1990 Lowe 1600 V

After three years of waiting, scraping and saving, I am finally a boat owner! And thank God, we got exactly what we wanted and at a better than good price. After a long while of renting boats when we could find then, and fishing from shore and small canoes my fishing partner and I will now be able to go after the fish where they live, rather than being at the mercy of the shoreline, trees, and private property ownership. This past Friday Bob and I went to New Hampshire, about an hour away from our area to the Monadnock Boat Store where we had seen the ad, and made arrangements to inspect and purchase what looked like a good deal for the price. We got there and met Scott, the salesman and he led us to the boat.

We were very surprised! They had brought the boat in from the storage warehouse and unwrapped it, and put it into a large heated work bay with tools and a bench. " Heres all the tools you'll need, go through the boat and make sure it meets your needs, let me know when your done, I'm not going to hang over your shoulder and pressure you." Scott said, and left us to check out the boat for an hour. We were stunned, the last place we had looked would not let us look at the boat like that unless we bought it, which I did not like at all.
We were immediately impressed. The boat, even though 18 years old was in great shape. I checked the hull first and saw it to be in very good shape, having only scrapes in the aluminum on the riveted keel rib, regular wear from rocks in New England, and a 1 1/4" slit that did not penetrate the hull, an easy fix with a TIG weld, or aluminum weld epoxy and a file. Bob is a master mechanic and electrician, he checked the motor, a 1989 Evinrude 50hp in very clean and well maintained shape. (the boat originally came with a 40hp, and is rated for a max. of 70hp.) The spark plugs were seasoned but almost new, and the wiring was solid. The prop is new and the lower unit was rebuilt this spring, a pricey job if you pay someone.

I looked over the interior. I was happy to find all aluminum decks and transom, so replacing rotting wood will not be an issue in the future. The carpet was in good shape, but I will replace it in the fall as there are some worn areas, small holes, and a few stains. As you can see by the pictures there is plenty of storage compartments, a large bait well up front, a large livewell between the seats, and two smaller wells behind each seat. There is a battery charger, and three new batteries, one Garmin color fish/depth finder on the console, and one graytone Humminbird fishfinder on the bow. It even comes with a stereo am/fm cassette player, which I will replace with an all weather radio, as I can't think music will help our fishing!

The trolling motor is a neat feature. It is a Minn Kota AP55, with Auto Pilot. The motor is connected to the fish finder, and one plots a course by the electronic compass, and the motor follows the path automatically, we have never even seen one before. I also have a 30lb Minn Kota stern mount 30lb. trolling motor and another new battery from my canoe that will now go on the boat so we have enough power to fish our local watershed lakes that do not allow gas motors. There is a rod locker that will fit most of my fishing poles and wonderful pedestal seats for comfortable casting all day long.

The boat even comes with a pair of Cannon downriggers to run lures deep and at a steady depth, a type of fishing I know nothing about but may have to learn. The trailer is galvanized aluminum and in very good shape, tires are new, bearings are good and the winch and hitch are well cared for and the crank jack works well.
All in all one could not ask for a better deal. The boat was taken meticulously good care for throughout it's life so far, and I will continue to do so. Being a boat owner will be a big step, I am looking forward to working on the motor, boat and trailer as it needs maintenance, and modifying it to suit Bob and my style of fishing. The weather helped us greatly, if it were spring here in Massachusetts, I would have paid far more for all the boat and options I have described.

By summer Bob and I hope to fish tournaments, and I hope to spend many days fishing with the fishermen in my church, and vacationing at my aunts in Maine, camping out and fishing with Bob and his son. I will keep posting on the boat from time to time, repairs, modifications and tournament news as it happens and of course photos of the big fish we hope to catch now that we can get to them!

God bless, Mike.