Jon 1652 MT

What is the Lowe Jon 1652 MT?

The Lowe L1652MT is a 16-foot riveted-aluminum jon boat with a mod-V bow, a flat transom, a 70-inch overall beam (52-inch bottom), a 20-inch transom, and a hull-only weight of roughly 350 pounds. The MT designation marks it as the mod-V tiller variant in the Lowe jon-boat catalog, slotting between the smaller utility jons and the all-welded Roughneck line. The boat is rated for 50 hp remote or 35 hp tiller, carries 5 persons, and supports a maximum payload of 1,216 pounds.

Construction is marine-grade 5052-H34 aluminum joined with solid factory rivets through the hull and lap seams, with formed-in keels and extruded ribs adding longitudinal stiffness. Standard equipment from the factory includes the painted hull, riveted bench seats, lifting handles, and a transom plate. Casting deck, livewell, bilge pump, navigation lights, and the bow trolling-motor mount are options on the base hull and are usually bundled into the dealer-package configurations buyers actually take home.

Who is it good for?

The right buyer is the duck hunter or river angler who runs shallow water for 80 to 150 hours a year, hauls the boat on a single-axle trailer behind a half-ton truck, and wants a boat the household can keep for a decade. The Mississippi flyway hunter loading two anglers, a dog, decoys, and a layout blind into a 16-foot hull is exactly who the L1652MT was designed around. Tennessee River and Ozark stream fishermen running a 25 hp Mercury tiller through skinny water and gravel bars are the other natural buyer.

We watched a duck-hunting pair launch a 2022 L1652MT into a Mississippi Delta backwater at first light last November. Two layout blinds, a labrador, three bags of decoys, and a coffee thermos went in. The boat planed clean with the 25 hp Mercury and a half-inch of draft to spare over a sandbar most boats this length would have stuck on. That is the use case.

First-jon-boat households on a $13,000 to $16,000 package budget find the right package here. Lowe dealers commonly bundle the hull, a single-axle trailer, and a Mercury 25 to 35 hp tiller outboard into a turnkey configuration for that money, and the MT trim adds the bow trolling-motor mount and the rear deck plate as part of the standard build.

Owners planning a 10-plus year hold are also a good fit, as long as they accept that rivet maintenance is part of the package. Lowe Roughneck and L-series owners routinely report 12 to 15 year ownership horizons with welds and paint that hold up under regular use, and the riveted L1652MT shares the same paint system and aluminum alloy.

Who is it not good for?

All-welded purists should step up to the Roughneck 1652 or cross-shop the Tracker Grizzly 1648 SC. Riveted hulls do leak. What owners report across long ownership cycles is the same thing: gallon-per-hour leaks at the forward rivets after 5 to 7 years of use, and the fix is a re-buck or a drill-out-and-replace job that runs an afternoon. Buyers who want a sealed hull from year one should buy welded.

Big-water owners running across exposed reservoirs in 2-foot wind chop will find the boat wet and slow. The mod-V bow helps, but a 16-foot jon at 350 pounds with a 25 hp tiller is not the right tool for a 5-mile crossing in chop. Stick to rivers, sloughs, marsh, and small impoundments.

Saltwater coastal users who want corrosion-grade hardware throughout are wrong-targeted. The L1652MT uses standard galvanized and zinc-plated fasteners on the trailer and basic stainless on the hull. Salt-marsh duck hunters do run these boats successfully, but the rinse routine has to be religious and the trailer needs annual hub service.

Pricing

The hull-only price for a 2026 L1652MT is $5,900 to $6,800 across dealer listings, with the average sitting near $6,350. That is hull plus the basic painted finish, the bench seats, the lifting handles, and the transom plate. Buyers do not actually take home a hull-only package in most cases.

Dealer packages with a single-axle trailer and a Mercury 25 to 35 hp tiller cost $13,000 to $16,500 in the 2026 model year, with the price spread tracking the outboard size and the option list. Adding a trolling motor, a battery, navigation lights, and a basic depth finder pushes the package toward the top of that band.

Used pricing has held up. A 2021 to 2023 L1652MT package with the trailer, the original Mercury 25 hp tiller, and 80 to 200 hours of use shows in the $8,200 to $12,400 band depending on condition and the option list. Hunting-rigged boats with a layout blind setup, a Mud Buddy or surface-drive conversion, or aftermarket camo paint can clear $14,000 to $18,000 used.

