I'm **thinking** of entering the boat world next year. Before some of you go nuts (you know who you are) and start saying "I told you so!" I am very frugal when it comes to big ticket spending and I'll ponder this for 6 months or more before pulling the trigger.

 

I also have some strict parameters. I'm not going to buy a new vehicle to tow a boat. My Bronco Sport has a towing capacity of only 2,200 pounds, so that rules out fiberglass boats. The Stinger comes in at just over 1,000 without fuel and gear. There happens to be a Lowe dealer right down the road from where I work.

 

It's a stripped down boat with no electronics and only a Minn Kota Edge 45# trolling motor. I would upgrade that to a Garmin Force Pro or an Ultrex or Ulterra. It all depends upon what I want to run for maps. I can put my Helix in the console, then put my Garmin UHD 93 (including Livescope) in the bow. I image I will want a bigger display down the road. If I go with the Minn Kota trolling motor I'll need another Humminbird unit up front. That's why I'm leaning towards the Garmin instead.

 

Anyway, does anyone have experience with the Stinger 175C? Is it a decent boat? Anything in particular I should know about it or watch out for?

 

I'm not sold on a boat yet as I love my kayak. But I have been thinking about upgrading to a new kayak platform and before investing all of that I thought that I should at least explore buying a boat. If you have any other aluminum options I'd like to hear about those as well.

I know that they’re pretty popular, and have a good reputation.
 

I used to fish out of a 17’ Bass Tracker with a 40 Mariner, and I never really had any complaints other than when the lake got rough and it was SLOW. 

3 minutes ago, ElGuapo928 said:

I know that they’re pretty popular, and have a good reputation.
 

I used to fish out of a 17’ Bass Tracker with a 40 Mariner, and I never really had any complaints other than when the lake got rough and it was SLOW. 

I had looked at Bass Trackers as well, but I prefer the layout and design of the Lowe. I also heard that it was tough to swap out the trolling motor on the Trackers as there wasn't much space to work with.

 

I'm looking at either having a 60 or a 90 on it. I don't need to go faster than that. Heck, I don't think I want to go faster than that. I've been out there with guys who had 250's on and that was too fast and too bone jarring for my taste.

I had a Crestliner VT-18. The VT series was basically the same as the Stinger from Lowe, not sure if that's still true or not. It was fine for what it was. The 18 with a 115 would do around 40 mph so I'm guessing the 175 would be low-mid 30s which is common on any tin that size. 

 

Windy conditions made me hate life, it blew around a lot. Wasn't very comfortable to ride in if there was much more than decent chop on the water either.  

 

Aluminum rigs are fine overall as long as you understand the limitations.  I'll probably end up picking up a jon boat with a 25-40 hp motor to just plink around on the river in the evenings. Dragging out my 21' glass boat is almost too much hassle for quick trips. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Kayak Koz said:

I had looked at Bass Trackers as well, but I prefer the layout and design of the Lowe. I also heard that it was tough to swap out the trolling motor on the Trackers as there wasn't much space to work with.

 

I'm looking at either having a 60 or a 90 on it. I don't need to go faster than that. Heck, I don't think I want to go faster than that. I've been out there with guys who had 250's on and that was too fast and too bone jarring for my taste.

A 17’ with a 60 should run about 30-35, which is about as fast as I’d want to go in a mod-V (Gets a little wet beyond that). 

 

My 40 would only get 25-ish on absolute glass, which got a little scary when the wake boats started running around. 

I have owned both Tracker and Lowe boats.  I had the 18’ Lowe with a 115 Evinrude.  It was a great boat except in a strong wind.  Lowe would be on my list if I were to return to aluminum.

A friend of mine bought one. The boat was fine, but he had nothing but trouble with the trailer. Both wheel bearings failed in the first year, the guide ons were flimsy and bent over the first time he bumped into one and the cover on the fenders fell off while driving down the road. If you are buying new, spend a few bucks extra and get the spare tire, they don’t come with the trailer. 

