What I've Learned about Boats

[PaulO]

I'll try to keep this as short as possible. For those of you interested:

I am an old member here and a former Donzi owner. I am probably a future Donzi owner as well. When I got my '73 18, I thought "This is the best little boat I ever owned and it needs nothing". Weeks later, I was re-glassing the transom and stringers and swapping in an Alpha/260 package. The 59 mph it did when I got it was quickly insufficient. Then I had a 383 stroker built and it did 70+. Then I saw a 20' cigarette with BBC/Bravo and all sorts of goodies and couldn't resist. It was faster and took the cruiser wakes a little better but, didn't handle as well.
I decided that maybe the Donzi/Cigarette style bottoms were outdated and that, as much as I loved them for many reasons, there probably were better performance hulls out there. I then bought a 21' Superboat with a 225 merc that did low 70s and handled like a dream including being amazing in the rough. That wasn't fast enough after half a season so I repowered it with a 300 Evinrude and went mid to upper 80s. After 75, the handling was very twitchy and it required a lot of concentration to drive fast.
My little kids then began to like the little boat (I have a big family cruiser also). The Superboat was a bad choice with very little freeboard, no wind protection, and too much noise. I then did something sacreligious - I bought a Stingray! I picked up up a cute little 20 footer with SBC/Alpha that had a perfect layout for the kids. As it turns out, I used that boat more than any of the other performance boats. I painted the bottom (something I spent a small fortune to un-do on the cigarette) and left it in the water. While weather and daylight permitted, we went out every evening with the kids. We would beach it, run aground sometimes, not even hose it down. That has been a great experience. I now have a 21 Four Winns Liberator that I picked up because the Stingray was a little lacking on handling the big Sunday cruiser wakes with 2 little kids on board. The Liberator is an amazing boat. It is huge for a 21 with tons of freeboard and a 24 deg. bottom. This boat will go through anything. I am aiming for cruiser wakes without slowing now. The downside is there is no sensation of speed.

The moral of my little story is this:

There is no perfect boat. Conditions and type of use vary and no one boat can do it all.

Going fast comes at a great cost and is not enough until it is beyond the capabilities of you and the hull and then it is no fun.

Going fast is relative.

Going fast reduces usability, practicality, and dependability.

There are better boats for performance than Donzis.

Outboards are faster but, not as much fun.

Beautiful boats come with big upkeep if you want them to stay beautiful.

Anyone that has a boat and enjoys it with courtesy for others is part of my club.

A knockaround boat that I use everyday beats a collectors item that I use 6 times a season at this time in my life.

Donzis are still some of the coolest boats around, even if we try to make them what they are not!!!!!

And Finally: The biggest reason I want another Donzi is that this is the best group of people that I have ever been involved with in any hobby.

Enjoy boating and experiment with what is out there. My wife still wants a Skater!

Thanks for letting me hang around between Donzis!!

PaulO

[Crazy Horse]

Well-said PaulO. A Donzi is the perfect boat if you have another boat...The Classic and the Chris Craft Launch...you know the 60's Muscle Car and the SUV...the M3 convertible and the pick up truck...(oh and your Member Number 39 is impressive).

[EricG]

Very well said Paul.

I read an article in Motorboating last year that compared boats to Golf Clubs - you've got to have a bag full of them to do it all...

EG

[Greg Maier]

Well written and true post ! But, if you could have one boat, from now, till the day that you push up daisey's, what would it be?

[knee deep]

Well, umm, the honest answer is I wasn't sure so I bought Donzi #2 today!

[GEOO]

Paul, You don't have to kiss As2. You're always welcome...joke..
No really, well said..
I agree fast boats are a pain. I'm always on the brinks of selling. But it never seams like I can. Every time I had enough of working on her. She sneeks in, what seams like a once in a life time, dream type of day or few minutes as it may be..take care..

