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Desert Fox
06-09-2001, 10:03 PM
Has anyone ever ridden in a 17' Formula Jr.? Are there any known around?
I rode in one many years ago and I can see why Aronow did not want to sell the boat. It compared favorably to the 16' Donzi in my opinion in having a deeper V ( slower out of the water though), rode higher, a bit drier and more on its tail, making jumps with impressive balance and stable re-entry.
had a smal merc 188 or thereaaabouts if I remember. I still have a photo with the formula Jr in the background.
anyone know what Thunderbird did with the mold once purchased from Aronow? Tere ws nothing like it around in 1965 as it preceeded the Donzo by a short time and in short numbers.

Formula Jr
06-10-2001, 03:05 AM
I hear it was a spite boat built by Dick Genth. Three years after the donzi 16 came out. Don't know much more 'bout 'em........
Hahhaahahahahahhahhahhahahhah.........snick snick......haahhahahhahhhahhah

Desert Fox
06-10-2001, 05:35 AM
A contractor's son, Alyson from Pa. spent the winters in Florida and brought one frm Florida to Point Pleasant N.J. in 1965-1967 summers. It was docket at the Ved elva later known as the King's Grant Inn. He drove it hard and jumped every wake and turned wildly. I have never seen anything handle quite like it excepting a close second to the 16' donzi. The deeper v and deadrise of the Jr. mad a diference. The bow rose considerably higher than the 16' to plane off. The Boat was unique until the 16 Donzi began to apear. The Formula Jr.'s driver seat was not wrap-around like the eventual 16's driver seat.
Liked the boat,like your name... check your facts and sources.... and plane off!

Blewbyu
06-10-2001, 05:39 PM
Whoooooeee Fox!Jump right in there.Believe you asked the question..............

BigGrizzly
06-10-2001, 07:30 PM
Desert fox- Dead rise is the same as the 16 and 18 Donzi . I knew that boat from the Kings Grant Inn. My Sister and I had the baby blue 16 donzi with the V8 that the Tory kids used to try and beat. Side by side that Formula and I had about the same time to plane. The Formula Jr is a good boat and was designed by the same people who did the Donzis. Owen's boat has a 351 clevland in it and goes like heck.
I lived at Dale's during thoes times. All of us ysed to go out for the fireworks on friday nite and see then from the Ocean side with Andy Cesla and the kids from the now defunct marina down the street from Mikes Subs, name excapes me now.
Randy

[This message has been edited by BigGrizzly (edited 06-10-2001).]

Desert Fox
06-10-2001, 11:16 PM
Big Grizzly: Wow! That marin you can't remember sounds like Clark's Landing??? The Formula was the Miss Sexy.
And your're talking about a Tory 16' ob with 135 Merc! Carol Johnston 16'i/o and Mike Fenamore's 16' crash into a buoy marker while jumping a wake.
Is your sister's name Marcy.. pretty girl running a pretty 16'I/O in Barnegat/Manasquan?

Formula Jr
06-11-2001, 02:28 PM
Big Grizzly, You guys that were there know the history. But for us of tender age, we only have faded headlines that we're trying to read in the dark. Though Brownie has pointed to the light, I still can't feel around the room to find the switch. I don't really care if the Jr WAS a bastard boat quickly conceived and built by Genth, in house, as a counter to the Donzi 16, cause I kinda like my bastard boat anyway. http://www.donzi.net/ubb/wink.gif
All appologies, Allan if I've mis-read your prior posts. But the boat does bare a striking similarity to the Wynne-Mill. And there is no logical reason to designing a mass production glass boat from scratch with a tumblehome stern, ie it's based on a wood construction design. I just can't drop the theory that there was some end run by Wynne with his Hunt designed boats over to Thunderbird that cut Aronow out of the loop. Wynne and Walter's certainly designed the Donzi line, but Wynne's own early boats, Aqua Hunter (the volvo/glass 23 footer) and the Wynne-Mill, were Hunt designs?

