Decisions, decisions

Been browsing tinboats for a while and decided it was time to join up & ask my questions.

I've been trying to decide between spending the money for a new boat, like a riveted Lowe 14', or going with an old (1970's) welded Gregor that I've been looking at. With the Gregor I'm sure I'll end up having to replace the wood seats and maybe the transom wood too. I'm ok with doing the seats but not sure I want to tackle the transom.

I've read here about leaking rivets but since it's a new Lowe I hope I wouldn't have to worry about that for a long while. Thoughts on Lowe in general?

I've had a couple of Lowes and if they didn't have name plates I couldn't guess who they were made by. Craigslist is full of slightly used boats for much less than new ones. While you're at it get an extra 2 or 3 feet to add to the 14 ft next year.

Keep an eye out and do a lot of window shopping. Dad and I found the 2004 1860 SC Triton with 2002 Mercury 40 4 stroke I have for $9k last Memorial Day Weekend. The boat is in amazing shape and if it weren't for my active imagination on how I really want the boat to look/function there would be no need for the modifications I have going through my brain.

If the money is available to be saved then I would go with all-welded especially if you feel you will be out in some "rougher" conditions. That being said, depending on how careful and gentle you are going to be with the boat a riveted boat will serve you for years and years. I would keep a good eye on the thickness of the aluminum. Personally, unless it was just in the pond out the back door I eventually want to have I wouldn't want anything less than 0.08-0.10 thickness. Just keep in mind as many will say here that eventually rivets will leak and welds will break. A lot of it depends on the quality of the weld, rivet, and aluminum.

As for the length of the boat I agree with the previous post as well. The first boat that was mine was a 14' and I spent a lot of time in a 1542 LW Tracker Topper that I rented from the Base MWR place. Now that I have a 1860, I don't know what I would do with anything smaller. However if it were me I would opt for a shorter boat if it were wider at the bottom than a longer boat. I.E. 1648 vs 1554 etc.

Good luck either way YOU decide with your endeavors.

A lot depends on what you like to do.

Personally, I like working on my boats. I like customizing something to fit what I want, not what either the manufacturer thought I'd like, or some prior owner thought was a good way to do things.

I've owned over 25 boats in 50 + years of boating/fishing. One has been new (totally) and one was a new hull on which I had a dealer move an older Center Console and an older motor. I can afford what I want.

Right now, I am finishing up ( I hope) a 2007 Lowe 1756 that the prior owner did a lot of nice work on....just none of it was what I wanted or needed. But, I didn't mind the hours and hours that I spent re-doing her.

If you like to tinker, then the older boat may bring a lot of enjoyment. If you like to get in a boat and just go fishing, then the newer one may be best for you.

No one knows what is best for the other guy.

The transom isn’t that big a deal once you get into it. Even if you need to enlist the help of a local welding shop the cost is still less than a new boat. As for riveted boats, I am currently running a 1970’s Naden 16 that was a former rental boat at a resort. It didn’t leak when I got it and doesn’t now. I’ve had riveted boats that leaked and mostly it’s a case of spending a bit of time to find the leaks and tighten/ seal things up. Lowe boats have been around for a while. Don’t have any experience but I’m sure they are fine. A boat that gets taken care of and used sensibly, is one that lasts.
Not sure what your intended useage is, or type/size of water you’ll be in, but get as big, deep, wide as you can. Tough to beat the stability of a wider boat. Good luck whatever you decide.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"Tough to beat the stability of a wider boat."

Good advice from Weldor......

I think that you'll find most people around here want to modify their boat to what their specific use is going to be. Personally, I would want to stay away from riveted since I have seen them leak over time. No matter what type of boat, you want to see how it floats in the water and then determine where you want to be placed while operating the boat. I liked the console forward so I ended up moving mine. If you can find a stripped down welded mod v with a floor, you can then customize it the way you like. If you find a riveted boat dirt cheap or free, you can play around with it to see how you like the setup and then if you run into issues, you could sell it and get a welded boat built the way you really want it. I doubt there are a lot of people who buy the boat and don't change it, so figure that into your planning. Money is always a factor too, so think about what you could do without and still be happy and comfortable in your boat. The starting point might be the depth of water you plan to run. Shallow and rocky might mean a tunnel and jet outboard, deeper water means you can run a non tunnel and prop motor. The best thing to do is ask a bunch of questions because a lot of combination have already been tried here. I have a 1652 welded Lowe tunnel with a 60/45 jet and I still ended up moving the console forward for better weight distribution. I got the boat, prop motor and trailer for a great price, sold the prop motor and then grabbed the jet motor for a great price as well. I never realized how lucky I was to find a short shaft jet locally.

When people say Lowes are great what they are really saying is that Aluminum boats are great. They seem to resell higher because the name is good. They are good boats but so are most others. Gregor is probably the best but in my opinion only 10% better. So don't pay $3000 for a beat up Gregor when you can score lesser name clean boats for way less. Look for dents, repairs and rot over a name brand and don't forget the trailer. A good trailer that fits well and is not needing restoration is a huge plus and stay away from motors painted black. As far as brand new then there certainly is nothing wrong with buying new. A new 14-16' Lowe with a new Yamaha EFI and warranty will serve you well for decades. I just bought a 14 and it will be a blast to joyride but it's nothing like the three 16' tin boats I used to own with 25hp or larger on them. That 16 size tin just seems to be the perfect balance of safe, light and big enough for ruffer weather and some friends. Add a dog, cooler, fat chick and poles to a 14 and it gets small and dicey in a thunderstorm or near wake boats. The Gregor would be the exception here. What you get with them is a fuller size boat. They are big for their size.

my welded g3 always had a little water in it,so did my riveted nameless one i had previous to it.i installed a bilge pump with the built in float and never worried about it ever again.boats always seem to have water in them.who knew? re bucking a rivet is way easier than fixing a busted weld,not that i have a preference over the other.