I got mine new in January 2023.  175C with Merc 60.  Perfect for my 3000 acre lake.  Haven't had it on bigger water.  I've got 180 hours on the motor without a hint of any problems there.  Will do 31MPH with no mods.  Love the layout and the size of the decks.  As @Scott F said, the trailer ain't much, but I don't use it often.  Boat stays in the water almost year round.  

My biggest issues won't affect you.  The Motorguide X3 70 trolling motor has been a constant headache.  The other problem was that the dealer installed automatic bilge pump quit after just a few months.  

 

   The compartments aren't exactly water-tight.   A day of fishing in the rain isn't too bad, but get an overnight downpour without the cover, and there will be some water in some of the compartments.   

 

   The rod locker is spacious; I probably have 13 in there now.  But I'd prefer the center placement found on longer boats.  I always have rods laying on deck over the rod locker, and it is a bit of a pain to access while fishing.  

 

    I'm in that boat 4-10 hours a day - every day, and I really can't find much to complain about.

   I believe  @Birdgot his around the same time, and he may have more to say about the motor. 😬

  LMK if you have any questions. 

 

Bill Lowen boat for sale. 😉

I think @Bird might have a Lower Stinger that's a couple years old.  Not sure if his is the C version though.  My understanding that the C versions are a Crappie designation as they have features that are specifically designed for a multi-species angler.  Ranger has these versions too.

 

I am relatively surprised it can handle a 90 outboard.  I would max it out unless you frequent lakes that have hp restrictions.  No one ever said "I have too much power here."

On 9/2/2025 at 2:48 PM, Kayak Koz said:

I also heard that it was tough to swap out the trolling motor on the Trackers as there wasn't much space to work with.

I have a ‘17 Ranger RT178 (pretty similar to the 175 Tracker) and changed the 45# TM to a Ghost. It looks a little big on a smaller boat, but I didn’t have any issues with the swap.

Seeing the light…..or coming to the darkside? Sorry I can’t resist. 

 

Lowe, lund, tracker, G3 can’t go wrong with them for aluminum boats. Tracker is usually the cheapest a lot of times they have wood decking. I enjoyed my tracker when I had it.

 

Find a layout you want in a good price range. Personally I’d try to go see any boats considered in person. Look at the pros and cons of each and what bodies of water you are looking at using it on.  

Triton TR 175 ( older model 17.5’ ) with 115 Optima and trailer loaded weighs less then 2,200 lbs. The replacement for this boat is the TR179 18.5’ w/ 115 4 stroke with trailer loaded weighs 2,600 lbs.  There are good fiberglass boats that handle rough water well near or within your vehicle towing specs.

I owned several bass boats over the years and the TR 175 w/115 had lots of tackle storage rods to 8’ long wonderful smaller bass boat.

Tom

 

23 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

Seeing the light…..or coming to the darkside? Sorry I can’t resist. 

 

Lowe, lund, tracker, G3 can’t go wrong with them for aluminum boats. Tracker is usually the cheapest a lot of times they have wood decking. I enjoyed my tracker when I had it.

 

Find a layout you want in a good price range. Personally I’d try to go see any boats considered in person. Look at the pros and cons of each and what bodies of water you are looking at using it on.  

I'm still mulling it over...

 

What spurred me is that I'm thinking of selling my AP120 and getting a Bonafide XTR or a Native Hammer with the new Garmin motor. So, as I would have to pony up more money even with selling my AP I decided to price out boats.

 

With the length of the loan terms, the monthly cost is quite low. But I also want to see if the fed drops interest rates in the next few months before pulling the trigger.

 

But not only would I miss the solace of kayak fishing, I'd miss the kayak tournaments. While I can afford to keep both a kayak and a boat, storage of both would be an issue. Plus, if I get a boat I'd keep my kayak electronics and put them in the boat.

 

But I am starting to lean towards the dark side, I mean, getting a boat.

