New boat!

[SiRz_rule]

Hey guys,
Looking at the Lowe FM 165 WT for purchase this spring. Anyone have any experience with this model or Lowe boats for that matter?

Thanks guys

[JeffN]

I've got a fm 165 with a 60 4 stroke on it. Boat works great and handles big water .awesome. I've had it out on Lake Ontario a few times when it was far from smooth! I wish though I had bought gone 75 hp. The 60 is a nit to small to tube behind with the kids. Also hard to fry up on plane if I have 3 guys in it.

[captpierre]

I hear they are an entry level brand

Not built as well as Lund, Princecraft or Crestliner.

My first boat was a Monark. Also entry level

Leaked bad after 10 yrs

[last5oh_302]

I've had my Lowe Fish n Pro 1605 since new in 1993. It has been used and abused and I still use it to this day. All aluminum flooring so less to rot. It has been a solid boat.

[One_Tracc_Mind]

Well built one of the guys I fish with has one with wrap around windshield. He has it rigged with a 60 and he wished he went with the max hp. Other then that it's been a solid boat.

[Roe+]

A buddy of mine has an older Lowe 15' with a 20 HP Johnson on (early 90's) and it has been a very solid boat for him. I was looking at the newer Lowe boats at the Sportsmens Show a few years and was disappointed. They didn't seem to be as well made as my buddy's. The fit and finish was lacking which caused me to question the rest of the boat. It looked to me to be on a par with a Tracker.

I ended up buying my Lund a few weeks later

Roe+

[cmartin519]

Hey, great choice. I have a 2012 Lowe fm165 and everything has been fantastic with the boat so far. Handles big lake st clair chop just fine. Layout of the boxes and wells is perfect. I took 2 years when shopping... Checked out legend, tracker, and Lund. Went to the boat shows and played around in all 3. In my opinion, legend just didn't compare... Tracker was nice but the lowe just seemed to suit me better. As far as Lund goes... Everyone is going to tell you to buy a Lund... I think if you plan on owning a boat for a few years and selling it to upgrade to a bigger and better rig, Lund is definitely the way to go. They hold their value and are in high demand. I loved the Lund rebel but when it came down to it, I saw the fm165 side by side and a few thousand cheaper... It was a no brainer. If you're like me and plan on keeping your 165 for 20 years, Lund just doesn't make any sense when you can use the extra couple thousand you saved when choosing the lowe and use it towards a kickass gps, chartplotter, fishfinder, I pilot, whatever. Not sure how many newer Lowe owners there are on these boards (boats 5 years or newer), but I've spoke with a few and we're all happy.
Hope you get what suits you best. Happy to answer any questions about the fm165.
Cheers

[JF Sabou]

I've had my Lowe since 2003. Amazing boats for the money.
The same as the FM16T. I'd buy a Lowe before many other makes.

[rackman]

my neighbour has one and handles the big water nicely