[Fish boy]

Paul,
Sounds like you have been there, done that and learned some lessons along the way. Here is a little bit of what I've learned about boats:

a lot of boats look a like, but there is no substitute for quality. I had my 23 in 9ft seas, with 70mph winds (did not plan it, just happened). I would not try this with an aquasport, chris craft,...etc.

Some people take their boats out all of their lives without ever realize that driving the boat is not what boating is all about.

My boat is a part of me. I am not about to let that part be replaced with a cheap imitation (or an expensive one).

Speed rocks!! WFO and the adrenaline rush that comes with it makes your heart pound, your eyes tear from the wind, body vibrate from hundreds of Horses loose on the stern of your boat, your feet heavy trying to stay attached to the deck when your hit a wave, your chest swell when you lose another boater in your rooster tail because he/she can't keep up...life is too short to go slow.

Finally, the spirit of boating comes from being with good people- just like those on this site.

Fishboy

[HyperDonzi]

That whole speed issue sounds like something my dad would tell me. I just had to tweak the engine on my goped.... He kept saying you are going to break something and bam, how often do you hear about piston rings shatterining into tiny little pieces? de tuned now so it wont do it again. We all need first hand experience sometimes to learn.

[BigGrizzly]

Well done. I had a Dynasty 19 foot for a play boat too from 1992 to 2001, but never gave up the Donzis. it was fun for 8+ people, biggest darn 19 foot I ever saw. Everything has its place

[waleyetwo]

very true that why i use my starcraft the most it work it's easy and oh i don't get stoped by the cops. :D wink eek!

[RH]

This is the same topic that I have tried to explain to my wife for the last 8 years! It's like all of her shoes in her closet...there is a different boat for different occasions and conditions. I had the Whalers for the kids and (me) the woody's for the nostalgia, the Coronado for taking friends out for cocktails and the Donzi for fast, blast wave hopping fun. I have owned a lot of boats over the past 20 years and the Donzi evokes the most interest of any of them. The quality of a 30 year old boat is quite evident among the new "cookie cutter" boats that are abundant in the waters today. All of the boats have their certain qualities, but I know that my wife wouldn't go running in a pair of her sandals!
RH

[boxy]

Great post PaulO, as most of know I've been looking for the "perfect" boat longer than Lenny, I thought I wanted a 16 as a second boat, then I started talking to GeneD and realized that an 18 was what I wanted, then our first daughter was born, and the idea got shelved, then I almost drove to Alabama, and bought Clayman's boat (be very happy I didn't, because if I had, we may not have that beatiful boat in our midst) then our second daughter was born, and then I met FrankC, and I realized my family needs a 22 ZX.
Long story short, my boating needs/wants have changed but this great collection of boating buddies, collectively known as Donzi.Net have kept my focus on one brand, Donzi. If it wasn't for you guys I'd be running around in 24 Baja Outlaw right now. (not that there's anything wrong with that) :D
PS: anyone want a 19 foot Regal Valanti set up for wakeboarding ??

[fasttrucker]

i think donzi is the perfect boat for me and my family.so your wrong. :mad: oh just kidding,i used to go fishing almost every day in the 80s and i couldnt do that in my 28zx.a big boat with two staterooms would be nice for when i retire in thirty years till then go donzi go donzi! :p

[Cuda]

All boats are a compromise. I have one for every day of the week (if you count jet skis). If I were forced to keep just one (shudder at the thought), I would have to choose my 18 open fish. Most versatile of the 7.

The last two times I was boat shopping, I had a Donzi in mind both times, just happened to come across great deals on my Formula's both times. I'm still trying to make room in my front yard for a Donzi. :)

[Lineleader]

Thanks, you guys make me feel justified! I've been thinking something's wrong with me because I have a 61' chris craft woody, the GT 21 and a nice big yamaha waverunner, and I still can't pass a dealer or boatyard without thinking I'm missing something. I guess it's the scratch we just can't quite itch. I, just like many of you, love doing about everything on the water. Fun thread. Thanks PaulO.