August 27th 2011.
By Lenny Rudow

Lowe 2012 Stinger 175 Boat Test Notes

Boats.com reviewer Lenny Rudow lines up the essentials of a nicely priced aluminum bass boat.

Watch the Lowe 2012 Stinger 175 Video Boat Review

Overview: The Lowe Stinger is a bass rig that’s far more economical than most fiberglass bass boats, yet still provides solid performance and fishability.

Lenny adds monitoring equipment to the outboard while Paul catches it on camera.

Concept:Lowe 2012 Stinger 175 performance data

  • Design an aluminum bass boat with all the features of a more expensive bass boat at a much more reasonable cost.
  • Provide performance that includes a fast hole-shot and cruising speeds in the mid-30s with a relatively small, economical powerplant.
  • Include design features such as a wider beam to enhance stability, and a modified-V hull to handle a chop.

Construction:

  • Wood-free, all-welded aluminum hull and deck.
  • Two-piece extruded hull welded to an extruded one-piece keel.
  • Integrated chines and strakes.
  • Beefy console with aluminum support.

Performance:

  • Varies widely with power choice; with the 75-hp Mercury test motor, performance is not as impressive as some bass boats but is sufficient for serious anglers and is very economical.
  • 4500 RPM cruise is 33.3-mph; top-end during our test was 38.1-mph.
  • Hull design handled a slight chop well at all speeds.

Handling:Stinger 2012 175 Specifications

  • Cornered excellently, and responded to the wheel like a sportboat.
  • Hole-shot is fast and mid-range acceleration is good.

Features:

  • Fore and aft livewells with removable bait buckets, a locking rodlocker, and lots of extra stowage space including two built-in tackleboxes. As a whole, the boat provides excellent fishing features.
  • New baked-enamel finish looks great.
  • Extra-beamy design is very stable.

MORE INFORMATION

Visit the Stinger 175 page at the Lowe Boats website.



About the author:

Lenny Rudow

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Lenny Rudow is Senior Editor for Dominion Marine Media, including Boats.com and Yachtworld.com. With over two decades of experience in marine journalism, he has contributed to publications including Boating Magazine, Marlin Magazine, Boating World, Saltwater Sportsman, Texas Fish & Game, and many others. Lenny is a graduate of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design who has won 28 BWI and OWAA writing awards.
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This feature was posted on Saturday, August 27th, 2011 at 12:12 pm and is filed under Aluminum Fish Boats, Bass Boat, Boat Review/Test, Boat Test Notes, Fishing, Powerboat.

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