Lowe FM 165 Pro WT

Does anyone have, or has anyone taken a ride in, a Lowe Fishing Machine 165 Pro WT? I'm interested in this model to replace my bass boat but can't find much info on it online. Hardly any reviews and only a couple of videos. I fish northern reservoirs around SW Ohio and they are not "big water" by any stretch of the imagination. But they do get rough from all the boats that come out on the weekends. My 17' mostly-flat-bottom boat jars me pretty good and we usually take a bath each time out.

How does this boat ride? Dry, smooth?

How does it "fish" (mostly bass and some musky)?

How many batteries can be fit into it? I need room for three. (I stopped at Cabelas and looked at the 175 Pro WT and it only space for one battery in the back next to the livewell. The 165 SC had room for three)

Thanks for any info.

the trolling motor batteries are under the centre rod locker in the 175 or 1710 pro. should be able to fit 2 31 series batteries under the rod locker. Same as my Lund impact. the 1710 is a lot bigger boat then the 165. My dealer sold both Lowe and Lund. Iwent with the Lund but also with the 1775. I have always liked having too much boat and not need it as opposed to not enough and wish you had it. I found the 165 series beam is a little narrow for my liking but jumping up to the 1710 really gives it a big boat feel. 82 inches vs 95 inch beam. I believe the FM175 was last named in 2014. 2015 they renamed the boat FM1710 Pro

Thanks. I hear ya on boat size. Looking at keeping the costs down and keeping parking in mind (it will be parked in the driveway) as well. My current boat is 17' 5", 85" wide and mostly deck with little storage. The 165 should take up about the same amount of space.

I was able to look at a 165 SC and the battery box is much bigger and can hold three batteries. The pics on the Lowe site show the same configuration on the WT. No one around here has a 165 WT so I'll need to drive a ways to go see one. I'm sure the 175 rides better as it is longer and heavier.

Getting used to fishing out of it will take a while but I've been out in my friend's Targa a couple times and it seems very do-able for a bass boat guy (that's all I've ever had).

I went from a 392 Ranger to my Impact. Was in the ranger for 15 years. For my fishing style I am absolutely fine with the deep hull Aluminum. The Impact was kinda close to a bass layout for me With the flip down bench at the rear. Also doing more trolling for trout and salmon now too. It is definitely more all purpose but I have not had a situation come up that the boat would not allow me to fish a certain way. The impact has a shallow draft. I fish Pike tournaments up this way and livewell capacity is a must which these deep hulls offer Love the fuel economy too of the new Merc 115 Fourstroke. I am topping out at 44mph on GPS I am not sure if you are dead set on the Lowe but if you have a Lund dealer nearby I would also take a look at them. Have a few more offering with the Impact, Rebel and Fury XL series. Have a great product. My Lund dealer also is a Lowe dealer. The one thing I found with the 165 size with WT model is a cramped feel. I noticed you mentioned muskies. that size boat guys like the sc model for the floor space. Good luck on your purchase.

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Originally Posted by alleycat

I went from a 392 Ranger to my Impact. Was in the ranger for 15 years. For my fishing style I am absolutely fine with the deep hull Aluminum. The Impact was kinda close to a bass layout for me With the flip down bench at the rear. Also doing more trolling for trout and salmon now too. It is definitely more all purpose but I have not had a situation come up that the boat would not allow me to fish a certain way. The impact has a shallow draft. I fish Pike tournaments up this way and livewell capacity is a must which these deep hulls offer Love the fuel economy too of the new Merc 115 Fourstroke. I am topping out at 44mph on GPS I am not sure if you are dead set on the Lowe but if you have a Lund dealer nearby I would also take a look at them. Have a few more offering with the Impact, Rebel and Fury XL series. Have a great product. My Lund dealer also is a Lowe dealer. The one thing I found with the 165 size with WT model is a cramped feel. I noticed you mentioned muskies. that size boat guys like the sc model for the floor space. Good luck on your purchase.

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Thanks for the info, alleycat. Looked at the Lunds but the cost of an Impact 1775 is pushing 30k with the 1675 not far behind it (about 6k higher than what I wanted to pay). I agree the Lowe FM 165 is a bit on the small side (shorter and narrower than the bass boat I have now). The Lund 1675 is closer to what I'm looking for and would only need to add one or two things. May have to save a bit more than I first planned.

The big thing I'm finding is the lack of battery space on these boats. The Lowes have room for two in two separate locations although I was told that they "may" be able to run the TM wiring to the back and have all three in one compartment on the FM 165 (not applicable to the FM 1710). The new EPA-mandated fuel filter incorporated on these boats takes up the space for a third battery. Not sure on the Lunds yet as I haven't visited a dealer (closet one is over an hour away) but it is on my list of things to do.

Stopped by the Lund dealer in Indiana yesterday. Only had the Impact 1675 SS (single console). End of the production year is close and the '17s will be out soon. Dealer said expect a 2-4% increase in prices form the '16 lineup.

I like the layout of the Lund much better than the Lowe. Longer, wider with plenty of storage space (so I can lose stuff then look for it for a while). My wife was happy about how it looked as well although she doesn't have much experience with boats.

Looks like I'll need to save a few extra $$$ to keep the financed amount down, and get an on-the-water demo setup.

After looking at the Lunds, Trackers and Lowes we opted to go with a larger Lowe FM 1710 Pro WT. Much bigger than the 165 (which looks extremely small when sitting side by side). The driveway is going to be crowded for a while. Has everything I wanted on it plus a few extra things I don't need (TM and Lowrance). 115 Merc. Price was a huge deciding factor. Gotta wait two weeks for them to get it rigged and cleaned then water tested. Then I get to transfer all my electronics over to it. My wife is ecstatic about it which is a huge plus.

Congrats. I think you made the right choice going to the bigger model.

I agree. Either of the 165's were about the same size as my current aluminum bassboat. While it fishes well for me, getting beat up (like this weekend with the overcrowded lakes around here) is taking its toll on us. While I may not be able to get to the very back of creeks or coves I think the new one will be just as versatile and maybe more so on the bigger impoundments around here.

They are versatile. This weekend alone. Friday was fishing smallies and northern pike in the North Channel of lake huron. Saturday put the downriggers on and trolling for lake trout and salmon. Maybe burnt half tank of fuel after 2 complete days of fishing. 2nd day was 10 hours of trolling. That 115 sips the fuel.

Any one running FM 1810 pro WT ?

I think there is one running around one of our local lakes but I haven't been close enough to tell (lettering on the side is small). But I don't personally know of anyone running an 1810.

Hello, I have a 1710 FS Lowe with a 115Pro XS will run around 42 or so. What will your boats run?

With the stock aluminum 17p prop on my 115 4-stroke I run 36-37 @ 5500-5700 rpm. Had it up to 40 at about 5900 rpm a couple times empty. Picked up a Spitfire X7 17 p prop but haven't had time to install it and run it yet.