's a Force. It'll make you wish you never bought it haha. If it's a Mercury it'll usually be labeled as a "Pro Series" where if it's a Force it'll be the "Power Series" 

My dad has a 40 Force on a pontoon from the late 90s that really is a Mercury. Everything on it is made by Q'Silver and is interchangeable with a Merc 40.

 

LORD, I'M CRAZY BOUT A MERCURY!

I've known several guys that owned Force motors, only 1 of them is still happy they bought it. 

I've known several guys that owned Force motors, only 1 of them is still happy they bought it.

Ditto.