New Boat

[PaulO]

Okay, it looks like this may be the end of my Donzi ownership. I found what looks like a great deal on a new boat. My only regret is that it is not a Donzi. However, it is a close cousin! I just made a deal pending a sea trial on an '82 Cigarette 20 footer. 91 454 Mag/Bravo, Silent choice, Tabs, Gaffrig, and all the other stuff. Clean boat although not in the condidtion of my Donzi. Hull looks exactly like a slightly stretched Donzi 18 with a little more freeboard. Hoping that this boat can tame some of the rougher water I encounter and still be fun. Real quality construction and a bit more room than the 18. I hope that if this deal goes through I can still be accepted by the Donzi Boys. The 18 is in the "for sale" section and I hope it finds a good home quickly. If Len is out there - there is no excuse for missing this one!!!
Let me know what you guys think about the cigarette.
PaulO

[Len]

...if Len is out there...?...right...Give me a break. I haven't had one nights sleep for the last 8 months since I found this site. Paulo, I've been doing the math now for about one hour since the SECOND that you posted in "Boats for Sale"... http://www.donzi.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif...if Len is out there...geeesh... http://www.donzi.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by Len (edited 12-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Len (edited 12-09-2000).]

[CDMA]

Len,

You need help. Send paul $8500 and he send you boat...

[seano]

Paul...

I be lookin for one of those 20' Cigarettes myself!!!! I want to add it to my collection. I think this is one great boat although I have never ridden in one. Call me to discuss...I'm really intrested in what you've found and can talk about the one I'm looking at...516 455 1200

[Looped]

PaulO,
What's up with the hinged compartment just in front of the windshield on the Cig?

[PaulO]

The hinged compartment is a great feature. It is an easliy accessible and fairly large storage space.

[Forrest]

Ooooh!!! 20' Cig!!!! Now that's a boat I would like to add on to my collection, but they are rather hard to find. There were a couple of 20' Cigarettes down here for sale in Florida a year or so ago but they were too rough and too expensive (for me).

Congratulation!

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Forrest

[This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 12-11-2000).]

[seano]

Yes, that hinged compartment is one cool feature! You can fill it up with ice and your beverage of choice and still have room left over! I think that's one of the most unique things about the boat!

Paul, sorry I missed your call---I was on the phone with my boss...gimme a ring back when you get a chance.

[GEOO]

Paul, Sound's like another great find!! We better stop finding all these good deals; we'll go broke???? or get kicked out of the house?!?! Joking. Best Wishes. GEOO

[Ralph Savarese]

Paul ,
You have got to be kidding I am running my but off to try and get done in time for lake George I cant go alone!

[FASTEDDIE]

Paul
We are going to miss you but we understand.
Ralph you will not be alone. We are all up here in the Adirondacks getting ready for the Donzi Meet heard round the world.Please
come and join us.There will be awards this year in 12 catagories and your boat may win.Who knows?

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FASTEDDIE

[BigGrizzly]

The locker in fromt of the windshield is suppose to be a ski locker. Not all 20 footers had this feature. My favorite thing is the stainless wire railing that runs to the bow. This used to be on of my favorite boats. What i like is the width at the drivers seat, much wider that the 18's. The look cool. my friend Andy had one and the bow hatch had a teak inlay and was way cool . He called it Thumpper , he is out of Pt. Point Pleasant NJ. A great guy beautiful wife and great kids. The boat was a dry boat and road well.

[Tony]

Paul, any pictures of the new Cigarette yet?

[RickR]

PaulO
They sure are a great looking boat.
Good Luck with the purchase. There are two around here in East Tenn.

------------------
RICKR
mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[Len]

Paulo, is this it? http://www.donzi.net/ubb/smile.gifwww.boattraderonline.com/addetail.html?5669204

[Blewbyu]

Good Move Paul! There was recently a beautifully restored one in our area(rumored $60K restoration)that was looking for $45K offers-understand it did sell,for $40K-to a Microsoft dude(duhhh)!
Just goes to show what the market WILL bring!
Enjoy!They are just like a Classic...with room.
You da Man!

