Lowe pontoon ?

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motocross
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Lowe pontoon ?

#1 Post by motocross » Mon May 27, 2013 5:10 am

Anyone familiar with Lowe pontoon boats ? Quality, fit, finish and long term reliability...the SF 214 has the layout I am looking for And I can get it with 115hp. Besides fish I would like to maybe try and water ski. I wonder what kind of performance I would get? I also have to find out if I can get lifting strikes.
Thx tony

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wwind3
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#2 Post by wwind3 » Mon May 27, 2013 5:55 am

I have an 09 Model 204 with 90 Optimax. Have really enjoyed it and no problems to speak of

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2009 LOWE SS204 25in logs
90 Merc Optimax
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HandymanHerb
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#3 Post by HandymanHerb » Mon May 27, 2013 7:17 am

Lowe bought Grumman and mine has been solid since 91 and found no problems to fix during the rebuild, so hope they are still made as good.
In Memory of John 6x6 Larsen

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trktrd
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#4 Post by trktrd » Mon May 27, 2013 7:19 am

As far as long term....mine is 24 years old with original decking and engine and still solid as a rock.
1989 Lowe 189
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bassn386
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#5 Post by bassn386 » Mon May 27, 2013 8:48 am

Give some thought to where you're going to use the toon. Big water with big boats, big waves and lots of wind may not auger well for the type of boat you're looking at.
Adding the 3rd log makes such a big difference in performance and ride.
Do some comparison shopping with other dealers/manufacturers. You might be pleasantly surprised when you do.
I see quite a few Lowe's here at Lake of the Ozarks, but I don't know anyone who owns one. Sounds as though the folks who've already posted think they're pretty goo.
Good luck!
2011 Bennington 2575RCW w/ ESP
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RAM1961
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#6 Post by RAM1961 » Mon May 27, 2013 8:52 am

I had an '08 model identical to wwind3 only with a merc 60 bigfoot on the back. I could actually troll with it nicely. That being said, I wished I had a bigger motor on it. However, I was not impressed with the overall quality of the boat - issues with railings and railing braces (bolts always falling out, etc.), the tackle box lid never stayed closed and the bimini top was ridiculous to put up, take down and the velcro tabs it had when in the down position never held the braces - I ended up wrapping bungee cord around them. Overall, I just didn't think the build quality was what it should be.
2012 Bentley Encore SE 24 ft. w/115 HP Merc

12 separate bodies of water to fish within an hour of house for rainbows, cutthroat, browns, pike, lake trout, kokanees, perch, small and largemouth bass, whitefish and sturgeon.

Bamaman
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#7 Post by Bamaman » Mon May 27, 2013 1:53 pm

I looked at Lowe's tritoon with a 150 Mercury FourStroke before buying my Bennington. The quality of construction, etc. is just fine on the Lowe boats.

My problem was that their seats were just really uncomfortable. There are other brands around that have more comfortable and higher quality seating. That means a lot to me.

If you still want to go Lowe and are in the middle part of the country, we have a local dealer selling Lowe boats that you will not beat the price on. His price on Mercury Motors is the lowest on the internet, too. Just PM me.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

motocross
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#8 Post by motocross » Tue May 28, 2013 4:49 am

everyone thanks for the info...i am near lake Hopatcong in NJ and there is almost every brand you can think of to chose from. I know Benington is probably the best but i am trying to stay at around 20 to 24,000.00 with a good trailer and get the best performance as possible. Also i am supposed to demo a 20' Sweetwater with a 90 and lifting strakes...they claim the boat does over 30mph which i find hard to believe. Hopefully I can do that within the next week or so and see what it can really do.

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DRock
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#9 Post by DRock » Tue May 28, 2013 5:08 am

motocross wrote:everyone thanks for the info...i am near lake Hopatcong in NJ and there is almost every brand you can think of to chose from. I know Benington is probably the best but i am trying to stay at around 20 to 24,000.00 with a good trailer and get the best performance as possible. Also i am supposed to demo a 20' Sweetwater with a 90 and lifting strakes...they claim the boat does over 30mph which i find hard to believe. Hopefully I can do that within the next week or so and see what it can really do.
I believe it. Let us know how the strakes do on the Sweetwater if you don't mind. I"ve been debating on adding strakes to my 20' with a 90. Thanks
2006 20' Odyssey 220C. 2006 Mercury 90 4s. Underskinned, jackplate. 13.5x15 SS prop. 31mph gps
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motocross
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#10 Post by motocross » Tue May 28, 2013 6:03 am

DRock wrote:
motocross wrote:everyone thanks for the info...i am near lake Hopatcong in NJ and there is almost every brand you can think of to chose from. I know Benington is probably the best but i am trying to stay at around 20 to 24,000.00 with a good trailer and get the best performance as possible. Also i am supposed to demo a 20' Sweetwater with a 90 and lifting strakes...they claim the boat does over 30mph which i find hard to believe. Hopefully I can do that within the next week or so and see what it can really do.
I believe it. Let us know how the strakes do on the Sweetwater if you don't mind. I"ve been debating on adding strakes to my 20' with a 90. Thanks
no problem,..i hope the sweetwater dealer gets the boat in the water soon...they say they are busy as hell with customers boats right now..i have a feeling it will be at least 2 weeks!

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landlockedsailor
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#11 Post by landlockedsailor » Tue May 28, 2013 4:54 pm

Whatever boat you decide on, check out the trailer too! We didn't and ended up with one that didn't fit the boat. "Cluster ....."
Landlocked Sailor
2011 SunTracker 21' Fishin' Barge
2007 Mercury 60 HP EFI Four-Stroke BigFoot
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dtruly
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#12 Post by dtruly » Wed May 29, 2013 12:52 pm

I have a 1988 Lowe Fish 'n Fun 20' pontoon with the original Johnson 88hp engine. Runs great. It's been through several owners but is solid as a rock.

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OK Toon
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Re: Lowe pontoon ?

#13 Post by OK Toon » Tue Sep 10, 2013 2:47 pm

I have a '03 Trinidad 222 with a 90hp Yami 4-stroke. Just with me on it, it will top out around 24mph on GPS. I bought it from original owner and it is our first (learning with it). It's fine for now, but my next boat with be tritoon with a 150 -- I need more power!
Kim and Steve
2003 Lowe Suncruiser Trinidad 222
2003 Yamaha 90hp 4-stroke
2008 Toyota Tundra 5.7
Spend most of our time on Lake Eufaula

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