Lowe Boats SS 160

The Lowe Boats SS 160 is a compact bowrider built in welded and pressed marine-grade aluminium by Lowe Boats of United States, a builder trading since 1971. On our measurements it works out at roughly 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m) of hull with a beam near 6 ft 12 in (2.12 m), which places it squarely in the trailerable family bowrider class: one vehicle, one trailer, one afternoon of prep, and the boat is in the water. Affordable American aluminium bowriders and deck boats for lakes and rivers.

Layout is classic bowrider and that is the whole point of the boat. Twin lounges run forward of the windscreen with a walk-through to the anchor well, the helm and companion seats sit amidships behind a wrap screen, and a full-width lounge spans the transom for sunbathing and socialising. Around 8 people fit aboard comfortably in sheltered water. Cushions lift out, backrests fold and filler pads convert the cockpit from a conversation pit into one long sun bed in a couple of minutes.

On the water the SS 160 is easy to like because nothing about it is demanding. Trim it out, settle into a mid-throttle cruise and it holds course with a finger on the wheel. Turns are progressive rather than sharp, wake crossings are soft, and the boat is forgiving of an inexperienced driver — an underrated quality in a family bowrider.

Power is a 80-120 hp four-stroke outboard package, and that suits both the hull and the way these boats are used. Keeping the machinery outside the hull frees up stern storage, simplifies servicing and removes the bellows and gimbal wear items that punish neglected stern drive boats. It also lifts the swim platform clear of the exhaust.

Watersports are well covered. A tow point is standard on almost every boat in this class, and Lowe Boats owners regularly add a pylon or a folding tower for wakeboarding. A modest outboard package pulls a slalom skier out of the water cleanly and tows children on an inflatable biscuit all day without protest. Skis, ropes and vests live in the under-floor and under-seat lockers so nothing sits underfoot while the boat is loaded.

Anglers do well out of the SS 160. The bow converts to a casting deck once the cushions are stowed, there is room to swing a rod without hitting the screen, and lockers swallow tackle, nets and a cooler. It is not a dedicated fishing boat, but it catches fish and it still takes the family out the next morning — which is the entire argument for owning a bowrider.

Build and finish sit where you would expect for a entry level boat from United States. Lowe is the budget aluminium specialist of the Brunswick stable, and its SS and Stinger bowrider-style models are among the cheapest new family boats available anywhere with a factory warranty and trailer package. Hulls are all-welded aluminium with foam flotation, and the boats are deliberately light so that a small SUV or even a mid-size sedan can tow the smaller sizes. Layouts follow the bowrider template with forward seating, a walk-through windscreen, a helm console and a rear bench, and many models retain fishing features such as rod holders and livewells because Lowe's core market fishes as often as it cruises. Fit-out is basic — painted alloy, vinyl seating, simple gauges — but everything is easy to clean, easy to repair and inexpensive to replace. For a first family boat on a lake or river, or a knockabout tender for a lakeside cabin, Lowe delivers the practical essentials of bowrider boating at the lowest possible cost of ownership.

Options worth having on the SS 160 are the practical ones: a bimini for shade, a decent bow and cockpit cover so the upholstery survives being stored outside, an upgraded sounder if you fish, and a stereo package that can be heard over the engine. Aluminium hulls also reward a good trailer with proper skids, because the plating marks more easily than fibreglass on a poorly set-up trailer.

As a used buy, check the same things you would on any bowrider in this size band: transom firmness, stringer and floor soundness, hours and service history on the engine, steering and trim function, and the state of the upholstery seams, which are the first thing to fail on a boat that lives uncovered. At this end of the market condition matters far more than model year — a well-kept older boat beats a neglected newer one every time.

Our price guide for the SS 160 is US$27,000 - US$36,000 new, which moves with engine choice, trailer, tower and how recently the boat was refreshed. Judged as a whole, it does what people buy a bowrider for: cruise, tow, swim, fish and entertain in one boat, without asking the family to compromise on any of them. Lowe Boats has been refining that formula since 1971, and the SS 160 is a straightforward, well-judged expression of it.