Lowe

[Flatrock]

I've noticed there is a good following towards Bass Tracker..  I admit they are a nice boat, but eventually you have to rebuild them.  With that being said,  Why isn't there a following for Lowe boats..  Is it because they as costlier or they are heavy...  Can't be construction, they are made out of all aluminum.

[Bluebasser86]

My last boat was a Lowe Roughneck utility johnboat with a 60hp 4stroke Mercury. I did everything in that boat; setting lines for catfish on the river, bowfishing, busting ice to get to winter crappie and trout, duck hunting, caught a ton of fish from tiny lakes to LOZ, even won quite a bit of money fishing tournaments out of it. It was a great boat that I wish I could have kept but I had to sell it to get the money to start my search for something bigger. I'd buy another one without hesitation. 

[Russ E]

Not sure what you have to rebuild on a tracker, that is any different from other brands.

There are a lot of old tracker boats still in use.

I had a 2004  crestliner cr1648 mod v boat with a 50 horse mercury. It was made by lowe.

It was a very durable boat. It took a beating and never looked any worse for the wear.

Traded it for my current fiberglass bass boat.

[Catt]

Just a crazy Cajun's point of view but it just might be Tracker is widely available.

[tander]

7 hours ago, Catt said:

Just a crazy Cajun's point of view but it just might be Tracker is widely available.

Catt I believe you hit it on the head, Trackers are sold around every turn, well nearly. I think Lowe is a good boat. I have a 1996 that is still going strong.

 

[Scott F]

Besides being widely available, they are also one of the least expensive boats you can buy 

[Jig Man]

Bass Pro spends more on ads than Lowe generates.  Tracker also put lots of boats on the market with under powered motors and trolling motors.  The aim is for the first time buyer. 

 

Lowe started out as a family owned company just NW of where I live.  They sold and became part of OMC.  They later became a part of a major conglomerate where the took a back seat to Lund and some others in the Genmar line.  Now they are a part of the Brunswick line of products.

 

Lowe hasn't been a lead product since the Lowe family sold the business.

[gnappi]

I started out as a kid fly fishing from stream banks and saltwater fishing in a wood dory, moved to Florida as an adult and had a 16' trihull, then later on a host of deep water boats. After I got the saltwater out of my veins I wanted a simpler fishing life and turned to wanting to hand launch a boat in places untouched by fishermen.

 

My first was (there as was said so many on the used market) a used 1032 tracker. It was inexpensive, about 8 years old and had several rivet repairs, no biggie, it floated, was light and a good trainer to flesh out my needs and wants.

 

But what it lacked was enough beam to have two passengers and gear with a reasonable amount of stability, so I looked to a wider boat. After putting every 10'-14' boat (I became flexible on needing a trailer) that is generally available on a spreadsheet for comparison I wound up with the Lowe 1040.

 

Not that Lowe is "The best" boat, but the spec comparison proved it was the best for my needs.

 

So, my "trainer" boat served its purpose, that being fleshing out what I wanted and dismissing what I did not need.

 

So what I think you need to do is try your best to figure out what your needs are and look to a boat that checks most or all of the boxes. If you are looking to 10'-14' boats, I can post a screencap of my 2017 brand / model comparison which may help you if nothing else see at a glance what the 7 makers I gathered specs on offered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[slonezp]

Tracker has a huge dealer network. Not only Bass Pro, but Cabelas, and a whole bunch of private dealers. Lowe, not so much.

[Big Rick]

Marketing

 

Availability

 

Value

 

All the basics of volume sales......

[Flatrock]

Don't get me wrong, I like a Bass Tracker but it does has a lot of wood were as a Lowe is all Aluminum and no wood to rot...  That is what I'm looking at.   Also I have read on another site where the BT used open cell spray foam and they discovered it was waterlogged.  That in itself, I thought, was crazy...  Why would a company use open cell spray foam where it would hold moisture ?

[slonezp]

Let me tell you a secret. Boats have been made out of wood since about 8000BC. Tracker no longer uses wood and closed cell foam can become waterlogged if given the chance.

