Anyone own a Lowe L1648 Aura?

[wmk0002]

I just got back from local Alumacraft dealer. Despite being about 30 minutes away, he actually lives really close to me and turns out I know his daughter from high school. He was super nice guy none the less but that confirmed that if I buy Alumacraft it will be from him.

While there I was able to look at an MV1648 NCS he had for sale that was totally rigged up with trolling motor, depth finder, front and rear seat bases, offset rear driving seat base, battery box, and a 20hp Mercury. I'm not looking for a rigged one but it was nice to see a somewhat final product in person. The price for just the hull is $2,050. They do not charge any doc or transportation fees so it is simply that plus tax. He said if you just buy the hull it is 8.5% sales tax but a hull trailer combo is 3%.

He also had a 1648 NCS flat bottom. Aside from the flat bottom design the only difference is that this one doesn't have the option for a factory floor. Previous to going there I really wanted the factory flooring, however, the exposed ribs in the area between the front deck and rear bench is completely flat so installing a floor wouldn't be hard at all. I think I would also like to do it myself so I could screw it down instead of riveting like they do it and I could ad some bracing to the place I would like a seat base. Im also partial to a flat bottom for stability reasons but it also has a much larger deck as well which is a plus. He had the 1648 flat bottom priced at $1,800 which seems more than reasonable.

He has basic trailers for $500 and nicer Tennessee Trailers for $750. I still think mine would work ok but the $500 one is smething I'd need to consider based on the way they do sales tax.

All in allI was happy I made the trip over and based on the relationship and prices it is almost certain I will buy an Alumacraft jon from them very soon. In case anyone is curious the dealer was Leon's Marine in Cullman, Alabama which is almost right by Smith Lake Park.

 

[xXOnyxXx]

i wish this model was available last year when i bought my 1648mt ... i hate the front seat, it takes up to much floor space. .. gonna be a sweet rig!

 

[wmk0002]

Anyone know how accurate these specific jon boat weight specs are? The Lowe is listed at 270lbs and both the Alumacraft MV and flat bottom are listed at 310lbs. It seems odd the Alumacrafts would be the same since the hull design is different plus the MV has the floor while the flat bottom is just exposed ribs. Also, the Lowe being 40 lbs lighter despite being the same hull gauge doesn't seem realistic if the Alumacrafts are accurate. I was just thinking if the Alumacraft 1648 flat bottom was truly 310 lbs and it would require roughly a 0.080" thick by 4' X 8' aluminum floor, it's weight would increase to closer 350 lbs (plus the floor cost). If the Lowe was truly 270 lbs and already had the floor, it would be 80 lbs lighter, and while more expensive upfront it wouldn't require any additional flooring cost. Just some brainstorming thoughts I had as I was taking my coffee earlier today.

 

[Fishfreek]

Some folks think I am weird but I actually took my hull and trailer to a certified scale and my Alumacraft MV 1648 NCS weighed 353 lbs and it has the factory floor installed. Hope this helps

 

[wmk0002]

Some folks think I am weird but I actually took my hull and trailer to a certified scale and my Alumacraft MV 1648 NCS weighed 353 lbs and it has the factory floor installed. Hope this helps

Nah, I'll probably weigh mine whenever I get it too lol. I'll probably just use big game scales though and suspend it at 2 or 3 points and sum them up.

Your results are interesting though. So those results are from lifting it off and weighing just the hull, correct? If so it would mean that the listed 310 lbs hull weight is probably accurate for the NCS model without the floor as the floor is about 40 lbs by itself assuming it's approximately 4' X 8' X 0.080".

 

[Catch Release Repeat]

It is almost exactly 4x8 which would make sense


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fishfreek]

So those results are from lifting it off and weighing just the hull, correct?


Correct.

 

[wmk0002]

I'm bumping this thread because I think I have made a decision and have saved up the $$$. I believe I am going to go with the Alumacraft 1648 NCS flatbottom. I am still unsure on whether or not to get a trailer although I'm leaning towards it as it stands now. An extra $500 for the trailer gets me a lower tax rate and then the out the door cost only ends up increasing by ~$400. To fix up my old trailer would require new lights, tires, bearings, bunks, and it would probably need to be lengthened, all of which would add up I'm sure.

