Tin Man

Just closed the deal on a 2017 Lowe Stinger 17.5. Very happy with it. Bringing it home tomorrow. My first boat too. Wish it had two rod lockers but other than that, very satified. .

On the final walk around I noticed that the boat did not have the radio I ordered. Jenson marine. Instead it came with a Bluetooth, 50 watt amp, and Polk marine speakers. I told them about the error and after checking the paperwork they agreed that it should have had the radio. They took one off the shelf and installed it. Sweet. Better speakers and the radio I originally ordered. Question. On the Lowe bass boats there is a bracing late on the inside of the transom where the motor is bolted up. I noticed that after the new Talon sandwich brackets were installed that this plate is was gone. Replaced by heavy duty washers. They said that they did it this way because the bolts that came with the new brackets were too short to use with the interior plate (1/4 in.) These are HD washers but I'm wondering if I should get some longer bolts and use the factory bracing plate. Craig.

New boat. Is a skeg guard a good idea ? If so which type through bolt or adhesive ? Stainless steel or composite ?.

Yep. I know and my transom is as flat as they come. I can talk about this now that I have finalized the paperwork. Picking up this boat has been a real experience. These brackets wound up costing me nothing. Nada, zilch. I like the idea of not having to drill additional holes though. They also delivered the boat on the wrong trailer. An upgraded version with over a K dollars worth of upgrades that I did not order and while I was going over the receipts I noticed that I paid only half of what I expected to pay for both Talons. This never happens to me. I need to hook this thing up and get out of town right now ☺

Here in Michigan, at Cabela's to pick up the Lowe. My wife was finally well enough to travel. SWEET ! The Talon Install turned out better than I imagined. I've seen these on Top of the line fiberglass units but not on a tin boat. I was pleasently surprized to say the least. Ecstatic is more like it. Now to replace the wiring with quick disconnects. I will elaborate more later. But in the meantime, check this out. .

Well I'm here, back in Michigan to pick up the Lowe. I intended to use the stock Talon mounting brackets mounted directly through the transom but when I got here I noticed that Cabelas had installed these. Sweet. No new holes. I've never seen these used on aluminum before. These things are massive. I will elaborate on this post later. I had prepared to have to reinforce the stock mounts with an additional backing plate but as you can see now that won't be needed. This install is rock solid. Very pleased with the install. Will see if the dealer stands by their offer to istall the brackets for the same cost as the stock units. This may get sticky. Will see as I told them that I could not afford those brackets and told them to mount the stock units directly through the transom. . Now to install the quick connect wiring and the anti theft bolt kits. That shouldn't be a problem I can diy. I brought a transom saver with me as well. I will install that before heading back. The stock bolt fits perfectly so It should go quick. . Happy camper for sure.

Here at Cabelas this week to pick up the Lowe. Talon install is outrageous. Better than I could have ever expected. I thought they were going to mount directly to transom but they installed these instead. I have never seen these used on tin boats before. This is crazy. Love it. Taking care of the paperwork today. Sorry for double post. Fat fingers. .

EDC is a Springfield XDS 45 with extended mags. This rig is very comfortable in a iwb Alian Gear holster. Always carry spare ammo. At least two spare mags. Very manageable. And yes, I carry 24/7. I carry for personal and family defense. I chose the XDS 45 because (with extended mags) it gives me the same firepower of a full frame 1911 in a compact package. Springfields are identical in grip angle and nomenclature which made the XDS and easy transition from my full frame 1911's. Sometimes I will carry a full frame pistol. Usually when I go into larger cities where larger capacities could be called for. Then I carry the Springfield XDM 40. The M stands for match. Accurate and comfortable. The 40 is also my home defense gun. .

Best case scenario. I will be able to oversee the electronics install here in TN. But my dealer is 600 miles away. I will doing the on board charger, Talon disconnects, bolt kit, additional support brackets, and additional battery myself.

