looking at buying a 87 force 265. any bad things to watch out for on these boats? it has a 454 with 530 hours. how is the up keep on this and is it a good boat. paint is alittle faded but the interior is mint(no cracks or rips in it) looks like it just needs a good buff. let me know what i should be looking for on this. thanks.

Hull rot.... alot of older Bajas or any other boat had bad sealing when built, holes drilled for drains are not sealed usually, leading to bulkhead rot. have a survey done unless you know what to look for.

Good size boat for the money, I have heard they do well in bigger water since it is a big 26 footer.

The '87 Force 265 is a great boat but it has one major downfall, they put an alpha 1 outdrive behind a big block! It has a 454 330hp and the outdrive has 1.32:1 gears. The cuddy in this boat is larger than the new 26 ol and it has more space behind the front seats but a smaller sun pad. The boat does handle rough water very well however it is very heavy and slow. Hope this helps!

Some also had TRS, that is a good drive in my opinion, I have 2 on my 320!

thanks for all the info guys. what drive do you suggest?? i"ve heard that the drive is fine for a stock motor but if i build the motor i should change the drive. what is the crusing speed of the boat? gonna put it on lake michigan dont really know of a other place to put it at that is closer to home.

You'll be fine with stock power on the alpha 1 just don't gun it out of the hole and don't jump waves. The top speed on mine is 52 gps with 2 people and full of gas and the cruise is 35 mph without getting into the four barrels. This is a great boat for the money IMO.

paying $8,000. good price or what??

Had a 87 baja235 great boat and held up great but, wiring on the older boats can cause some issues. You need to look at want you want to put in to it and how handy you are. If you have a place to work on it over the winter and can go though it bow to stern thats the place to start. It is better to spend the time on it now then when it is 90 out. Also low Hrs don't make it a good deal. Boats are made to use and when they sit it can cause rot. Good Luck.

Get a survey. If theres no rot in the stringers and transom then I think $8,000 is an excellent price. JMO

thanks for all the info guys. you all have been a great help