1972 Donzi ?

[smoothie]

Did the 1972 Donzi 16 (http://www.offshore-performance.com/boatsforsale/broker_list.pl?type=view&boat_id=9762) have the vents behind the engine hatch? I thought just the early 16's are the only ones to have the vents?

[mattyboy]

Smoothie,
I would say that is generally correct but there always seems to be an exception,It looks like the dash as been modified and maybe the vent arrangement as well should have 4 clam shells but it doesn't look like they are there should be a hull number though if its a 72

Matt

[Craig]

My guess from pictures and 16's (and 18's) I've seen: 1969 and newer had 4 clams. What is that wierd scoop on that boat? It's too big and plastic!

[Forrest]

Mine's a one owner (me) '72 16 Ski Sporter and I haven't changed anything.

Here is a picture.
http://www.donzi.net/hull/C16641/d3.jpg

My guess is that what you are looking at is not really a '72. Got a hull number?

[mattyboy]

Forrest,
that's a beautiful boat!

Didn't change a thing uh?? :rolleyes: so they came off the line as 70 mph boats wink :D :D

the tabs on your boat are mounted further towards the gunwales then mine??? maybe if I move mine I can hit 70... :D

Matt

[Sagbay32]

I saw the blue and white '72 while surfing last night, nice looking boat.

Mike

[Forrest]

eek! Well, aahh, just the aahh, outdrive, but its still a Mercruiser, and the, ahh engine, but its still a 302 Ford, and ahh, the steering - except I kept the factory wheel . . . everything else though, like the vents, is as it was when bought new in '72!

Yea . . . try movin' those tabs. :p Oops! I forgot to mention that I added those as well.

[mattyboy]

Forrest,
did they change any thing on the hull in 72 your ass end looks different from mine, the thru hulls look lower so does the top of the drive,that could be cause it's a merc, and the tabs are out further, just curious..
mines a 67-68 351w

Matt

[Forrest]

That picture was taken around 1981 (check out the new cars in the background) and what you are looking at, is the boat as it came from the factory except for the Bennett trim tabs which I installed back in 1980, and the cleaver prop. The reason that the exhaust is so low is because of the factory end-riser Mercruiser log manifolds and the plumbing job Donzi did to make it exit under the steering cable. The factory Mercruiser risers for that manifold have the exhaust exit pointing down. From that point, Donzi put in a bronze 3" dia plumbing ellbow lining up to the exhaust tips. All was connected by very short pieces of exhaust hose.

As legend has it, the reason that Donzi didn't use the new-and-hot-at-the-time Mercruiser 888 V-8 sterndrive package (302 Ford, 2-barrel Holley, 188hp, "R" outdrive with 1.5:1 gears) in 1970 and '71, was because Mercury would NOT honor warrany issues because of the "modified" thru-hull exhaust system that Donzi wanted to use. Later in 1972, Mercury finally came around and agreeded to honor warranty the 888 stern drive package with thru-hull exhaust and this 16 Donzi was the first Donzi to get the Mercuriser 888 package.

[smoothie]

The hull no. is 16-645,Sooo I would guess that it is a 1965 ???

[Formula Jr]

By '74 all FRP boats had HIN numbers on the upper starboard transom. The Cosmetics may be original but the hardware is not. Its not a '72. And the vents are not original. I would venture a guess that its an earlier boat that had the two clamshell vents, the rear seat vent and the non-functional aft deck louvered vent plate. That plate was then taken off and the two Non-Donzi functional round louvered vents were added and the clam-shell vents were replaced with what ever those soft plastic vent sailboat thingys are.