FM165 / FM175 Help

[DaveJ50]

My current boat is a Lowe 170SE which was fitted by the dealer with an E-Tec 50 and Johnson 9.9. The boat was not enough beam/weight/something and I was forced to remove and sell the 9.9 leaving me with no motor for my local lake.

I'm looking to replace it with the smallest Lowe Deep V that will fit in my garage and support a kicker. The Lowe boats have the largest rear casting deck of any I have found and I just like them best.

Does anyone have an FM/FS 165 with a kicker?
Was there room to mount?
Does it list?
Does it trim OK.
Would a smaller kicker 6-7 hp move the boat?
My muskie rods are 7'2" and the rod locker is 7'. Is there any room on either end of the locker to "adjust"?


Does anyone have an FM/FS 175?
I'm sure the 92" beam would be ok for a kicker but:

The Lowe site claims the Max Package Width (whatever that actually means) to be 102". I only have 107" garage opening and it must be hit mid-turn.

I was told by one of the dealers I talked to that the package width was probably more like 96. I would really like that to be true.

I have downloaded every picture I can find and it honestly doesn't look like the fenders stick out 5" on both sides of the boat. I was kind of hoping that Max Package Width refered to legal limits.


I have 4 dealers within 200 miles and none of them have any V's to look at so any help from owners would be greatly appreciated. I really want one of these boats with a kicker so I can putz around my local lake.



Thanks Lowe Boat Owners

Davej

 

[LOWEMAN 165]

Re: FM165 / FM175 Help

I might be able to answer a couple of your questions. I have a 2005 fm165 with a 40EFI. The fenders stick out 4" on either side. The boat width is 82" plus 8" total of fender (90" total give or take an inch). I had to install a swingaway hitch on mine to get it into my garage wich got it down to 19'5" total length. I have 1" of clearance to the door. As far as rod lockers go, when they say 7' they mean it. My 7' bass rods barely fit. Luckly my 9'6" dipsy rods are 2 peice. I dont have a kicker, but there is alot of room for one. I would think 6 hp would be plenty, 9.9 would be overkill I'm shure, these boats push easy. I troll with the 40 at idle and usually have a gps spead of 2.2 mph. Sometimes have to use a sock to slow it up. Doubt a kicker would list it, since a 160lb person walking back and forth on the casting deck barely moves it.
Hope this helps.

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: FM165 / FM175 Help

Thanks LOWEMAN, that helps a lot. The Lowe website claims the FM165 Max Package Width to be 89" and you say 90" +/- an inch so I assume the FM175 would actually be 102".

I also put one of the Fulton swing away hitches on my 170SE. The Lowe boats now come with one but I don't know if it is swing away removable.

The FM175 comes with a 7'6" rod locker but I hate to buy a larger boat than I need just for the rod locker.

It is good to hear that a 160 pounder can walk on the rear deck with little movement. I'm just a little gun shy on the kicker point after the way it worked out on the 170SE. It is a fine boat and if the kicker had worked out I wouldn't even be looking. The local lake was created by a dam on a small river so it ended up being about 10 miles long and there is about 1/3 that I can't get at without something under 10hp.

I really need to get somewhere and look at one or the other. The FM175 may be more boat than I really need.

Thanks
DaveJ

 

[overload]

Re: FM165 / FM175 Help

I have a 16' wide by 20' deep garage and my FS165 fits but I have to have it on an angle in the garage (wish I had an extra 2'). My 7'6" st. croix musky rods fit in the locker, but like the garage, just barely and they have to go in at an angle. You could buy shorter rods unless you need an excuse to buy a bigger boat!

 

[DaveJ50]

Re: FM165 / FM175 Help

I think I'm about to purchase a G3 V172C. It will be about the same boat as the Lowe FM175 and the smallest G3 Vee with a kicker listed as an option.

The G3 dealer is a lot closer and I just like the idea that the company lists the kicker as an option. It makes me feel like I have the right to complain if it doesn't work.

The 92" beam sounds large but it is really only 10.5" on each side of the boat. It is also only 2" longer than my current boat.

I was going to replace my old 10000 lb wooden garage doors this fall anyway and the guy who is going to do the work says he can trim my middle post and install a 10' door which should give me plenty of room and a better shot at the hole with less turn.

I'm not going to place the order until I see the new garage door installed if I can stand the wait.

Thanks

DaveJ