2nd Annual Labor Day LA Donzi Roundup

[Emmo]

Just in from Lake Eufaula and man, what a great weekend! We had nine boats including the oldest (my 1970 18 2+3 won the Drago award) and the newest (Mark Lazlo's $$$ 2001 18), 2 pristine 22's (both from the Honda contingent- Tom's awesome Teal 22, which I got to ride in for over 100 miles and Joe's red 502 EFI that he bought just for this event). Randy's Criterion, which won the novelty award and was envied by everyone and which he offered to let us all drive (Forrest is hooked). 2 yellow and white X18's from Pensacola (GeneS and David) Bill Bateman's red 16, which he drives like a jet ski http://www.donzi.net/ubb/cool.gif and Forrest's 16, which I got to ride in at over 5,000 RPM, which is over 65 mph and in a 1.5' chop no less http://www.donzi.net/ubb/eek.gif. I can't get over how nice a bunch of guys we had and how well we all got along. Even the kids that came along were helpful, polite and seemed to have as good a time as any. Mike “Stud” Miller came and demonstrated Donzi's incredible commitment to perpetuating the mystique and gave out many goodies, including the Columbia Sportswear Donzi fishing shirt that I got for having the most decrepit boat. All of you that didn’t get to go, you need to come next year http://www.donzi.net/ubb/tongue.gif. I have already spoken with the resort and we are planning an even better event for next year. My undying gratitude goes to Edie for organizing everything and for making the nametags and printing maps and schedules. Thanks everyone! http://www.donzi.net/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Emmo mailto:emmette@emmette.comemmette@emmette.com</A>


[This message has been edited by Emmo (edited 09-04-2000).]

[Tom on Lanier]

Emmo, ditto's man. Thanks to you and Forrest and Edie. Great group - not a bozo in the bunch. Well, Mike did bestow a "Bonehead Award" on me after about the first 20 minutes in the water - something about a drain plug and being stuck in the mud!
Anyway, we made it back in fine shape, took off my "river prop", repainted the Bravo's skeg and reinstalled the Mirage Plus. "Tomahawk" is back on the lift and ready to rock and chop.
Thanks to everyone for a great weekend!


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Tom
"Tomahawk"

[wbateman]

Had a great time at Lake E!! Super people and great water! Many thanks to Emmo, Forest and Edie for pulling this off! At least Little Red is finally running like it's supposed to. Now all I have to do is catch Forest!! That is one fast 16!!
Looking forward to the next time we all meet!

[Tony]

Forrest, I thought I remember you were going to repower your Inca Gold 16, but I don't recall the details. What did you put in, what HP is it putting out, did you switch drives, and what prop do you spin? 65mph in a 16' must be a rush...is it a tad loose or "wiggly"? any chine walk?

[wbateman]

Tony,
You should see that boat from the side going 65! Only about a foot touching the water. Edie hanging on to hat and rail the whole time!!

[Varyak]

Big THANKS to Forrest, Edie, and Emmo for a great event. Heather and I loved the whole weekend, and the kids are ready to do it again next week! Got some absolutely wonderful shots of the group running at speed! THIS is what being a Donzi owner is all about. Yeah, great boats, but even better are the PEOPLE! It was fun. It was exciting. It was pleasantly social. Thanks to Mike Miller for the door prizes. The factory really wants us to enjoy being part of the Donzi "experience." We are not just customers, we are family.
To those who missed this event, we missed you, and you can try again next year. And for those who can't wait, we're working on a Donzi Rendezvous in Palatka, Florida later this fall. Stay tuned for a new thread on that gathering of the faithful.
Mark and Heather Laszlo

[BigGrizzly]

WOOOHOOO!! What a weekend! We got some pretty great videos. Especially Forrest bouncing around in the 16. Haven't had that much fun with such a great group in a long time! Thanks to Emmo, Forrest, and especially Edie for putting it all together. Hotboat...Forrest took your place behind the wheel. Ya shoulda been there. By the way TomonLanier...where's the post from the guy I knew 30 years ago?

[MikeMiller]

Well, just in from the Lake Eufaula event – once again I am without words (a rarity) to describe the people that I have the pleasure of visiting and calling friends.

Each and every one that attended was the perfect Donzi owner! As I mentioned to the group one evening, these are the people that that define the Donzi Mystique!!

We had a great ride up and down the lake (in the case of my ride with Tomahawk "up and down the mud"), we had a nice time beached enjoying the water and boats and a great time eating and conversing.

By the way, I told Tomahawk's wife that he was an excellent captain - and I meant every word of it!! Thank you Tom for allowing me to be a passenger, thank you Forest and Emmo for the invitation, and a big thank you to Edie for an excellent coordinating job!

For those of you who couldn't make it - do your best next year to plan on it.

Here's to the next time!!

MM

[GEOO]

Forrest, I'm glad to hear your 16 is running well; you must surprise alot of people. Emmo, Sounds like I missed a great event. How could you not have fun, getting a bunch of Donzi's and a good group of people together. GEOO

[Hotboat]

Been a terrible week. Priced my Classic 18 to a guy, he shows up with cash. Would not back out of the deal because my father always told me to honor my word regardless of the outcome. Now, I find out you guys had such a terrific weekend at Eufaula after I could not go. Oh well, at least you thought of me. Right? Glad it was good.

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Hotboat

[GeneS]

Hey everyone, the Pensacola bunch made it back from Eufaula. What a great weekend we had. Forrest, Edie and Emmo did a fantastic job of putting it all together. It was great to meet everyone see those really cool boats.

I am sad to report that the Pensacola bunch did not represent very well. Chi Chi was all stove up from a busy summer in the salt on Pensacola Sound and David's X-18 wound up at the end of a rope. But, work has already begun on next year's rendezvous. Motors are being pulled and credit cards are being flexed. Next year - WE SHALL RETURN!!!!

It was great to see you all. I'll get some pictures out today.



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Gene Schmidt
'74 X-18 "Chi Chi"

[DavidO]

All of the postings above have tried to express what a wonderful weekend we all had at the 2nd Annual Labor Day LA Donzi Roundup and they all have failed. Words cannot express the wonderful time had by all; you must have been there. We had wifes, girl friends, children, singles, couples, one Mike "STUD" Miller, and not one single complaint.
THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE
more photos are on the way to Scot

[GeneD]

Wow!
It was a Donzi Free-For-All!
Emmo,
You deserve the "Drago" award. My favorite photo is the one of all the boats on the trailers. You conspicuoulsy have the only "Barrelback" in the bunch and it looks great!
Another great event missed by me...

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[Forrest]

It was one super great time! Mike Miller brought so much Donzi stuff that no one went away empty handed. Saturday, we had nine Donzis to make the run down towards the dam, stopping at "the island" for refreshments, a swim, and Donzi talk. Sunday, we had five Donzis take the 106 mile round trip up the Chatahoochee River to Columbus, GA. Unfortunatly, there is no place to tie up in Columbus, and lucky for us, there was a bass fisherman anchored about 100 yards past what we didn't realize was the last set of channel markers before the dam. That fiserman kept us from running up in to some very shallow water.

Did I tell tell you that "BigGrizzly" RandyC let me drive his extra rare and very nice Donzi 22 Criterian? Well he did - and I wish that he didn't! I don't *need* another boat, but I sure like that Donzi! Randy also conducted some informal tech breakout sessions which I found to be very interesting and informative. His experience and connections with some big names that built the performance industry will bring a wealth of knolledge to this site. When Randy says something about your engine set up, you better listen!

Oh yea, I almost forgot. I had no idea that my 'ol 1972 Inca Gold 16 Donzi would run so fast after installing in the new 302 Ford motor and the Alpha SS drive. I've been trying to run the new engine easy since I only had a few hours on it, but on Saturday, I let it rip once, and at 4600-4700 RPM, I saw 65.2 MPH on the GPS and it was still winding up. I told Edie to turn the GPS off and put it away so that I wouldn't be tempted to run the dog crap out of the new motor. One problem with that boat when you start running fast is that everything wants to blow out of the cockpit. After that run we had to go back an retrieve the duffle bag that contained all of the towels and suntan grease. On just the last two times out, we lost, and were unable to retrieve, a towel (not *the* Donzi towel), a shirt, sunglasses, a shoe insole, and whatever else that we don't know about. On that 5000 RPM run with Emmo over the one-to-one-and-and-half-foot chop late Sunday afternoon we almost lost a piece of my new Bilt-Rite interior!! I think that some of the snaps were not fastened on that piece. Anyway, that boat runs on the harry ragged edge when it starts going that fast.

Here is the setup on my 16:

* 1991 Ford 302 flat-tappet block and crank
* Open chamber 69cc heads (intake gasket matched)
* KB116 hyperutectic dome pistons (9.4:1 CR)
* factory 5.09" rods with ARP bolts
* Crane Powermax H-272-2 cam kit
* Edelbrock Performer 289 intake with ARP bolts
* Holley Marine 450 CFM vacuume secondary carb
* closed cooling systen with 160-degree thermostat
* Kodiak center-rise aluminum exhaust and risers
* Mercruiser 215 HP cast-aluminum seven-quart oil pan
* Alpha One SS drive
* 14 x 23 three-blade Merc outboard motor cleaver prop

Also, Edie took a lot of pics should have some of them posted very soon.

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Forrest

[This message has been edited by Forrest (edited 09-05-2000).]

[GeneD]

No, this is not the infamous GeneD, but his 007 girl. We are both so sorry that we missed this great weekend. Forrest and Edie we most certainly missed you two. Emmo, you are one swell guy and it is too bad we could not make it. Mike Miller, I think the oldest boat award should be named the Drago award after it's first winner--kinda like the Heisman trophy or the Stanley cup. What do you all think?
Donzigirl 007

[GeneD]

Pay no attention to the skinny girl behind the curtain...

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[boxy]

GeneD, any girl who mentions Lord Stanley's Cup as a measure of greatness in competition is all right by me. Rookie camps have started, the veterns are starting to report, and HOCKEY SEASON is just around the corner.
Oh it was also 2 degrees C here last night.

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boxy
mailto:sboxma@sprint.casboxma@sprint.ca</A>
Smuggler's Cove
Ontario