[Way2slow]

Way back when, most all boats used open cell foam, because at the time, it had the highest floatation rating.  Over time, they found that boat left in ways they could have water left in them, the foam became saturated and didn't dry out.  I think they all have changed to closed cell for a number of years.

 

As for wood, about all I've seen in them is the piece of plywood they use in the transom, and since it not totally encapsulated like in glass boats, it's dries out and is not as bad to rot as glass boats are.

 

Then you have to power of Advertising.  Both are probably similar quality boats, but BPS carries the Tracker and they have the dollars to make it sound like the best boat on the planet, and are everywhere.

 

The only place you see many Lowe boats are the small jons stacked outside Walmart every spring.  That give people the mind set they must be cheap boats.  When you can buy a 1436 for $600 or so, I chose the Lowe every time, have a couple of them.

[NHBull]

Lund came out with the renegade to compete with the tracker as they see it as a market that can be penitrated.  Lowe is regarded lower on the food chain 

[Dfosterf]

I have a 2017 Lowe 1660 Roughneck center console  tunnel jet boat. I just moved from Harrisburg,PA to Northern Virginia, so not as critically needed on the Potomac. It used to amaze me when I would go into the Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg. The showroom was full of fiberglass Bass Pro boats.  If those buyers think they are going out on the Susquehanna river in a fiberglass prop boat, the Susky's  rocks are going to have something to say about that. I have sent that Lowe airborne while night fishing for cats near the Rockville bridge... It is by far the best 2 man boat for the money in that place, imo, and my only regret(s) was that I did not upgrade the trolling motor to more power, and have sponsons installed for floating downstream. For perspective, many of us putting out at places like Fort Hunter would have a digger bar (I did) onboard to get off a hang from rocks.

That place tests a boat.  This Lowe has passed all this morons' tests with (literally) flying colors.

 

 

[Flatrock]

I wish Lowe had a better representation in my area because I do believe Lowe makes a good boat, but it did play a big factor in my final decision in what I ended up buying.  To be honest, after my last disappointment, I pretty much gave up.  Then my boat popped up on the market place, a 5 month old Bass Tracker.  A deal was struck and now I have a 2019 BT PT 175 TXW   

[J Francho]

They pretty comparable.  Tracker is one of White River (BPS) brand.

http://www.whiterivermg.com/

Lowe is Brunswick Marine brand:

https://www.brunswick.com/brands/marine-boats/

 

All things equal, a Tracker 160 weighs 716 lbs., while the similar Styker/Scorpion 16 weighs 610.  Tracker uses .090" hull, Lowe uses .100" thick.  I don't think there's much difference in quality, but I would prefer a thicker hull. 

 

That said, if I were to recommend a brand, I have personal experience owning an Xpress H18, nad I've been in many Trackers, Lowe's, and Tritons.  Xpress is better.  You might pay a little more.

[slonezp]

5 hours ago, J Francho said:

They pretty comparable.  Tracker is one of White River (BPS) brand.

http://www.whiterivermg.com/

Lowe is Brunswick Marine brand:

https://www.brunswick.com/brands/marine-boats/

 

All things equal, a Tracker 160 weighs 716 lbs., while the similar Styker/Scorpion 16 weighs 610.  Tracker uses .090" hull, Lowe uses .100" thick.  I don't think there's much difference in quality, but I would prefer a thicker hull. 

 

That said, if I were to recommend a brand, I have personal experience owning an Xpress H18, nad I've been in many Trackers, Lowe's, and Tritons.  Xpress is better.  You might pay a little more.

I think the real recommendation should be to research research research before making a purchase. Different brands and different boats serve different needs. Before purchasing a boat, we need to get all our ducks in a row. Don't buy based on price alone. Don't buy based on reputation alone. Find a happy median. I researched boats for 3 years prior to buying the Lund. I know others here have as well. If someone buys a boat on impulse, they are sure to be disappointed.