Lowe Stinger 175C
I'm looking for an aluminum fishing boat in the 20K price range. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one, or suggestions of other brands that would be somewhat comparable.

I’m looking at boats as well but lightly used ...waiting to see if there will be some fire sales coming up with this pandemic.

My son bought his from this company. He got the XT series. They custom built it to his specs.
https://xtremeboats.com/

My advice would be go welded rather than rivets. And 4 stroke at minimum of 80% of the max horsepower rating

I've had a Lowe 1448 Big Jon with a 25HP Johnson since 1999 back when it was owned by OMC. The whole package has been very good and I'd buy another Lowe but I'd choose a different dealer....

My Dad still has his 1972 12' Lowe-line(pre Lowe) boat and while he had to reset some rivets and had some welding done to the transom it still works good.

There's no perfect boat for every situation so I'd get one that matches the majority of what you will use it for and then plan to rent or hire a guide for the others. Having a good place to store it is important too.

hewescraft river runner is a lot of boat, and you can find used ones pretty right and put on a motor of your choosing

My 17ft Sea nymph has a 60hp Merc. 4 stroke , the hull is rated for 75hp. my top speed is 34 mph at 4500ft elevation.

Evidently fills the bill for what you want, but it's not my cup of tea. It will probably end up costing you like $24 grand with the proper moter, which would be the biggest it's rated for. IME you should get nothing less.

http://wareagleboats.com/boats/21/961-tomahawk

I have had a Lowe bay 20 for a bit more than a year and it has been a great boat so far. I have had only very minor issues with anything boat related. Doing the research the Lowe I bought had 25% thicker aluminum and quite a bit more foam as compared to the closest competitor (Ranger).

On the bigger lakes here when the wind gets up, squarer hull boats beat the hell out of you and soak you. Now I haven't been in one for many years so don't know if the technology has improved this, but I wouldn't buy a new boat that wasn't deep V. Lowe makes those also and make good boats.

Kent

I've had my Lowe 1648 with a 35 horse Honda for 25 years. Absolutely no issues with either.
It has always planed out, no matter what I've piled in it.
The only downside to a Jon boat is that it wants to be on top of every wave and gives a rough ride unless it is loaded down pretty good.
I put a deck in it between the middle seat and the bow, level with the seat. That helped the ride quite a bit.

Depends on what water you want to fish with it and what you'll be fishing for.

If this boat fits your bill then by all means dive in. I had that exact boat (a 2011) with a 2012 Merc 4 stroke 20 HP for five years and loved it. A lot of local lakes have a 25 horse max so I didn't go with anything bigger. The only issue I had was the electronic tilt solenoid went out on it twice under warranty and was replaced.

I changed my style of fishing (from bass to walleye) and started fishing bigger water so I went to a much bigger v-hull with a full windshield. My buddy bought my Lowe and is running it now.

Guy on my crew at work has a Lowe Stinger with a 115 Mercury Optimax. He is very happy with it. Says it runs in the low 60s with just him in the boat.

Hard to offer advice if you do't say what kind of water you're going to be on.

That would work! I don’t think we have a local dealer for them however.

IMO full walk-through windshield is the only way to go, even in the heat of the summer. Literally, whatever floats your boat, but if I were going aluminum, I'd get a semi or deep v. Stinger is a glorified jon boat and would be okay for rivers or very small lakes only IMO. But the OP didn't ask and for what it is, Lowe at least makes a medium-quality boat.

I sold a 1995 Lowe 1650 yesterday. It was a good boat. I just want something newer.

Small lakes and rivers. Fishing for panfish and bass. Occasionally pulling someone on an inner tube.

You really think a 75 hp is worth the extra 4 grand over a 60? Why? This is the sort of info I am looking for. Thanks.

Greg, I use it on smaller lakes as others have said big rough water is a challenge and you will get wet. I like the painted interior as apposed to carpet. I tow it down dirt roads and it is easy to clean.
One downside is it can get hot, I painted it a light gray and that helps.
The 4 stroke is amazing, quiet, trolls all day. It uses so little gas I forget to fill it, the 8 gallon tank last forever. People say boats are expensive and a hassle to maintain, this boat is just the opposite.

https://xpressboats.com/

I wallered around with a 16' heavy fiberglass bassboat for year with only a 70 'rude on it. No more. Anytime I buy a boat it will have adequate horsepower. That boat could've had a 120 on it, but I didn't shell out. The only way I'd underpower that boat is if I was ONLY going to fish very small bodies of water. For that boat, a 60 isn't exactly underpowered, but I'd go with the maximum safe horsepower. It's very easy to throttle a bigger motor down, when you've got a smaller motor doing all she's got, that's it.

Honestly, it sounds to me like you've got the money. I'd part with the cash and get the bigger motor IF I was getting that particular boat, even moreso on some others. It's not even so much about topend as it is about popping up out of the hole faster and safety in general. Some of the lakes I've fished in Kansas and Texas are THE most dangerous man-made impoundments in the country. Sometimes when you need to get to the ramp it should've been yesterday.