[Blewbyu]

Hey Guys-Lighten up on Len!Put yourself in his shoes:
1.You're 3500 miles away from where all the Donzis are.
2.It costs a dollar a mile to deliver a boat.
3.Canadian dollar is worth 2/3(or less) a US dollar on a GOOD day at the exchange!
4.....It costs $600.00 or more round trip(discounted fare)to go look at a boat that may be a piece of crap-or already sold by the time you get there.
5.If you can find a boat in your area-they cost a fortune.
6.$8500 boat in Fla.+$2500.dlvr+can disc=approx $16,000.00 cad.Len still has to do $16K worth of work to buy an $8500.00 US boat.
7......Am I getting your attention yet?We in the Pacific NW are geographically screwed when it comes to buying Donzis at the right prices.Would you pay what Len is even considering?????????Not me.
8.If any of you have a hugely GOOD idea of how to deliver a boat reasonably to the NW,both Len and I would be real tickled to hear it.Thats the part thats hardest to live with-spending 30+ percent of the boat price to deliver it!
9.You gotta be committed to keep looking with all that to deal with-my hat's off to Len.

[Len]

Thanks for the kind words and support Blew by you.(Jeff) Also, thanks for your time and the look at your X-18 while in Seattle. It's an absolutely gorgeous boat. (WHERE the HELL http://www.donzi.net/ubb/eek.gif are your pictures in the registry?...If that was mine they would be there! This is a Beautiful Beast!!!!

Just looked at a '74 X-18 COPY today. Very well put together with a new 350 Mag and Alpha. Boat is 1 year old. The molds are perfect. ...Still, not a real Donzi...$4000 US for a hull/deck liner in my own backyard, assembled, less every other feature other than gas tank. Regretfully I keep coming back to this scenario...Why don't $4G US hulls less power come my way?...and then there is the 1 year old 502 that needs a home (and stelite seats) 450hp "MarkVI" 1999, pink rods,4-bolt, rectangle heads for $2G USD used one summer that will have a hard time selling in this location.(one of two that came off of a re-powered 30'-ish mid 1970's Cig that was used for Whale Watching and is now doing the same under the power of 3 300hp outboards). That 20' Cigarette described above in my post would fetch an awful lot more http://www.donzi.net/ubb/eek.gif$$$ http://www.donzi.net/ubb/eek.gif than that asking price here. Probably mid to high $20 G Can$ at least and it would be one of the probably 2-3 on the entire Northern Coast!...I saw an original yellow and white one 10 years ago in Vancouver and haven't seen it since. It was getting repowered in 1990 at a shipyard. The boat, Yellow, gelcoat, decals and all, original... Yummy!These are absolutely beautiful rigs... I'm drooling http://www.donzi.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by Len (edited 12-10-2000).]

[seano]

Hey paul, how'd the ba test go on Saturday? Are you now a proud Cigarette owner?

sean

[PaulO]

Seano,
I will call you later today. Unfortunately, I left your number at work and I presently have no computer at home (construction going on). The test ride went very well except for the fact that it was 28 degrees and we had to cut our way through a couple hundred yards of ice to get to the bay. Boat ran very well and although there was not a lot of traffic it appears to ride very well too. The only glitch was sloppy steering. When we got back, I reported it as a potential deal-stopper and they promptly brought the boat into the service area and investigated. By Saturday afternoon they decided that the gimbal assembly was worn and that it would require a gimbal re-build. They are pulling the engine and doing the work as we speak at no cost to me. I will finalize the deal early this week when I verify that the work is completed.

Ralph,
I am going to Lake George anyway. I still belong to the club. I guess I won't be able to park my boat at the Donzi dock but, I will be there and enjoy the hell out of it. Great club, great event.

Len and his defenders:
We all would like to see you get a great boat at a great price. Sometimes things just cost what they cost. Remember this though: If I had it all to do again, I would have bought a boat in better shape from the start ( like Rick R's). There is no economy in doing it yourself. It costs MORE! The only time it is worth it is if you enjoy the work ( I am 20 years beyond that). I have over 12 grand into my boat and I did all the work myself ( countless hours)! I hope my wife doesn't read this!!
PaulO

[PaulO]

Tony and Len,
I have some new pics I need to download but, Len has gotten the address right for the pics on Boattrader. Thanks for the interest.
PaulO

[seano]

paul,

saw the pics on trader online...looks like a pretty clean boat...hope the gimbal replacement works out, although it's a fairly straight-forward thing. Are they going to drill the transom assembly and put the plugs in or pull the motor and replace the worn part?

let me know how it goes...good luck!

