help!!!,..somebody

[oldLenny]

I am driving 4 hours on Saturday to look at a '72 Classic/Ski Sporter V-drive. I'm told it is real...Where can I find some hull/boat Identity numbers to verify this? I have been informed that there are a number of "knock-offs" around the island recently by one of the registry's readers and don't want to end up with one un-knowingly. I will take a pile of pictures of this thing and try and compare these to the boats in the registry, especially the "V-drive" photo's recently posted. As well, I will look at the lift strakes and see if they are 4' back or 2'.

[oldLenny]

Oh, and by the way, it is a sixteen.

[Munkustrap]

Lenny,

I own an original 18 with a v-drive, but I do not remember the v-drive ever being offered as an option on the 16. Of course, someone could have re-powered one this way, but I think it was only used originally on the 18 and up for the larger engines.

[Forrest]

According to the BUC listing on the other thread, they only offered the 16 as an inboard up to 1970. That doesn't mean however, that Donzi didn't build any 16 Ski Sporters with a V drive after 1970. Someone may have ordered it that way in '72.

The original serial number on a 1972 16 was printed on a foil decal located in the center of the boat behind the rear seat back cushions.

Post some pics Lenny.

------------------
Forrest

[oldLenny]

thanx for the info.I will send scot some pics once I get them developed and I learn how to send them, once scanned. On the other note,if the boat was originally an I/O, or even an OB, then there should be a patch job on the inner transom and some poor work in locating the V-drive. If this is not present on the transom, then I can only conclude that someone patched up a real one and popped off a clone to work with. The recent v-drive photos and some of the 16's in the registry give me a fairly good idea of what the glass lay-out should look like and strake location. We see lots of boats here where someone just takes 6" off the gunwhales and says its' "an ocean racer..." It is a left hand drive model with wrap-around seating, that I know.

[AVickers]

Also the boat may have been sold out of some pre-70 production run as a V-drive, but not titled until it was actually sold by the dealer in 1972. Way back when, in some states, the title reflects the year the boat was initially titled, not necessarily the year it was build and/or shipped to the dealership.

[oldLenny]

Oh, and by the way. If original, the underside deck should be balsa core?...should it not?

[Craig]

Lenny,
As we recently discussed Cobalt's Donzi copies from the late 60's and/or early 70's, I mentioned that they made copies of Sweet 16, 18-2+3, and a 16' and 18' Corsican based on an old catalog. They were all shown, therein, with Volvo stern drives (Holman Moody or Interceptor packages).
To my surpirse, this summer I met a guy on the web that has a Sweet 16 style V-drive Cobalt, so apparently they produced something like you describe as well. Better check it closely if you don't want to buy a Donzi thats not a Donzi. Did that make sense? All that the Cobalts had for hull ID, that I can see, is an aluminum Cobalt Marine decal on the ski rack wall that could easily be removed. One of these guys could probably tell you how to determine if the boat has ever been painted. That might be an indicator of "originality tampering". Good luck.

[oldLenny]

Thanx Craig. I'll keep it in mind. Yes, the boat, already as I know,, has been painted to match the "fellows" truck...I have about 1/4" of copies of info from the registry, registered boats, and the original '70's and '66 brochure stuff, so I'll know what they should look like inside the hull. Apparently the "L" shaped seating is in place etc., as well as left hand drive. I'll be looking for names like "Teleflex" and the like on this hull. By the way, it has a 396 (a change out later in life)in it, V-drive, (Casale), he says 68 mph but has no GPS, (probably 50)and comes with an early 70's Chev 427, 4-bolt. (No, not a truck block),that needs a lot of work...I'm leaving in 20 minutes to go see it, it's 2:26pm here...keep you posted...len

[harbormaster]

If memory serves me right, A complete rebuildable 427 longblock is worth about 1000 dollars US. Keep that in mind.
Could be icing on the deal.
Scot

[oldLenny]

