Donzi placement?...

[Len]

Why is it, that there are literally "buckets" of Donzi's on the South East coast of the US, (Florida) and the North East coast of the US? There are few if any in the lower sunny/hot west. I can see Donzi successfully marketing these to the
"Home market in Florida" in the mid/late sixties and on, but how did they end up in large numbers in the Northern lake states and coastal communities? Was there no marketing in the South West during these times? Surely a US dollar is a US dollar regardless of location and distances like New York to Florida are very similar to say Florida to California. Was it population based? Lake states based? Just curious http://www.donzi.net/ubb/confused.gif

[Len]

hmmm..too bad you guys kept these Seacraft Combo Cruisers over there... http://images.traderonline.com/img/6/plcnad/836252/459933_1.jpg

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[This message has been edited by Len (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Craig]

Len,
Whoa! I think what happened there in your photo link is like in one of those James Bond movies where they crashed a flying boat into a Winnebago; when they put out the fire, that's what was left!!

[Len]

oHHHHhhh!...you meant the other SEACRAFTS. http://www.donzi.net/ubb/tongue.gif

[This message has been edited by Len (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Ralph Savarese]

I am from Long Island NY and there seems to be quite a few Donzi's in this area

[Dr. Dan]

Ouch, your killing me Len, that thing is rough! I grew up in Michigan and we would get our share of Donzis around "the Lakes",I think that's where I got the Bug. Also had alot of high end wood performance boats,especially up near Mackinac Island. I'm told the very first Chris Craft dealer was up there in a town called Cederville? I love Donzis, but, I'm fascinated by the history and evolution of different hull designs of all boats.

[lou]

The reason why they sold Donzi boats equally as well in the North east as Florida is that Don Aronow was from that area and he had many contacts there. His business relations were so strong that Donzi boats were sold in the front window of Abercrombie & Fitch on Fith Avenue in New York. California also got some but they were fewer because there were not enough dealerships so you do see them there but not as often.

[BigGrizzly]

The real reason. On the East coast and the Great Lakes there are an abondance of harbors as well as the inland waterway. There is more Ocean type boating on the east coast than the west coast. In the early 1960s came the Bertrums, Donzis and other deep V hulls. This made ocean boating much nicer for boaters. With most of the boat builders on the east coast that was where the capital was. Most of the California boating is done on calm lakes and rivers. The flat bottoms and jets made their home there. This is true today. Just like we wouldn't have a flat bottom in the ocean they would not have any thing but a flat bottom or tunnel hull there. The predominant california V hull builder is Eliminator. They also build some tunnel hulls for other people such as Stoker , from John's Custom Marine. They by the way they won the sst classes for many years with Evenrudes. There was far more ocean racing on the east coast than the other cost during this time period. Look at boating history, it all was east. Saling and power boating, this is due to mainly to the fact that most of the boat builders were on the east coast as well the yatch clubs. There was more of a demand for this type of boat on the east coast and great lakes than on the west coast. Even today, look at the boating penatration.
Boating was big on the east coast. Donzi was in the window like Lou said. I remember that display, and nexr to it was a Dyer Dow with a british Segul on it. That display was also in Mayses window in New York city. Boats builders were named after ports on the east coast. Like Egg Harbor. how about the JS class boats. That stands for Jersey skiff. It wasn't just Donzi.

Randy

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[ALLAN BROWN]

DONZI SALES WERE A GEOGRAPHIC RESULT OF THE EARLY DEALERS. WHEN WE WERE BOUGHT BY TELEFLEX IN APR 1965, WE HAD TELEFLEX REP'S SELLING FOR US. THEY SIGNED A LOAD OF DEALERS IN NY, NJ, MICH, A FEW IN CAL,WASH, AND SW AREAS. LITERALLY ALL OF THE EARLY OFFSHORE RACING DEVELOPMENT WAS CENTERED IN MIAMI, BOTH PRE-WAR AND POST WAR. WE ALSO SOLD A BUNCH DIRECT. BOATING WRITERS WERE HUNGRY FOR GOOD STORIES (AS THEY ARE NOW) AND WE HAD LOTS OF THEM. WE GOT TONS OF PUBLICITY. OFFSHORE RACING WAS AT ITS PEAK IN THE MIDDLE SIXTIES. YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IT, BUT UNTIL 1963/4, THERE WERE EXACTLY 3 OFFSHORE RACES IN THE WORLD. MIAMI-NASSAU, COWES-TORQUAY IN ENG., AND AROUND LONG ISLAND. THE WERE DAMN FEW "PURPOSE BUILT" RACEBOATS OR ENGINES. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. AS FAR AS CALIFORNIA IS CONCERNED, BILL WISHNICK, BOBBY MOORE AND I WON THE INAUGURAL OFFSHORE RACE IN 1965, THE HENNESSEY LONG BEACH-CATALINA CHALLENGE. AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS, BOB NORDSKOG IN A SK BOAT, AND SOME JERK IN A CENTURY CORONADO. THOSE WERE THE DAYS.......

[Len]

Thanks for the info everyone! Doesn't make it any easier but at least I can't blame everything on Madpoodle and Forrest anymore... http://www.donzi.net/ubb/wink.gif