Here we go again... a dark stormy night

[CDMA]

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard140.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard141.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard142.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard143.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard144.jpg
We pulled into the parking lot. Put the truck in reverse. Hmmmmm just glad we made it home...
http://www.donzi.net/photos/callardtrailer.jpg

[CDMA]

Couple more...

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard1467s.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard1468s.jpg

Special thanks to George Desmond!!!

[ToonaFish]

Well, now the broken axle comment makes sense! But how you made it more than a mile or two towing that trailer is proof that God has a softspot in his heart for madmen.

So what the heck is it? You're right, it's cute, but it looks kind of naked without more deck.

The funniest part of you hiding boats and motors from your parents is that one day you'll have a kid who does the same thing to you... :D

Bunches,

Celene

[MXRoadster]

Yes Hello Rolls? Yes this is Chris, oh you remember me, well I need another trailer…

Good luck with the next project.

[Formula Jr]

Oh this explains alot. wink Go with a GM 110-160 for an original restore. Thats what they came with. Or go wild with a Merc 470.

[Woodsy]

Hey Chris....

Good score on the 14F... It was killing me not to say anything!! I just knew you couldn't
pass it up!! Way to go!

Ummm.... Dad.... your not going to believe this.....

Woodsy the Racoon!

[RH]

Congratulations Chris! The fun part is just beginning! Brock Yates, the writer for Car and Driver owns one. He used to write about it all of the time. Hi was restored and I beleive that he used a 3.0 liter Mercruiser. I agree with Formula Jr., a 470 Mercuiser would make that boat fly, but be careful, the alternator system on that was goofy and the closed cooling system was a pain to make right. You have to remember that we do all of our boating in fresh water and our mechanics here hated the 470, but it was a runner!I remember in High School, I brought home a 1936 Chris Craft 16' barrel stern single cockpit rarer. My dad asked me if I was insane. It took another 5 years before I could buy that boat, but I have it tucked away in our storage building for that special winter project. Kids and other boats have always seemed to get in the way of the restoration. This fall will be a good start on it. I am glad to see you found a good one, and of course it is the right color!

[PaulO]

First,
I think anyone who keeps secrets concerning purchases of this sort deserve some special mention. I too was shocked no one picked up on the pic under the Bravo upgrade thread. Shame on you Donzi afficianodos!! Anyway, Chris, we have been friends for several years now and one of the key reasons is that I can re-live my younger, crazier car-boat-motorcycle days through you. I can't tell you how many crazy nights in the rain and snow I was stuck trying to pull something completely insane off as you so frequently do. Kudos to you! BTW, Lenny, anything going on?
PaulO

[Kong]

Neat! - Love finding boats in the weeds. Don't worry at all about parents. It's the wives that strike the fear of God in one.
I just brought home a 1958 FeatherCraft to provide a home for my '59 MK78 Dockbuster. Ihad to get 2 Bmw's out of the driveway first! Enjoy and good luck.

Dave.

[mattyboy]

Chris you and Pearson are becoming addicts!

nice find, I'm sure the boat has found a good home now.
good luck with it!

Matt

[PaulO]

Hey Kong,
Is that "dockbuster" the merc where you had to shut it down and restart it in opposite rotation to achieve reverse?
PaulO

[CDMA]

Yeah well some of my boat buying experiences are due to you Mr Paul O. Remember one night fighting with the seller over what became my 18...

Bought the 18 at 1 AM
22 in at -15 degress and snowing
14 in a thunderstorm...

So I come home and show dad pictures of the 14...( ommiting that I own it)...he says give me 2 days with your mother and maybe we can get it!!! I S#$% my pants...talk about unexpected...lol

Chris

[Stix Magill]

Chris,

Are you a Super Hero sent to save Donzi? Were there really less than 10 of these made?
Way to go.

Damn! :D

[CDMA]

Not really sure. 3 seperate sources all say in the 9-10 area and one says 20-25. So my guess is as good as yours. The only thing that makes me think the 9-10 might be right is look on the registry. There is only one registry member with one and in a search of the internet I found NOTHING on a 14 fisherman. We know there were about 13-14 Peanuts and even with that there are at least 4 registered with registry members. ( Pearson, Weaver, Weaver2, and one in the registry...there also was one I heard about in CT). All I am saying is that you would think if there really were 20-25 of them we sure would know of a few more. Not real scientific logic but....

Owen where did you get your >10 number from?

Chris

[Formula Jr]

Chris, I will be the first to admit that most of my production numbers are not hard fact. So I have arrived at them thru a variety of means. Pinning down production numbers has been the single hardest part of research on the list. One Boat Trader Ad, a while back stated that 9 were made. This I think they got from a Brock Yates article. We do know this: That Donzi had less than 11 employess during this time and they were putting out one 18 classic a week. We also know these were made for one year in 1967 according to NADA. The total production of all the 14 hulls could not have exceeded 25 or 1/3 of the annual production of all boats. The majority being the runabout 14. Therefore, with the nine figure already stated in other sourses and with a reasoned guess on the production capability of Donzi at the time (remember they were producing all the other boats also), less than 10 is a best fit number. I think it hasn't sunk in yet, just how small a company Donzi was prior to Genth's purchase and expansion. We only, for certain know of five of them. The registry boat, Yates's boat, your boat, the trader boat and one was spotted about two years ago by a registry member. I can't include the list photo as another boat cause it may have ended up as one of the other boats. By any definition, they are ultra rare.

Then I also come across stuff like this.

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/7/0/26812970.htm
With a 327, One Would imagine it to be fast. :D

[CDMA]

Thanks Owen!

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard147.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard146.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard149.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/callard145.jpg

She looks a lot better in real life....trust me

[harbormaster]

Better lock it up. I hear that Richard and Cindy Weaver are on their way down there to steal it ... :D

[Kong]

To PaulO - Yes the dockbuster does have the weird throttle. I put it in a 55 gal drum to see if it ran. Boy does it! Blew all the water out of the drum into my garage. Push button w/throttle forward to start forward. Straight up and down stops engine. Back throttle and push button starts in reverse! Karl K. used to test drive twin engines of these! Dexterity.

Kong

[GEOO]

Looks great Chris!!!!!! GEOO