Lowe Tin Boat

[greyleg33]

I,ve always owned tin boats because I take  my boats where I would hesitate to take a composite boat.

 

Two years ago I bought a , '13 Lowe 18'. Two things attracted me to it. When a tin boat leaks it is usually where the two halves of the hull meet at the keel. Dicey trying to get rid of that leak. On the Lowe there is cap, perhaps 5" wide, that runs down the entiire lenght  of the keel. The other thing I liked was that there were two rod lockers allowing me to  keep 18 rods rigged and ready. I don't fish 18 rods but  I have one ready for whatever I might want to do.

 

The ony thing about the boat I don,t like is the fuel filler hose. I've monkied with it on and off two years and I still have to take the filler  hose off and fuel at the tank.

 

The trailer is another matter. First trip out I bent the axle. Next axle straight from the factory was bent. Finally mounted a 3500lb axle. The guide-ons weren't up to the job, either. One bent and the other broke. Replaced them with heavy-duty which of course ment I had to change the lights.

 

[Scott F]

A friend of mine bought a Lowe a couple of years ago and although the boat has been OK, he also had problems with the trailer. The tires did not last through the first season, the guide-ons also broke off, the deck plates on the fenders fell off and the winch did not hold up. 

[carlm01]

greyleg33  I don't know if you saw my post ,I own a  2014 lowe skorpion that I bought new last may ,I had the boat in a freshwater river once in early june and went back a couple of weeks later (It's not at my house ) and the axle had started to rust .. I know my trailer is a karavan had a terrible time with both my dealer and Lowe finally after posting on the dealer,karavan and Lowes FB pages I heard from the dealer and karavan ,They did give me a new axle but not until later Aug and my dealer wasn't going to pay for the labor until I shamed them on FB now that the boat is put up they wanted me to bring it to them,,,I'll tell you this I like the boat but would never buy another from them .....

[fishnkamp]

I too have a 2010 Lowe, it is a 170 Stinger.  Like you, I had trouble with the trailer/boat combination.  This is my eleventh boat.  I have been boating over 35 years. This trailer/boat combo is the worst I have ever owned. My problem is the trailer was improperly matched to the trailer.  Karavan built a strong durable trailer that was improperly designed by Lowe. They built exactly what Lowe asked for. The bunk boards are mounted to a pair of low slung crossmembers.  The boards are permanently mounted on non adjustable brackets.  The trailer has the same poorly designed side rollers you have.  When the boat is sitting on the trailer it is supported by the bunks perfectly flat (parallel to the ground).  The boat has a "Mod Vee" front hull that transitions into an almost flat bottom.  This means the trailer bunk is too low to contact the hull in the rear and too high in the front when the trailer is on your typically angled ramp. As you try to drive on, the rear of the bunks do not help line up the hull and as you power on to the trailer you actually are powering down into the bunk about 5 feet forward from the rear. This means I have to get out and winch the boat on the last 5 feet.  I do not appreciate that in December when striper fishing.  After many conversations I finally spoke with their incompetent engineer.  After great effort, he finally understood his mistakes but could offer no help.  I educated him on how the trailer should have been built, as I have already corrected most of his flaws.  If you have the same problem purchase adjustable bunk brackets and raise the rear of the boards about 6 inches and try to lower the front boards about 3 inches.  Now remove and throw the useless side rollers away.  I used a Dremel tool and their 1 1/2 cutting wheels.  I notched the sidesteps and installed 24 inch side boards made by CE Smith and sold by Bass Pro Shops.  If Lowe made the typical deep vee fiberglass bass hulls then maybe their setup might have worked but they do not.  What made the whole thing really bad is after I humiliated this idiot enough he admitted he had never tested his work, meaning he never took the boat/trailer combo to the lake. If he had he would have seen it did not work and re engineered it.  Instead I spent about $300 to fix his mess.  My last update was to remove the bunk carpet and install Tie Downs Self Centering Bunk Glide ons, these are polymer 4 foot sections that replace the bunk carpet with a very slick surface.  They make a boat slide on really easily. I also promised to take pictures (before and after) along with a complete explanation and send it to the owner of Lowe boats. I suggested he update his resume as well.  If you have the same problem try my suggestion to make yours work

[tander]

Sounds like newer Lowe boats has some troubles. I have a 1997 Lowe Roughtneck 17" and has zero problems with boat or trailer.  Maybe the previous owner cleared up all the problems. I guess sometimes newer is not better.

[Bluebasser86]

I bought my 2007 Roughneck brand new, also had the Karavan trailer. Thing ate tires and also had to replace the axle. Zero problems with the boat, it was built like a tank, the trailer was awful though. 

[carlm01]

Will se how it hold up next season....