Finally im about to be a boat owner again

[Redback]

Hello everyone. This site has been a huge resource for me in deciding which tin to go with, so I thought my first post should be to introduce myself and the very soon to be new bug. My dream boat has always been a skeeter glass boat but in the end, it was really just way more boat than I needed to casually fish the marsh, bayous, and rivers I fish here in La. Finally I decided on a tin boat with a padded hull to try and bridge the performance gap btw a standard aluminum rig and a glass rig. Eventually narrowed those down to 3 boats. Xpress, War Eagle, and Lowe. The Xpress and War Eagles are awesome rigs but I kept finding myself in the price range of (if im going to spend that much on an aluminum rig, I might as well spend a little more for the skeeter). So Lowe Stinger 18 HP it is. Anyway, before I sign on the dotted line I was hoping to possibly get a little last minute feedback on some of the previous concerns regarding this rig that I have seen on other threads. 1. Are the dry storage compartments still getting wet on heavy rainy days? 2. Do they still porpose a lot on the newer models or has it been addressed? 3. Any suggestions on what I may want to add or prop suggestions? 4. Any other comments or suggestions I would greatly appreciate. I feel pretty good about my decision but a little last minute validation from fellow boat owners cant hurt Thanks a ton. Hope to be on the water really soon.

[TritonTRXV8]

Welcome to the tin board and congrats on getting a new boat. Geauxtide has alot of experience with lowe on his stinger so hopefully he will chime in soon. Im prettt sure the major porpoising issue was addressed but Geauxtide will be able to offer more info. They are sharp looking boats. What engine were you thinking about going with?

[Wildcat Dude]

18hp? But hey, whatever gets you out on the water right? Ahhh now I see. Had to go look at it, but it doesn't really tell me what the boat comes with as far as a motor. It looks identical to my tracker pro 175TF except you have a higher motor rating. Soon as I uncover my Tracker, taking the lids off and the ring that mounts to the floor and add a BIG bead of silicone to seal it to keep the water out. Only dry spot I have is the under seat storage compartments.

[Wildcat Dude]

Oh and pardon my manners welcome to the looney bin aka forums

[Redback]

Oh sorry I forgot to mention the motor lol. Its the Merc 115 Optimax Pro ss. Thx for the welcomes :)

[Redback]

Pro XS. Im getting 5 years on the warranty so that makes me feel a bit more comfortable as well.

[TritonTRXV8]

Oh sorry I forgot to mention the motor lol. Its the Merc 115 Optimax Pro ss. Thx for the welcomes :)

You are making an EXCELLENT engine choice. The optis are awesome engines. Total screamers and very efficient.

[Redback]

Thank you. That's really good to hear. We have a lot of Yamaha believers were im at but it just cost too much to switch the merc out with one. The more I looked into the Merc the more I liked it. A couple people I do know that have them absolutely love them. The boat is coming with everything I think I want on it. Upgraded the TM to the 75lb 24 volts. On board charger and galvanized trailer to handle the salt water around here.

[TritonTRXV8]

Sounds like a great rig. In the 115 class the pro xs is the best performer IMO. In most cases the numbers back that up to. You will be pleased

[Wildcat Dude]

Personally, I've always regard optimax's as the 2 strokes they are - and after seeing LOTS of people come to the mercury forums for help, it hasn't done anything but confirm I made the right choice getting a 4 stroke AGAIN. I don't like motors that do the premixing for me, I've seen nothing but blown motors from them things - check out the problems in the Merc motor forums. Way too much upkeep to keep them operating right in my opinion. 4 strokes are no fuss, no muss.

[Bassbully 51]

The Express and War Eagles might creep toward glass prices but are built like tanks ...the War Eagles for sure. Since tin works better in you and your waters getting a good one will maybe make it the last boat you would need for a long, long time.

[slonezp]

Personally, I've always regard optimax's as the 2 strokes they are - and after seeing LOTS of people come to the mercury forums for help, it hasn't done anything but confirm I made the right choice getting a 4 stroke AGAIN. I don't like motors that do the premixing for me, I've seen nothing but blown motors from them things - check out the problems in the Merc motor forums. Way too much upkeep to keep them operating right in my opinion. 4 strokes are no fuss, no muss.

I would tend to disagree only because the Mercury forums are set up for people asking for help. It's not a Mercury "bragging" thread. I don't frequent the Yammie or Etech forums, but I'd bet you'd see guys asking for help with problems. Same with the HB and Lorwance forums. Most people don't brag about "Well, I went out fishing today and my motor took me to my fishin' holes and got me back to the dock ok" They only want to talk about their problems

OP, welcome to the tin boat forum.

