Brett's_daddy

$2700 obo.

Anybody have experience with Lowes boats?

I've found a 1993 Lowe 16ft. that comes with a trolling motor, 2 fish finders, livewell and a 50hp Evinrude. The guy says it's in excellent condition and his reason for selling is he just doesn't have the time to use it any more.

I thank you all for the information, it is all very useful. Back to the part of my question where I asked if there are any boats/motors that I should avoid in that age range, are there any known problem child's that i should stay away from? For instance I've heard that Fisher boats are leaker's and I've also heard that Force motors are junk...anything else along those lines about boats and motors that i should stay away from if i don't want headaches?

Anybody care to chime in?

Both Cabela's and Bass Pro have these combo's with Pflueger President spinning reels for the same price...only thing different is the rod. Which rod is better and why?

I'm not against buying a boat from a dealer...just saying that I don't believe that I can find a small 16ft. bass boat newer than 10 years old in excellent condition at a dealer for $3000 or less is all...if I can, great but I'm just thinking the odds are stacked against me is all.

Don't forget I have $2500 maybe possibly $3000 to spend...a boat that's in excellent condition and only about 5 years old most likely is not going to be in that price range.

That is true too! Hey is this a good deal? 2002 Fischer Bass Boat ($3100) The boat is in good condition. The motor 25hp four stroke Mercury runs great. The trailer is also in great condition and has a spare tire. The boat has a trolling motor, fish finder. Plenty of room for storage. Multiple batteries with built in charger. Also has down riggers. No trades. Cash talks.

Hmmm, I'll keep it in mind, definitely if I buy from a dealer but most likely I'll be looking at private sales as I think you tend to get more for your money as a dealer doesn't have to make his profit.

Not sure a test drive will be possible where i live...most people that are selling boats privately don't live next to a lake or pond so you'd have to drive somewhere. How about having them just start it up...would and make sure everything works like it should, would that be enough?

Yeah, I will definitely be bringing a friend who knows boats along with me as I know nothing about boats (you put them in the water and they float or are supposed to...lol).

Okay, I am contemplating buying my first bass boat this year. I don't have a lot of money so a new boat is out of the question due to other unexpected necessities that popped up earlier this year. I really can't afford much more than $2500. I know this will limit me to older bass boats like in the late 80's and 90's, are there any boats/motors that you would avoid like the plague during this age range? I'm looking for one in good shape with a steering wheel, front and rear decks w/pedestal seats and a functioning livewell. I'm thinking a 16ft. or maybe 17ft. aluminum boat is what I'm looking for as I have a small SUV (Honda CR-V) with a 1500lb. max towing capacity. Is that possible or should i just give up the dream and stick to fishing from shore until I can afford a better boat?

That is true!

Definitely not my goal, not feasible at all...just wanted to know which vendor would be more likely to help me out if something went wrong. The Gander Mountain deal has an edge because they're offering a $15 eGift card plus if I had to i could drive to one of their stores that's a little under 2 hours away from me but if their service is considerably poorer than that of TW then it might not be worth it.

Well, both sell the same rod I'm looking at for the same price but GM is also offering a $15 eGift card with there's and I do have a GM about 1hr. 45mins drive from me but have always heard really good things about TW...sometimes added bonuses aren't always worth it if the company isn't there for you if you have a problem you know what I mean.

LOL...I'm more thinking rods and reels and not lures .

Okay, return policy if something goes wrong...who has the best, longest?

Yeah, I guess I'm more interested in the warranty aspect and which one stands behind their products best?

Which one has the best customer service as far as knowledge and warranty?

My new reel is a Pflueger President Limited Edition size 30, the reel says it's mono/flouro capacity is:4lb., 6lb., and 8lb. Most Medium rods line capacity starts out at 8lbs. to maybe 12 or 14lb. Does that mean if i got a Medium rod (we'll use the Fenwick HMG as an example) that I wouldn't be able to use anything less than 8lb. line or I wouldn't be getting the maximum performance/efficiency out of the rod?

I mainly fish ponds so there's not really many tight quarters for me to worry about.

So you'd go with a Medium if you could only have one rod and needed to use it for both types of fish?

Actually I want something that is the most versatile for both trout and bass, if I went with an HMG would you get the Medium-Light, Medium or Medium-Heavy?

I've heard that Fenwicks are a little softer backbone than let's say an Abu Garcia. One review I read said that the Fenwick M is more like a ML in an Abu so if i wanted something with a little more backbone i should go with a MH Fenwick and it would act like a M Abu...is this true?