Storm blew a tree over on my boat a ways back.I have been looking at this. https://xpressboats.com/crappie-stick-steer/ Perfect for what I do.

I truly appreciate the advice.

I had a Mirrocraft boat .Best boat I ever owned

No prob. I've seen a lot of Lowe's. Xpress, G3 and War Eagle would be my top boats of the type you're looking at...topped out on hp. I DON'T believe in overpowering one though. Just sayin'. I hope you get what you want. A good boat is a joy. If you were satisfied with your Lowe in the past...that goes a long ways towards the next boat.

Have you ever known a boat owner tell someone they wished they bought a smaller motor?

To me it is all about weight.If the 40,50 and sixty are the same its the 60.If the next size gains 100 lbs.no deal.Boat needs to be handy and light as possible.

I'd normally agree with Ethan on this, but I have theory on outboards that I think has merit.

I won't go above a family of out boards for just a small increase in HP. By this, take a 60 horse. It's probably on the same block, frame, etc. as the 40 or 50. It will cost little more, & sometimes doesn't weigh more.
A jump to a 70 or 75 might have you getting a motor that has a larger physical size & may weigh a good bit more. Basically the same as a 90 or 115. And... cost nearly as much.

No way I would spend 4 grand more, probably not 2 grand more for 15 HP & probably pick up 50 pounds in the deal. That 50 # could eat up most of the HP gain IMO

My grandpa had that exact same rig. He left it to my cousin before passing and it’s still running like a champ.

If you are planning to fish the big 3 in Mississippi or get on the river go with the 75 . I have a Lowe 1860 Roughneck with Mercury 90 fourstroke . Im able to run 43 mph with a 19 pitch prop .

It's hard justify that much money to go 6 to 8 mph faster .

The 16' Lowe I sold had a 50hp Evinrude on it. While it wasn't real fast, it did everything I wanted it to do. $4000 for 15 more horsepower just seems exorbitant.

It'll never be on big water, nor in a tournament. I am in northern middle Tennessee. 30-35 mph is adequate. I just want to fish and pull an inner tube occasionally.

So does anyone have a particular gripe with the Lowe boat or Mercury motor?

As long as the Mercury motor is fuel injected, and a four stroke, your good. Plus buy the biggest motor you can afford.

Do your own math. Any salesman worth your time should be able to tell you how many MPH you can get on a boat with a given motor.

A pontoon I had once was gonna cost me $2800 for 2 MPH.

Mid size Mercurys are made in China. I think.

This I did not know.

I live in N Arkansas. We had a Lowe dealer here for many years. Many people had them and were happy with them for many years. The dealer closed and we don't have anyone close selling them but there are still a few running that are 30 years old. I don't have any advise on motor brands. I would buy close to what the tag says is max though and the brand that has good local dealer support. Underpowered boats aren't much fun.

.

Lowe boats are good boats. The Mercury outboards are good also, but note that the 30HP and down are built by Tahatsu in Japan (Great Engines!!), the 40, 50 & 60HP engines are built in China and the 70HP and up are built in Wisconsin.

Well I went and bought a new Lowe 175 Stinger Saturday, and I think the damn thing is cursed. I got home from the 3.5 hour trip back from the dealer to discover they did not install the 2 bank battery charger.

Yesterday, after everybody left here from Sunday dinner, the sun was shining so I decided to go to the lake to try it out. Got about 2 miles form the house, and had to lock up the brakes to keep from hitting a fella coming up the wrong side of the road. The hitch jumped off the ball. I got that situated and headed on toward the lake, where I found a thunderstorm. Sat there at the dock til nearly dark hoping it would pass. It didn't. Came back home and the sky was still clear here.

I'm about scared to try it again today.

The hitch jumped off the ball?

Was not down and locked? Or a 2 inch hitch on a 1 7/8 inch ball?

Simply have never heard of a trailer jumping off a ball. Certainly not a brand new trailer in good condition.

Here's hoping you get your boat in the water and enjoy the heck out of it and catch lots of fish.

Nice boat but I would go with one of the deep v models instead of the bass boat type. FM 1775 SC would be what I would pick.

Yeah, but you have some water up there. I’m fishing in a glorified puddle.

First time I’ve had it happen. It wasn’t adjusted tight enough. I don’t think it’ll happen again. I am a firm believer in safety chains now.

40 - 50 - 60 hp made in China. Small Mercs are made in Japan by Tohatsu and those are great motors.

I maxed my boat out on HP and would always do it. You'll never be wishing for less HP.......

Sounds like a true boating adventure. Hang tough and you'll get it all figured out and your boat won't be new anymore.

Hell, that's just a good start. It's all downhill from here! Happy boating and good luck fishing.

Finally got it in the water today. I think it is exactly what I wanted. I’ll never own another 2 stroke boat motor!

Sincere thanks for all of your advice and wisdom.