FYI There is a 2004 TR-175 w/115 optimal ( 193 hrs) for sale $9K  in FL, great deal and boat looks is good condition.

Tom

 

I've really enjoyed the Stinger 175C.

Mine is 17'7 in length and has a 60 HP Merc.

It's a wide boat and very stable with ample storage throughout.

Top speed is 39 mph when I'm solo.

 

I believe the " C " stands for Crappie as there's mounting for 3 seats in the bow and the boat has 2 livewells.

It's pre wired for accessories as well.

 

I would say the single most impressive thing about the boat is it's stability, like walking on a kitchen floor 😁.

Get a bass boat and enjoy covering water and catching fish. You owe it to yourself.

@Bird, I'm envious you get 39mph.  Best I have gotten is 33 with a tailwind.  Did you change the prop or add a jackplate?

I would highly advise NO CARPET @Kayak Koz

19 minutes ago, gim said:

I would highly advise NO CARPET @Kayak Koz

Why?

Would you put carpet in your kitchen?

 

A hard surface is maintenance free.  No ripping, no stains, no scrubbing.  All you do is hose it down.

 

Just make sure it's not a dark color so it doesn't get hot in the sun.  Mine is a gray speck color.

 

This is coming from someone who grew up fishing in boats with carpet.  I'm never going back.

@Kayak Koz

I am just here to offer my support and to follow along.

Like any of life's fun adventure, this one will no doubt offer you plenty of challenges.

And as a BR forum member who has kept up with just about all of the one's you've shared here, I am looking forward to this one as well.

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

9 minutes ago, Kayak Koz said:

Why?

Carpet is great, until .......

It fades.

It catches hooks.

It gets wet, muddy and sometimes a little stinky.

Cleaning it PROPERLY is a Giant PIA.

Also it will eventually wear out and need replacement.

Look up what that takes, brutal.

Btw, my dark Grey boatcarpet is coming up on 10 years old.  Other than the replacing it part  I have had plenty of the rest of it.

Sea deck might be an option.

A-Jay

24 minutes ago, gim said:

Would you put carpet in your kitchen?

 

A hard surface is maintenance free.  No ripping, no stains, no scrubbing.  All you do is hose it down.

 

Just make sure it's not a dark color so it doesn't get hot in the sun.  Mine is a gray speck color.

 

This is coming from someone who grew up fishing in boats with carpet.  I'm never going back.

Years ago, I had an aluminum Jon boat. I wish I still had it. I modified it by putting in a floor of marine grade plywood. I used Styrofoam under the plywood to fill any gaps and to add floatation.  I covered the plywood  with self-adhesive vinyl tile in a light yellow (pattered) color. Super easy to put down, and it held up great. Very easy to clean and adding the plywood floor and Styrofoam made the boat much quieter. I had that boat for 8 years or so and only had to replace two tiles during that time. If the Lowes boat has a flat surface...not one of those textured or "pebbled" surfaces, using the self-stick tiles could be and option. Or you can use a vinyl sheet material but that is somewhat harder to install and requires careful cutting to get a perfect fit. With the tiles, if you mess one up you can just try again with another tile. With either option, be sure the surface is perfectly clean to get the best adhesion of the product. The sheet material is more forgiving of imperfections, as you are using a thicker adhesive compared to the tiles which have a thin layer of glue on the back....And before someone asks, yes, the addition of the plywood did add noticeably to the weight of the Jon boat, but it did not seem to make much difference in the freeboard of the boat when in the water. I did not much care about the extra weight as at that time I had it stored in a shed right next to the river and could just slide it out to the water. Sorry....I just realized I kind of hijacked the thread, but maybe this info will be of use.

I second the no carpet!

@Choporoz

Boat came stock with a 4-blade Spitfire.

Didn't realize that 39 mph was uncommon with these boats.

I'm usually cruising at 32 mph 5500 rpms but consistently reach 39 mph at 6100 rpms.