[PaulO]

They are pulling the motor and doing it the right way.
PaulO

[RickSE]

Anybody seen this one yet on E-Bay? Wish it had more info, what length is it?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=523785329&r=0&t=0

[seano]

Paul...right you are...I'm going through the same process right now...pulled the motor, removed the entire transom assembly and disassemble---it's the ONLY way to do it

[GEOO]

Paul, The few 22's I drove with Bravo's and Power Steering had poor steering control. The steering was too fast and no feeling. At high speeds it was hard to keep the boat straight. I feel that they need full hydraulic steering with one or two external rams. The stock steering is cable from the helm to the engine then the power steering to the drive.
The preferred method is a new hydraulic helm, feed by the power steering pump, to an external ram.
GEOO

[PaulO]

Geoo,
I agree with you on the need for hydraulic steering. My thought was that I might as well have the stock steering working correctly and buy some time to decide on what hydraulic system.
PaulO

[superhatz]

Rick S...cool boat huh? I love those 70's vintage Cigarettes. From the hull number I would say it's a 35.

[seano]

Hey Paul, any update on the Cig?

[PaulO]

Seano,
It is in the shop awaiting the gimbal job. I don't know when it will be done but, I they have until spring. I am thinking about having the yard remove the bottom paint before I pick it up. Just waiting to get some answers on how they will do it and what it will cost. I am excited about it. It will be a long wait until spring. At least it will give me time for trailer research/search. I need to find the weight of this boat. Any ideas?
PaulO

[anotherScott]

Paul, according to a 70's cigarette brochure I have your boat weighs 2450 lbs. Of course that doesn't include snow and Ice. Good luck with it. Scott

[BigGrizzly]

Stop talking, get with the pictures, you are still a Donzi guy. We all known that is just a Donzi that is 20 feet in another buisness suit.

[PaulO]

My thoughts exactly Grizzly. Looking at tha cig hull, it appears to be a slighly stretched 18. I wonder how that hull compares to the criterions,minxs,hornets in that size range. 2450#s seems light for that thing. If it slips below the need for a tandem axle trailer, it makes life easier.
PaulO

[RickR]

PaulO
2450 seems light to me also. The 20 Cig owners I have talked to always told me they have a heavy hull.
The 2450 might be wo/engine and drive.SBC/Alpha package weighs 907# which would bring her near the 3300# weight of a 22 Classic.
Do you have a trailer you can use to get her weighed at a truck stop, gravel pit or landfill?

------------------
RICKR
mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[Forrest]

Yea. I agree RickR. If you look in an old Donzi catalog, they will tell you that a 16 Donzi Ski Sporter weights 1050 lb. That has to be the weight of the boat alone since most small block stern drive packages weigh 850 to 950 lbs.

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Forrest

[PaulO]

Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to weigh it until I take delivery in the spring and at that point, I will need to have a trailer already. I think I will post a message on Offshoreonly and Thunderboatalley and see if anyone who has one has a weight. I see someone on offshoreonly may be looking to unload 2 blackhawk drives. Do they use a different gimbal than the Bravo? That would make an interesting ride!!
PaulO

[anotherScott]

I also have a 70's Donzi brochure that says an 18' weighs in at 2250 lbs. The 20' Cigarette has to be more than just 200 lbs. over the 18'. Go figure. Well the information doesn't seem to be accurate but the pictures sure are nice. Scott

[BigGrizzly]

My Corsican is 2700+# -- it dies have a cleavland engine which is 200#heavier then a 302. The Criterion is 3750# dry. You are about 3000#. Anyway who really cares, you have a great boat --looks- hull- big block and its all yours. Just go and have fun and enjoy the heck out of it. Best of luck !!!!
Get the tandem trailer, its more stable at speed.
Randy

[This message has been edited by BigGrizzly (edited 12-23-2000).]