[TritonTRXV8]

I completely agree with Paul. I had a 4 stroke that blew up with all the proper care with just 54 hours on it. Any engine can have any problem. The reason I think you see so many optimax posts is simply because there are so many of them. More optimax engines have been sold over 4 strokes by far especially since they have been out much longer specifically in the higher hp class. I mean just a couple years ago they came out with an affordable 150 4 stroke. Yea the verado was there but those are expensive and most cant afford to rig them to be honest lol. Who knows whT the future holds for the 4 stroke market we will have to wait and see. As more and more are sold we may be seeing more issue posts about them as well. Only time will tell. There was another thread on there where don was talking about a couple of optimax engines he has worked on that one had over 4500 hours and the other over 2700 hours. My cousin sold his with over 700 hours zero issues. More good optis out there than bad. The direct injected 2 strokes can in no way be compared to the 2 strokes of old

[duck48]

First of all, welcome not only to the forum, but back into boat ownership-- second, i agree with Roy. Both are good and bad- my neighbor just bought a brand new 4 cyl 200 4 stroke Yamaha in December. It exploded last week with 14 hours on it and the yamaha repair facility is telling him that "improper/low octane gas caused it". Now, i AM a Yamaha believer, but..........the point is they're all internally combustion engines. Some say they don't like engines that premix for them, while others say they don't like multiple variable timimg camshafts, oil changes, etc. I believe Mercury has the House of Optimax in great shape, and i'd buy one in a hot minute. Do we hear of problems with them- of course we do-- but to Roy's point, if you come to this geographical region i can promise ya you'll see the water COVERED with Black Optimax's. That in & of itself guarantees a probability of higher repair frequencies.

[Wildcat Dude]

to each their own but I was slam tired of 2 strokes and certainly didn't want another one of ANY flavor. Just turn the key and go - no adding more adding oil to gas.

[Panama]

There is a seat made for every butt. And if a person likes the 2 stroke technology then by all means - go with it. The two stroke technology is cheaper to buy initially and I think that is about the only benefit. If I had to keep a 115 engine past the warranty period I would rather it be a four stroke. You will find very few complaints or problems with the Yamaha 115 four strokes. The SHO and some of the Vmax might have a different story - but we are talking about the lower HP four strokes (Merc or Yamaha) for a metal boat here so don't confuse the issues....

I am glad I do not buy and burn 2 stroke oil. There are different opinions and it is sort of like the Ford-Chevy thing at some level. Everybody has an opinion and there is a large contingency of Optimax folks here that promote and defend the product. But there is a lot of stuff going on down under that cowling....and people are right about it is not the old 2 stroke technology...it is a lot more complicated. Do yourself a favor and go to the Mercury forum here and read a few pages about Optimax engines.

Also this is purely a "seat of the pants" observation but I spend a lot of time in Florida where salt water boats put a huge amount of hours on motors - a huge amount. At the marinas pretty much all you see is Yamaha four strokes and a lot of them. There is a reason for that and it is dependability. You see very few black 2 stroke engines on the ocean going boats at the marinas. These boats run more hours in a year than some of the boats here will run their entire life and they are mostly Yamaha four strokes. Also at one time Yamaha made the blocks for Merc four strokes but I am not sure about that now.

[Panama]

So Lowe Stinger 18 HP it is. Anyway, before I sign on the dotted line I was hoping to possibly get a little last minute feedback

I have not heard anything but good things about this boat and Lowe has a great reputation. There are a couple of guys on the lake I live on that fish from Lowe boats almost every day and have had great service from them. Seats and carpet and such are still on good shape after a lot of use and they are also kept outside every day although they are under roof at floating boat docks... Good boats is all I have ever heard. I actually tried to buy a used Lowe a year or so ago myself but the owner would not come down to what I was offering... This was an older boat still in great shape.
They are well thought of and also hold their value well. They are very solid boats and I would bet you get a lot of years of service out of it. Good choice on the boat.

What kind of brand trailer do they use? I can't remember. Sometimes folks have more trouble out of the trailer than the boat.

[slonezp]

If I was to buy a 4 stroke between 115hp and 150hp it would be a Honda PROVIDING I had a reputable Honda mechanic. The 115 shares the block with the 135 and 150, AND is a modified version of the Accord 2.4 liter. The Merc 115 shares the same block as the 90 and 75 and is only 1.7 liters. Mercury just upgraded the 200 Verado. It was an inline 4 and is now a inline 6

[bluefisherman429]

Lowes 18Hp is a good boat I like mine very much. Get the 22 trophy 11. Stock mine will do 50.1 with just me and gear 48 with 2 people and gear on gps. Seat time will help with any porpoising problems you have. Get upgrade tm maybe mk 80# stock tm mg Noisy. Lowe real great with warranty stuff.

[TritonTRXV8]

to each their own but I was slam tired of 2 strokes and certainly didn't want another one of ANY flavor. Just turn the key and go - no adding more adding oil to gas.

Direct injected is turn the key and go also. They run just as smooth and refined as a 4 stroke does in all temps and conditions. And you dont physically mix the oil and gas yourself either. Pretty simple to just dump oil in the tank. 4 stroke you still have to mess with the oil when you change it and on my old 60 I found that to me a messy task with the filter where it is located. The yammies may be different I dont know. Different strokes for different folks they say. I will agree with Panama that there is ALOT going on under the cowl but no different than the computer controlling the variable valve timing on the camshafts either. The computer plays a huge role in both types no matter what and like duck48 posted earlier its still an internal combustion engine no matter how you look at it. If it is mechanical it can have a failure at any time that is just the nature of the beast.