Still trying to know less than nothing.

http://www.epud.net/~owen/images/66formulas2.jpg

[This message has been edited by Formula Jr (edited 06-11-2001).]

BigGrizzly
06-11-2001, 07:10 PM
D. Fox you got it Marcy is the sister and Clarks landing was the place. Mike Fenamore had a Barrelback 18, and he landed on top of the the lited stick buoy. I won't tell you the real story untill it is in person. Mike passed away several years ago from Lukemia. Carol got her boat years later, was suprisingly slow. Thoes were fun days. Fred who's dad owned the Burtrum dealer Fred his brother and Bob Hous (red 69-70 16) some times we would go out the Masq inlet and run down to Barnagate lit and then up the bay and through the canal just to do it one more time again. I though that Pouch Toryhad a 115, Joe had the big motor on that silly slead he called a boat. Half the Clarks landing crew is in the keys, Pam, is a bar tenderin the keys and married, can't remember where her brother or the rest are except for Andy(great guy. Ronny Shiffer and his sister are in Ft Lauderdale, that all I know any more. I lost touch years ago.
I'm the brother that raced thoes terrible motor cycles.
Just one more thing about coping a boat design. Its one thing to hire the designer to make the boat for you like Donzi did, its Quite different to take a 18 foot hull and pop a mold off and sell it like Python did with that Viper. Small difference to some but a big difference to me.
Jr. The Formula Jr is in no way a bastard boat, it is as part of the history of small V bottoms as Donzis, and don't ever think of it as such. That Jr of yours is a good boat you proved it to everone at Cumberland, I'm glade you came.
Randy

[This message has been edited by BigGrizzly (edited 06-11-2001).]

Desert Fox
06-13-2001, 09:14 PM
Big Grizzly:
Wiley Royce has the corsica and later the hornet; name of his boatr.. "Damm it!" QUESTION OF THE NIGHT... WHAT WAS THE NAME OF Mike Fenamore's Boat? I don't think Mike Fenamore had a barrell back. It was a 16' and then and 18' donzi classsic.

BigGrizzly
06-14-2001, 12:12 AM
I Don't rember Wiley Having a Corsican ( I have one now and a 22 Criterian, and Marcy still has the 16), I rember the green Hornet with the Holmam and Moody 351 was called Sagadick before his dad made him change it. He then got a Crossbow later after he got tired of his Panthera ( car)Mike's was deffenately a barrel back, he had the sharp V on the bottom, and no round edges on the stern. We were on the trailers side by side when that hot shot mechanic put in a hydralic cam in it with solid lifters. It ran about 20 minuts then down hill from there. Don't remember the name of the boat, if it even had one nor the 16. Shortly after we got the 16 in 1966 Mike showed up in the 18, Dad wished ge had gotten the 2 buckets. there was also Bud DiA... with the yellow Sutf---, the three used to travel around alot I rember his good looking sister was here name Pam? I dated the girl from Clarks named Pan. I was looking for a picture of the big crash tho, stuff is scattered all over from 5 moves and 30 years and racing motorcycles. Our 16 was Picolina, means little girl in Italian. After all the 40 footer was the Parthenia after my mom and that was the big girl. BTW Marcy had twins (girls)7 weeks ago while we were at Stanford. The only kids she has.

Randy

[This message has been edited by BigGrizzly (edited 06-14-2001).]

Hollywood Hank
08-08-2011, 11:41 AM
Hi! Don't know if this thread still is active?
Just bought this '65 Formula however. Is said to have been imported from Florida to Northern California in about 1971, and has lived a very good life. Still all original except from the drivers seat. Orig. paint on trailer, and orig. gel coat.
Running a 260cui Ford with a Shelby aluminum intake and 4-barrell Holley.
Looking for more info about these boats!!

pipnit
08-08-2011, 01:15 PM
[QUOTE=Hollywood Hank;610416]Hi! Don't know if this thread still is active?
QUOTE]

Being that the last post was from ten years ago, I'm gonna climb out on a limb and suggest that no, it was not still active, lol. :bonk: