Lowe deck boat - Anyone have one? I have a 1994 LS220...

[mikec35]

I've had this boat for for 23 years, bought it in 1998 when it was 4 years old for $9750. It has an Evinrude 120hp v4. I have kept it under a sunbrella cover for all these years and it's in pretty good cosmetic condition for it's age. I haven't had it on the lake for about 5 years, have been starting it every year to 18 months. I am headed to the lake this weekend and am quite excited. My son has a 1 year old Brittany Spaniel that loves water, we are going so he can let her swim and I can see if the boat still does it's thing.

Just checking to see if others have this same old boat and how well it's treating you. Any tips, advice you have in maintaining and preserving?

Looking forward to hearing from other Lowe deck boat owners...

 

[ahicks]

I have a '93 Lowe 22' 2220. Love this boat. Have had it for 3 years, but it had set for 10 years prior, thankfully out of the sun/weather. We had been pontoon boat users, converted to this deck boat so we could cover more country while exploring. Works out really well for us! Originally powered with a Johnson 120, soon to be powered with a Honda 90. This boat is Florida based (now), used frequently out in the Gulf. Pretty nice chart plotter aboard.

I also have a project boat that I'm just finishing up. It's a '93 Grumman 19' deck boat made by the same parent company that made the Lowe (OMC). This boat ran down the same line that the Lowe was built on, as were several other brands. The 19 was in pretty rough shape. I had to take it down to the aluminum hull, then dig all the water logged foam flotation out of it. We've progressed a LONG way since those days. All new marine ply decking, which has been covered in vinyl using contact cement and stainless staples. Had the original Grumman logo and stripping duplicated by a local shop, so it's lookin like new nowadays! Oh. This boat will see some skiing duty here in Michigan, so it got the 120 Johnson from the 22' Florida boat. That's my last project actually, installing an economically priced super heavy duty tow bar I can pull anything with.

So yes, pretty familiar with your boat! Have fun with it!

 

[mikec35]

I have a '93 Lowe 22' 2220. Love this boat. Have had it for 3 years, but it had set for 10 years prior, thankfully out of the sun/weather. We had been pontoon boat users, converted to this deck boat so we could cover more country while exploring. Works out really well for us! Originally powered with a Johnson 120, soon to be powered with a Honda 90. This boat is Florida based (now), used frequently out in the Gulf. Pretty nice chart plotter aboard.

I also have a project boat that I'm just finishing up. It's a '93 Grumman 19' deck boat made by the same parent company that made the Lowe (OMC). This boat ran down the same line that the Lowe was built on, as were several other brands. The 19 was in pretty rough shape. I had to take it down to the aluminum hull, then dig all the water logged foam flotation out of it. We've progressed a LONG way since those days. All new marine ply decking, which has been covered in vinyl using contact cement and stainless staples. Had the original Grumman logo and stripping duplicated by a local shop, so it's lookin like new nowadays! Oh. This boat will see some skiing duty here in Michigan, so it got the 120 Johnson from the 22' Florida boat. That's my last project actually, installing an economically priced super heavy duty tow bar I can pull anything with.

So yes, pretty familiar with your boat! Have fun with it!

Great! Glad to hear you like the boat. My circumstances have changed a lot over the years and boat time is not that easy to find anymore. I've thought about selling it at times but I don't think I could replace it with anything comparable without spending a ton of money. I originally wanted a Hurricane deck boat but they were out of my price range. I'm excited to have this thing ready to go to the lake. I need to buy 2 new trolling batteries, I think group 27 are the biggest batteries that will fit in the trays that are riveted in place. I'm hoping I can get all the wires right for the trolling batteries, there's a ton back there and they aren't really tied together. The colors on the wire jackets are faded.

I use to be able to do 39 mph and the last time I went out I could only get up to 35mph. We'll see what it does this time.

Just checked out the Grumman boats, they look almost identical. I didn't know there were other boats like this, must be a regional thing?

 

[ahicks]

They were all built in the midwest (Oklahoma?), so are most numerous in those locations. As you move further east and south, they're like hen's teeth! I found our Lowe in the far northwest corner of the Florida panhandle, and the Grumman north and wast of Chicago. Both pretty long hauls, but I'm known for long road trips on purchases like this.

These are both "forever" boats. They can be rebuilt by a DIY'er pretty easily, like most all alum hulls. Being the design they are, they'll do about anything that doesn't call for being out in rough weather. Big shallow V bottom doesn't care much when things get rough, kinda like a pontoon boat in that regard....

Our 22 with the 120 was pushing 40 as well. The 19 is just crazy with the 120. It's on plane in just a few feet. Looking forward to it as a ski platform. Thought behind the 90hp 4 stroke powered 22 is that we really don't care about 40 mph. 30mph is the target, and would be fine. We'll likely be spending most of our time much slower than that even.

Nice thing too is the fact you don't need a gigantic tow vehicle to pull them. Not like you would need to pull a glass deck boat anyway....

Maybe get some red tape at an supply so you can remark your wires when you get to that project? 27's are the biggest, but if you aren't using it much, especially for trolling, would you need batteries that size? -Al

 

[mikec35]

I got (2) 27's from Sams Club - $81 each. Cleaned out the boat a little, the cover hasn't been off for a few years. Installed the batteries and seems like everything works except the trolling motor. I must have something hooked up wrong. I'm headed out to the lake for a couple of hours today. When I get back I'll work on the trolling motors. I'd like to do a better clean on the seats and carpet, replace the radio that was stolen years ago then just work on little things to get it back in shape. I discovered a small tear in one of the seats, but overalll the interior is really good for its age. Hopefully all goes well.

 

[ahicks]

Amazon sells Wise seat cushions only, without the bases. That makes them a pretty attractive/affordable option if your cushions need attention.... Both of our boats have received this treatment. Off season, the cushion prices are about half of what they get for them during prime time..... Best of luck with the wiring!

 

[JasonB]

We have a '94 2220 with a matching Johnson 120 V4. Great boat.

 

[mikec35]

Amazon sells Wise seat cushions only, without the bases. That makes them a pretty attractive/affordable option if your cushions need attention.... Both of our boats have received this treatment. Off season, the cushion prices are about half of what they get for them during prime time..... Best of luck with the wiring!

Thats good to know about the seat covers. My bench seat is immaculate except for 1 split that is about 2" long. I need to figure out how to stop it from getting worse. The Captains chair has a few splits years ago that I put glue on and its held, but it doesn't look too good. Found out the trolling motor and horn aren't working. Not sure if the bilge pump is working although the dash switch lights up- I need to fill the bilge and try it. I also noticed on the starting side of the battery compartment when I attach a red fused wire to the battery I hear a motor start running, not sure what it is, I need to investigate further. I'm thinking it might be the bilge pump, seems like it would be attached to the starter wire?

The motor is tough to cold start. I struggled for quite a while at the dock. Once I got it started it ran great. I'm going to post in the engine section to see if I can get some service advise. Overall a great trip, nice to be back out on the water.

 

[mikec35]

We have a '94 2220 with a matching Johnson 120 V4. Great boat.

Interesting that the same boat came with both a Johnson and Evinrude.. guess it's personal preference, probably the exact same motor with a different cover and paint scheme.

 

[ahicks]

Yup, same motor, different paint. Both companies were owned by the same company that owned the company that built your boat - OMC. Check out the center of your steering wheel. OMC......

 

[mikec35]

Has anyone purchased a generic cover to fit this boat? I had a sunbrella cover that finally bit the dust after about 12 years, I am having a hard time finding something that will fit this boat. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks