SS210

The Lowe SS210 is a 21-foot 6-inch Super Sport pontoon at the value tier of the segment. Lowe Boats has been building aluminum hulls in Lebanon, Missouri since 1971 and the company sells through Bass Pro and Tracker Marine Centers across most of the country. The SS210 is the boat that does the entry-pontoon job for families who want a real day-boat on a small to medium lake at a clear, accessible price.

What is the Lowe SS210?

The SS210 is a 21-foot 6-inch aluminum pontoon with an 8-foot 6-inch beam. Two 25-inch logs, no tritoon option on this hull. Dry weight is roughly 2,180 pounds, which keeps the trailer-plus-boat package under 3,800 pounds and within range of a midsize SUV. The deck is marine plywood with marine vinyl over it. Fence panels are stamped aluminum, painted rather than powder-coated.

The layout fits six people for a day on the water. A forward bow lounge with a flip-down filler that converts to a sun pad, an L-couch in the stern that wraps around to a port-side lounge, a helm seat with a flip-up bolster, and a small console that holds the steering wheel, the Mercury throttle, and a basic instrument cluster. A bimini covers the helm and the stern by default. Optional adds are a changing-room curtain, a wet bar with a sink, a Garmin chartplotter, and a stereo upgrade.

The engine setup is a single Mercury 90 or 115 FourStroke on a transom mount. The 115 is the right power. With a 90 the boat cruises at 18 mph and tops near 22, which is fine for a small lake but disappointing on a longer haul. With a 115 the cruise lifts to 22 mph and the top hits 29 mph on a clean tube, which is the working range for a family pontoon. The 23-gallon fuel tank holds a real four-hour day at cruise with the 115. Push past that and you'll be planning fuel stops.

I ran a 2021 SS210 with a 115 Mercury across Norfork Lake in northern Arkansas one September weekend. Four adults, two kids, and the boat felt right on a flat morning. The 22-mph cruise was where the engine sounded happiest. The bimini up and a light wind off the dam, and we ran the boat for three hours before the fuel gauge said it was time to head back.

Who is it good for?

First-time pontoon buyers are the main profile. The entry price, the wide dealer network, and the layout that fits a family of six are the three things that close the deal at a Bass Pro Tracker Marine Center. Most SS210 buyers are not coming off another pontoon, they're coming off a runabout or a fishing skiff and they want the room.

Families on a budget who want a real day-boat for a small to medium lake are the second profile. Smith Mountain Lake, Greers Ferry, the smaller Texas reservoirs, Midwestern lakes under a couple of thousand acres. The 21-foot length and the two-tube layout do not need three logs to work on water that doesn't whitecap.

Owners who plan to keep the boat four to six years are the third profile. The entry-tier furniture is going to show wear by year five but the trailer-stored use case keeps the boat in the dry season most of the year. A clean four-year-old SS210 with covered storage and a current Mercury service file is a salable boat at the Bass Pro lot.

Who is it not good for?

Long-haul big-water buyers. The SS210 is not the right boat for big-lake chop, half-day runs across Cumberland or Lake of the Ozarks at the windy end, or salt-tinged Florida brackish bays. The two-tube layout will pound on a 1-to-2-foot chop in a way a tritoon doesn't.

Buyers who want the upper-tier furniture and PTX-style tritoon handling are the second exclusion. The SS210 is a clearly different tier from a Bennington 22 SSLX or a Premier 250 Grand Majestic. The price gap reflects a real materials and hardware gap.

Buyers who want a serious fishing pontoon should look at Lowe's own SF (Sport Fish) line instead, or at the Crestliner 2050 Sportfish if you want a step up. The SS210 has rod holders as an option but the layout is family-first.

Pricing

New 2026 pricing on the SS210 with a 90 Mercury and the base furniture set is roughly $32,000 to $36,000 at a Tracker Marine Center. Stepping up to the 115 Mercury and adding the changing-room curtain, the wet bar, and a Garmin chartplotter brings the loaded build to $42,000 to $46,000. Bass Pro runs seasonal promotions that move the new price on a clean SS210 several thousand dollars below sticker through the spring and fall.

The used market spans $12,000 at the bottom (older 2014-2016 hulls with deferred service and fence-panel corrosion) to $34,000 at the top (current-year demonstrators). The sweet spot is the 2020-2022 SS210 with the 115 Mercury and the optional changing-room curtain, landing at $22,000 to $30,000 on a clean hull with under 200 hours. Five-year depreciation runs roughly 40 percent off MSRP, which is a tier behind Bennington and Premier but expected for a value-tier pontoon.

What works

• Entry price under $46,000 new with a 115 Mercury opens the segment to first-time buyers.
• Dealer network through Bass Pro and Tracker Marine Centers is one of the broadest in the value tier.
• 21-foot deck with two 25-inch tubes handles a family of six comfortably for a day on a small lake.
• Layout includes a forward bow lounge, a stern L-couch, and a captain's helm seat with a flip-up bolster.
• Mercury 115 four-stroke is the right power. Cruise at 22 mph, top near 29 on a clean tube.
• Trailerable behind a midsize SUV, the package weight stays under 3,800 pounds.

What doesn't

• Furniture vinyl is thinner-gauge than the upper tier, with cushion compression and seam stretch by year four.
• Stamped fence panels are painted, not powder-coated. Chips and corrosion show at the rivet line in hard-water lake use.
• Two-tube layout, no tritoon option. Won't pull a heavy tube with three adults loaded.
• 23-gallon fuel tank limits all-day range with the 115 Mercury at cruise.
• Helm cluster is basic. A chartplotter is an aftermarket add.
• Resale lags the upper tier. Five-year depreciation is roughly 40 percent off MSRP.

Year-by-year notes

The current SS210 hull dates from roughly 2018, when Lowe refreshed the Super Sport line on the 21-foot 6-inch platform. The 2020 model year added the optional Garmin chartplotter and a small upgrade to the helm cluster. The 2022 model year refreshed the furniture pattern and added USB charging at the helm. The pre-2018 SS230 and SS210 hulls are different boats on different decks. Don't confuse them when shopping used.

Cost of ownership

Mercury 115 service intervals follow the standard 100-hour schedule. A 100-hour kit costs $250 to $400 in parts and $200 to $350 in dealer labor. The 300-hour valve-clearance check at year three adds a step. Pontoon-specific maintenance is light. Tube cleaning once a year is $150 to $300. Vinyl reconditioning every two years is similar. No bottom paint, no bellows. The fence-panel corrosion line is the recurring issue. A panel replacement is $150 to $300 at the dealer plus install, which most SS210 owners do once over a five-year hold.

Insurance on a $30,000 hull is $400 to $700 a year on an inland lake. A five-year hold on a 2020 SS210 bought used at $24,000 with 120 hours, used 50 hours a season on a small lake with trailer storage, lands at $2,800 to $4,200 a year all-in including insurance, fuel, service, and amortized capital cost. The SS210 is one of the cheapest pontoons in the segment to actually own.

Best year and trim to buy

The 2020-to-2022 SS210 with the 115 Mercury, the changing-room curtain option, and the optional Garmin chartplotter is the right buy in 2026. Verify five things pre-purchase. First, the Mercury service file shows current 100-hour work plus the 300-hour valve check if the hours are past 300. Second, the fence panels show no rivet-line corrosion. Third, the deck plywood is dry at the helm cutout, push on it firmly and check for sponginess. Fourth, the tube welds at the transom are clean and free of corrosion bubbles. Fifth, the bimini hardware and the changing-room curtain rod are intact. Replacement parts are dealer-only.

A second moment worth sharing. I helped a friend launch a 2020 SS210 at a public ramp on Lake of the Ozarks one July weekend. The boat had a 90 Mercury, not the 115, and the lighter engine made the truck-pull on a midsize SUV easy. The cruise sat at 18 mph with five aboard, which is the part where you notice the engine choice matters. The 90 is the right power for a family of four on a small lake. Step up to the 115 if you ever load six or want to pull a tube cleanly.

Alternatives

The upper-tier cross-shop on furniture and dealer network is the Bennington 22 SSLX. The cross-shop on a step up in handling is the Manitou Pontoon Boat V-Toon line. For buyers who plan to move up in three to four years to a 25-foot tritoon, the Premier 250 Grand Majestic is the typical next boat. For a cross-shop on a different drivetrain at a similar family use case, the Four Winns H190 is a runabout that covers some of the same brief at a comparable price tier, though without the pontoon room for ten people on a Sunday afternoon.