Thanks again. The Minnkota covers I saw only came halfway down. Yours look much better. Looked kind of strange. Spoke with my dealer today. Said they installed the Talons without issue. Asked them to send me some pics as I'm getting kind of antsy to pick her up. Pushed back my pickup date by two weeks as the wife is down sick with Bronchitis. My quickd dsconnects came in today and will need to install a third battery as well so I have a bit to keep me busy once I do pick her up. Will also be installing my on board chargers and anti theft devices, and a couple of Humminbirds. It's coming together. Now if only my BR jersey would get here :-)

Have tried to contact Lowe but they do not return my call or answer the phone. Have left messages but no one has gotten back. The dealer I am buying from is doing the install so I am thinking that if there were any issues they would have said something. Still trying to contact Lowe though to be sure.

Do the Talon covers come all the way down ? I have seen some that only go halfway.

Thanks A-jay. You've hooked me up. Got it. I may have to go with tilt brackets later on down the road. You have a nice setup. I will be going with backing plates. Appreciate it.

I shoot a Springfield XDM 40 for target / practice, a Colt 1911 for competition and for carry I go with the Springfield XDS 45 with extended mags. Have had nothing but problems with my Glock 21. Would not recommend it. The Glock was so bad that I wound up turning it into a 22 rim fire to teach gun safety and grip placement.

I think this would be a good idea. Plates on both sides of the transom or just the inside ? Also, how much bigger than the stock brackets foot print ? Width ? I am thinking quarter inch high quality aluminum.

Thanks guys. Decided to go with the stock brackets and through bolts. The transom on the Lowe is flat so that should not be a problem. Ordered a pair of quick disconnects and will pick up the covers with $150.00 dollar rebate from minnkota. Yep that's what they quoted $750.00 installed. Can't go that route. If I need to pivot them I can pick up the swivel brackets later but I don't think I will need them. Minnkota recommends their stock bracket install unless the transom is not flat so Will go with that.

Haven't you ever heard of Ice fishing ? :-)

First tournament of the season. Last week at Kentucky lake. .

I prefer shorter poles to the 7 ft. plus models.

For the people running minkota Talons. What if anything do you do to secure your anchors against theft ? .

Found out that no one makes a one piece transom bracket for dual Talons. I like the two piece model but I already went out on a limb for the Talons. The two piece brackets go for around $350.00 each. As much as I dislike drilling new holes in the boat I will be using the stock brackets that came with the Talons.

Spoke with minn kota today. They assured me that their Talon poles do come with brackets. Dealer called me and said that the Talons I ordered did not come with brackets and wanted an additional $750.00 so I canceled the order. Every unboxing I've ever seen showed the Talon with stock brackets. Dealer called back and said that they would install at the price quoted. Wish I could have popped for the additional $750.00 but I had already gone out on a limb for their purchase. I think that what they wanted was for me to pop for custom brackets which would have made their life / and the installation much easier. I did order a set of quick disconnects for the Talons today though that I will install myself and with $150.00 rebate from Minn kota I will order a set of covers. Originally wanted a one piece bracket that would mount between the motor and the transom without having to drill any new holes. Found out that no one makes a single bracket. I could buy a pair that would do the same thing but at $350.00 a bracket. Out of the question unfortunately. Would have been nice. As much as I dislike drilling extra holes in my boat I believe It will be alright. It is a pro install after all (he said crossing his fingers). I may àlso pop for a couple of security bolt kits, not sure yet. I did add the Talons to my insurance policy today though. Two wakeups and a road trip and she will be all mine.

Do Minn Kota Talons come with mounting brackets ? Ordered two 10 footers but am being told that they do not come with brackets.

Sweet. Sounds good A-Jay. Some people have told me that I could get by with just one but with a double hip replacement I can appreciate the added stability. Especially on the water. Running back and forth and up and down the boat to anchor is not an option. The Talons are a perfect fit. Could have gone up to a 75 horse Merc for what I paid for the Talons but this makes much better sense.

Researched the Talon. Thought it made the best sense for a new aluminum Lowe Stinger. Ordered two to be installed sometime this week before I pick up. No space for a pump and 3 batteries on the Lowe plus they deploy quicker and are quieter from what I've beard with fewer moving parts which makes better sense maintenance wise. Also asked them to install them with quick disconnects. Also thinking of getting the anti theft bolt kit.