I'm still going to hold off on purchasing it because I never got around to fooling with the 35hp I have. Actually, a few weeks ago I picked up a 1967 9.5 hp Evinrude Sportwin for a good deal and have spent the last week fiddling with it. I bought it second hand from a hobby mechanic who didn't have time to fool with it while his house is being built and tools are in storage. He had video of it running and it had good compression and LU so I bought it. Turned out the guy he bought it from had full length thread lawnmower plugs in it and they were smashing into the pistons! One of them didn't even have a visible gap so the thing was running on one cylinder and with the one good cylinder plug having the smallest gap I have ever seen. The throttle adjustment was way out of wack as well. With the tiller at WOT the carb butterfly was only opening maybe 1/2 way. Now I have good spark and correctly functioning throttle control. I'm going to see if it will run today after work.

So, all of that said, if I can get this little 9.5 running like a top I will go ahead and tell the dealer to get me one, if he doesn't already have one in stock. That way I can get to using it and work on the 35 horse in my downtime. I already have a trolling motor and figure for now I can share my pedestals and seats, TM battery, and navigation lights with my other rig for now so I just will need to do a little electrical work and mount some pedestal bases before I can be off and running.

 

[wmk0002]

I have a small victory... Got the little Evinrude to run this evening. Need to check the ignition system and carb and dial it in now.

 

[richg99]

Be VERY careful about freight and tax and all of the other things that a dealer adds on. I had a nearly $1,000 quote from one dealer versus another at about $300.00 for practically the same boat. They know how to hide the real costs.

richg99

 

[killintime]

Congrats on getting the lil rude running. I have an old Johnny 9.9 on my small boat and they are great little motors. As far as the alumacraft I think those are great little boats for the price. You should also take a quick look at the tracker grizzlys. I was in your shoes a few months ago and looking for a new hull. I was going between the NcS and the tracker. I ultimatley chose the tracker cuz i was able to find a 2015 model discounted at BP for 2699. I didnt have to pay any doc fees just 135 dollar freight charge. The main winning points for me was the tracker was all welded and the alumacraft didnt appear to have a big enough area for a six gallon gas tank and battery. Either way i think youll be very happy with your purchase they are both great boats.

 

[wmk0002]

Be VERY careful about freight and tax and all of the other things that a dealer adds on. I had a nearly $1,000 quote from one dealer versus another at about $300.00 for practically the same boat. They know how to hide the real costs.

richg99

Thanks for the tip. However, the $1,800 quote I got was the final price minus tax. That was actually the amount he initially told me and I specifically asked if there were any extra fees and he said nope. I assume that is an uncommon theme among boat dealers though.

 

[wmk0002]

Congrats on getting the lil rude running. I have an old Johnny 9.9 on my small boat and they are great little motors. As far as the alumacraft I think those are great little boats for the price. You should also take a quick look at the tracker grizzlys. I was in your shoes a few months ago and looking for a new hull. I was going between the NcS and the tracker. I ultimatley chose the tracker cuz i was able to find a 2015 model discounted at BP for 2699. I didnt have to pay any doc fees just 135 dollar freight charge. The main winning points for me was the tracker was all welded and the alumacraft didnt appear to have a big enough area for a six gallon gas tank and battery. Either way i think youll be very happy with your purchase they are both great boats.

Thank you!

I did consider about all and every kind of 14'-16' flat and modv boat out there including the Grizzlies. Ultimately though, I was too worried that the extra weight of the welded hulls would be too much for a little 9.9 hp. I do have the option to swap motors but really would like to keep the smaller outboard on more than not. I also shared your concerns for the seemingly smaller fuel tank space in the back but I'm hoping I can get by with a 3 gallon tank to help alleviate that.

 

[wmk0002]

One last bump before this thread is replaced for a NEW BOAT thread! I put a deposit down today on the Alumacraft 1648 NCS. I should have the boat and trailer next weekend if they both are delivered on time.

Since the last time I bumped this I also bought a 1982 Evinrude 9.9hp and 15hp motor together for $500. I have that old 9.5 running pretty decent aside from an exhaust leak I need to adress so I can run it without the cowl having to be off, but one of these newer motors should be a good boost for a fairly big boat assuming they run out as good wide open as they do in my barrel at home.