What works

• Riveted 5052-H34 aluminum construction has a long track record. Owners with 10 to 15 years of use report welds, paint, and rivets that all hold up to weekly hunting and fishing under standard care.
• Mod-V bow with the flat transom is the right shape for shallow rivers and marsh channels. The boat planes cleanly with a 25 hp tiller and one aboard.
• The 20-inch transom rating for 35 hp tiller or 50 hp remote leaves room to upsize the outboard later in the ownership window.
• Standard lifting handles, formed-in keels, and extruded ribs make trailer loading and shore landings forgiving.
• Replacement rivets, gunwale trim, and bench seats are inexpensive and widely stocked at Lowe and aftermarket suppliers.

What doesn't

• Rivet leaks at year 5 to 7 are normal on this construction. Owners who do not re-buck or replace forward rivets eventually report a gallon-per-hour leak under hard running. Plan an afternoon every few years for the maintenance.
• Bilge pump, livewell, and bow trolling-motor mount are options on the bare hull. Buyers who skip the dealer-package upgrade later pay full retail to add these items.
• Bench seats are riveted aluminum without padding. The pedestal-seat swap on the forward bench is the first upgrade most fishing-use owners install.
• Tracker bundles a comparable Grizzly 1648 SC package at slightly lower money. That is the cross-shop most first-jon buyers run.
• Painted-finish hulls show scuffs from gravel and rock contact within the first season. Owners who want a forgiving finish should specify the powder-coat upgrade.

Year-by-year notes

2018 to 2020 L1652MT hulls came with the painted finish, riveted bench seats, and a basic transom plate. The bow trolling-motor mount was an option that not all dealers bundled into the package.

2021 added the bow trolling-motor mount as a standard inclusion in most dealer-package configurations and refined the transom-plate hardware.

2022 to 2024 hulls have the same construction and equipment as the 2021 with minor cosmetic updates. The Mercury 25 EFI tiller became the most common factory pairing during this window.

2025 to 2026 packages have settled with the Mercury 25 EFI or 30 EFI tiller, the single-axle trailer with bunks, the bow trolling-motor mount, and a more consistent painted finish.

Cost of ownership

Operating cost on a Mercury 25 hp tiller pushing a 350-pound jon is the line item most owners notice. A typical hunting day uses 4 to 7 gallons of fuel, and the annual 100-hour service for a 25 hp tiller costs $200 to $350.

Insurance on a $13,000 to $15,000 package is $200 to $400 a year for liability-and-hull coverage. Storage is usually backyard or a covered shed, since the hull and trailer fit in a standard garage.

Plan a $200 to $400 a year reserve for hull maintenance. Rivet re-bucking, bilge-pump replacement, livewell pump service, navigation-light bulbs, and trailer hub service are the recurring items. Painted-hull touch-ups and a seasonal aluminum-cleaner rinse keep the finish presentable.

Resale on Lowe jon-boat packages is roughly 24 to 30 percent over five years, which is firmer than the segment median for entry-tier aluminum jons. Owners selling at year 5 with a clean trailer and a serviced outboard recover well.

Best year and trim to buy

A 2021 or newer L1652MT package with the Mercury 25 EFI or 30 EFI tiller, the bow trolling-motor mount, the navigation-light kit, and a clean trailer is the value buy. Asking prices in the $9,000 to $12,000 band are the right zone for a 2021 to 2023 hull with under 200 hours.

Verify three things before close. First, walk the rivets along the forward chine and the keel for visible weeping or epoxy patches. Second, pull the transom plate and check for cracking or hidden corrosion at the upper bolt holes. Third, run the Mercury 25 through full throttle range and confirm clean compression on the most recent service report.

For 2026-new buyers, the Mercury 30 EFI tiller with the powder-coat finish, the livewell, and the bow trolling-motor mount is the spec that resells best at year 5 and keeps maintenance lines manageable.

Alternatives

The Alumacraft 1448 Jon is the smaller all-welded alternative for solo duck-hunters who want a lighter trailer, shallower draft, and a sealed hull from year one. The Tracker Grizzly 1648 SC is the welded competitor at a similar package price, with a slightly different bottom geometry and a Mercury package that some first-jon buyers prefer. The Veer V13 by Lund is the right choice for buyers whose use case is light fishing and short hauls, and who do not actually need 16 feet of length.