18's, 18's, and more 18's

[DUCATIF1]

In my search for my ideal first Donzi (and boat in general) all I can find are good deals on 18's. After seeing pics of Scotts I am again thinking about an 18'. It would be easier to tow around but am nervous it will be just useless on the South Shore of LI NY which is where it would be primarily be used. Where do you guys use all these 18's?? Very calm lakes only?? I have also found project Hornets and 21 GT'S??? Any ideas?? Thanks again all info is appreciated. I hope owning one will be less work than trying to find one. Brian

[riverrat]

I think you need to save yor money & buy a '22 or larger boat if your concerned about the ride. '18's do ride hard and maybe in a year or so you can afford one?

[Zinger]

Duci, a 18ft. on the south side of LI is going to be very wet.I,am in ct. and notice when its choppy its very wet for sure and not to mention the nice waves coming over the bow at low speeds. Jeff

[HP 600SC]

I spent a ton of money building the ultimate 18,
I had it less than 6 mos. Now I have a 22 and have spent another ton, but thats a different story :D Listen to them.......get a 22!

[BigGrizzly]

I have them both, some times the 18 is alot better, it is a Corvett and the 22 is a SUV. I can honestly tell you I have a ton of hours in rough water with my 18 and our 16. The 22 will handle the rough stuff better in most cases but isn't as nimble as the 18. I'm hard pressed to get rid of either. I bring the 22 to Donzi events because it is faster and very rear.

[Surfer]

Nothing more fun than "flying" the 18 in about 2-3 chop, I take it out in the ocean all the time, you can even keep pretty dry with a little practice. I guess it depends on what you do for fun with it, I would'nt wear my tux like the press photos though.

[Marlin275]

Brian,

I have a X-18 and its a blast!
I use it on calm days in the ocean at Montauk,
any day on the Great South Bay and most everyday I get a chance on the Hudson.
You can use it on a very calm lake but thats not what these boats were designed for!
On a smooth lake a flat bottomed boat is best.
You will be looking for waves after 20 minutes.
On a lake I take it out on the roughest days I can find to recreate the ocean effect,
but if you want a dry boat that has more flexibility and higher freeboard get the 22.
As was said before, you ride on an 18 and in a 22.
Rough water she flys.

<small>[ March 03, 2003, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: Marlin275 ]</small>

[Ralph Savarese]

HEY!
I have been using my 18 on the south shore of LI all my life

[Barry Phillips]

I use my 18 on 2 very large lakes in NY state, the Sacandaga and Lake George. The Sacandaga has normal wave heights of 1.5 to 3 feet . Seems to blow up in the early afternoon and calm down in early evening. Lake George has more boat traffic and you get wakes from every direction. I can run the 18 flat out in 2 foot chop as long as the direction is constant, a real blast . But due to wakes and the big tour boats on Lake George, which can generate rollers 5' high, you need to apply some common sence. The little 18 can outrun alot of larger boats with less dead rise in choppy conditions, it is a blast to drive. Although, I to want a 22 for a softer ride and the ability to boat in more extreme conditions, I will miss my little 18. It turns on a dime and the hole shoot is breath takeing, you do not need to go 80mph to scare yourself, a great starter Donzi.

I do not agree that a 22 is a SUV, I would compare an 18 to a Shelby Cobra, a little high style pocket rocket , and the 22 to a Ferrari Daytona, more refined a diferent animal all together, but still the coolest ride around, with the exception of the 20' Cig, I have only seen one on the trailer, always going the other way some day I will meet him on the water.

SO-SLO

[MOP]

I'm in Peconic Bay which is very deep compared to the south side and it gets nastier here than there where I grew up and boated in the Babylon area for about 30 years. I have a 16 yeah it can be a wet little bugger but with tabs, trim and moderate throttle I have run some pretty long distances with out getting beat up. What I have found is to work the boat against its self when it gets rough. I run a fair bit of tab then trim the drive out till it mushes instead of pounding. I can run at 24-2500RPM maybe 20 miles an hour through 3-4 foot stuff with out killing me or the boat. In a head sea I actually stay pretty dry. I have a very bad back so if at all possible I try not to let it pound at all. I get an occasional ride in a Buds 383 18 it does a fair bit better. It seems to ride flatter and you catch little more spray. "If you don't beat it, it usually don't beat you!"

[Moody Blu']

Hi!

this is an old thread but shows what the 18' is capable of: http://www.donzi.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005370

[DUCATIF1]

I am tempted to go with the 18 but the death blow just came today. My town does not allow the storage of boats in driveways and from what I have been told they enforce it pretty strictly. If I have to rent a slip it is going to be for a Minx or 22 Classic. The search continues. Thanks again.