Saw the boat yesterday. I took about 20 pic's of the thing and will get them developed today sometime. Took many measurements as well. Here's some of the up's and downs. The boat would be available I guess for about $3500 US.
-Boat's original gel coat is orange...faded but like a '69 Judge GTO...Is that a colour that was ever offered? Then painted maroon,then white,then green...
-no ID tag behind the poor re-upholstery job
Boat has many holes in interior all over it from stuff that has been added and removed from time to time. Could have been there in one/two of the holes visually left behind.
-rear deck has a pot metal light cut into it, center, and 2 wire mesh vent holes facing the transom, I guess so you can flood the engine compartment when slowing down.
-overall length is 16' 7 1/2" (16 Classic/Ski- Sporter) but beam appears to be 82 1/2"- 83", not 84". Transom height to inside of deck on outside of hull is 29 1/4".
-the second lift strake stops short of the transom but is 54 1/2" back. Not 4' as I have read elsewhere in here. Any thoughts anyone?
-underside of deck is approx. 4" x 4" bals-core. None is present anywhere else on the hull. Nothing on the gunwhales or cockpit interior. Actually hull sides sound "thin" and I am surprised there is no Balsa-core there for rigidity.
-steering is "SteerMaster MarkII, #D7158. Does that sound right? Wheel is wrong.
-dash is a Stewart Warner disaster on upholstered metal. Behind it though, on inside of hull you can see a "different" cut-out perimeter that reflects guage panels I see here. It has a 3/4" mahogany faced plywood composite glassed in as the backing from many moons ago.
-gas tank is on the port front side, black, appears to be heavy steel.
-railings are wrong, cleats (YIKES!!!) have been added to transom deck,(backwards),and hardware is unoriginal and ruined.
-V-drive looks like it belongs there.Very heavy aluminum brackets and machinings that all seem to fit and look correct between the stringers.
-***transom has a 24" wide by 27" high 2 layer build up of 3/4" plywood and all glassed in. There is nothing drilled through it tho other than a ski-tow eye. Is this a standard transom build up for an I/O and later not used?
-stringers are very wide. In looking at the registry these are way wider. About 3 layers of 3/4" sandwiched tapering to 2 layers about mid-ship where the Casale gear-box is located. The gear box has a Hurst shifter looking handle and shaft for the "in and out" and is located to the right of the Port drivers seat a bit behind seat center.
-deck has been off before, re-attached with new rivet holes and appears to be sandwiched with white silicone as it has creeped back into the inner hull side through the "old" attaching holes.
-396 is in good running order, '72 vintage, built,(apparently pulls 4 ski-ers at once out of the water effortlessly) 427 is more like a short block with heads.
-all V-drive thru-hulls look well done and not botched in. Smooth transition for shaft entry, (that sounds dirty...)All california marine hardware for skeg, prop, drive shaft support etc. Glenwood parts abound on engine (who-ever that is.)
-hull has a "hook" in it at the transom chine area, where it flares out a bit from the regular lines starting at transom and dis-appearing 15 1/2" towards bow where regular lines take over. Is this normal?
- ski storage rack in hull is originally red gel-coat, since re-painted. Why would an orange hull have a red ski storage rack?

Pictures will follow here soon of the boat and drive. In this configuration there is room for a 502 and more. Thanks for help in trying to identify this beast.

[oldLenny]

All the V-drive stuff is is Glenwood, thru hull shaft to prop etc. Glenwood has been in business for 52 years as the web site states, but was Casale and Glenwood EVER something that Donzi used as a supplier?

[GeneD]

Wow!
Are you available to do some surveys for us all?
Great job.
Sounds to me like you gotta gut this thing and start over.
Donzi never did put any balsa on the hull sides. You should find the balsa under the front deck, the engine hatch(?)(mine has it), and under the cockpit. The stringer system sounds right, not to worry about that unless it looks really bad.
The hull should have a solid feel to it.
Fuel tank doesn't sound correct, but I'm no expert on V-Drive boats.
Forrest would know, he knows everything.

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GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

[This message has been edited by GeneD (edited 09-16-2000).]