Donzi Single seat Hornet

[adam d.]

I would like some help trying to identify the serial number from a Donzi Hornet, I have found. The number is 1641510668. This was on the transom. I have the plate from the engine, and although I believe it is Holman and Moody, the plate has the H missing. The number is listed, and I have spoken to the manufacturer, and they have confirmed it was the original engine. Any help?

[Cuda]

Paging Mr Pearson. Please pick up line one. :)

[Bob]

What does the build sticker in the cockpit behind the seat back say? It should have a hull#, engine # and outdrive / Vdrive #. Hull # is also frequently found behind the dash.

[mattyboy]

is this number written in marker on the transom or on the tag off of the engine?? I have a holman moody setup with all the original paper work let me see what it is that might help
if it is written in marker
would like some more info or pics, kinda a funny hull number for a hornet single seat( bench seat) being the number 19 doesn't show up in it??
1641510668?? I could be any well maybe wrong
If you could describe the seating arrangement 1 seat with a L shaped bench or a straight bench seat, and over all length of the boat

any way welcome we'll help you find your answers, might be a 16 5 hulls from mine 16-410
If ya need help you supply the sunshine and beer, I'll do airfare,muscle and laughs ;) :)
Matty

[mattyboy]

further check My H/M engine serial number has H/M in it??
I do recall a bench seat in old posts down in your neck of the woods, white with a brownish red stripe volvo outdrive,
Scott Pearson is the man to talk to

Paging Mr. Pearson, Mr. Pearson!!! ;)


Matty
how's the weather down dere in dem parts deese days ;)

[adam d.]

is this number written in marker on the transom or on the tag off of the engine?? I have a holman moody setup with all the original paper work let me see what it is that might help
if it is written in marker
would like some more info or pics, kinda a funny hull number for a hornet single seat( bench seat) being the number 19 doesn't show up in it??
1641510668?? I could be any well maybe wrong
If you could describe the seating arrangement 1 seat with a L shaped bench or a straight bench seat, and over all length of the boat

any way welcome we'll help you find your answers, might be a 16 5 hulls from mine 16-410
If ya need help you supply the sunshine and beer, I'll do airfare,muscle and laughs ;) :)
Matty
Thanks for the reply. The number is stamped on the transom, not in marker. Pretty sure I wrote the right number down, but will check. The seating is straight bench seat. The engine number is B8HM-2222-1-RW I/O. Will take some pics Tuesday. Bermuda right now is windy and cold, for us, which is 60 f. As for the beer and sun, can gaurantee beer, but sun will be optional. Got lots of rum.

[mattyboy]

Adam,
ok the engine number sounds right with the h/m in it and well it's a hornet, unless a L.Green Bench seat 16 has made it that far south already ;) could the 6's and 9's be upside down??? It's stamped on the transom?? I thought that didn't happen till 73 or so when the GC mandated HIN's

well will love to see pics anyway


Matty :)
you got beer who needs sunshine :tongue:

[adam d.]

Adam,
ok the engine number sounds right with the h/m in it and well it's a hornet, unless a L.Green Bench seat 16 has made it that far south already ;) could the 6's and 9's be upside down??? It's stamped on the transom?? I thought that didn't happen till 73 or so when the GC mandated HIN's

well will love to see pics anyway


Matty :)
you got beer who needs sunshine :tongue:
I will take pictures ot the number and its location. Hope I can post them o.k. Just for reference, I am in Bermuda, which is off the Carolina coast. I have been told that the boat could be a prototype, as the previous owner even identified the original primer coat. He thought it had been sent to England, and that it might be one of only 5 made. Apparently the bench seat setup is rare, and the number baffles everyone. The colour ( my English spelling) of the primer was a green. Also, on the enigine plate, the H is missing from Holman. Not scratched off but missing. Both at the top and bottom. I will try to get a picture that can be read of this also.

[mattyboy]

Adam
sounds very interseting post pics or you can email them to me and I can post for you :yes:
being waiting for a post like this all winter :lifeprese



Matty

[adam d.]

What does the build sticker in the cockpit behind the seat back say? It should have a hull#, engine # and outdrive / Vdrive #. Hull # is also frequently found behind the dash.
There is no back seat as it is a single bench seat. Will look for other number sTuesday, and thanks for the reply.

[adam d.]

Adam
sounds very interseting post pics or you can email them to me and I can post for you :yes:
being waiting for a post like this all winter :lifeprese



Matty
Will do Mattyboy, and hope it is as it seems. Thanks for the help, and glad to spark some interest. Love the boat. Where is LAke George?

[mattyboy]

Will do Mattyboy, and hope it is as it seems. Thanks for the help, and glad to spark some interest. Love the boat. Where is LAke George?
about has far north of your 60 degrees as possible ;) , it's about 4 hours north of new york city and about 3 hours north of me

Matty

[Lenny]

ADAM !!! These are pics I CAN'T WAIT to see... (sleepless 'till Tuesday) :D:

[ToonaFish]

Matty, I doublechecked the date... it's not April 1st, but this would have been a great setup by the mysteriously silent Mr. Pearson.

Welcome to the Donzi.net, Adam; you certainly know how to get our interest! Now, hurry up and post pics!

Bunches,

Celene 'by the by, is your tank foamed in?'

[Scott Pearson]

Ok...The number thing is interesting. Donzi didnt start with the stickers behind the seats until I think 68 or 69. As far as numbers being molded into the transom this wasnt started till sometime in 74 or 75. The hull numbers that you posted really dont seem like anything Donzi would have done....but who knows? Weirder things have popped up. My Bench Seat Hornet is hull # 19H-23. Its writen in marker under the deck foward of the helm. Then it was glassed over with lite mat.

Is it a raised pad deck (Where the scoops or vents are) or flat? Does it have a dash with gauges or just a large number of gauges set in accross the dash area? V-Drive or stern drive? Where is the boat located? I might have pictures already.

(NJ)Scott

[Lenny]

I am wondering if this is a left over from the days of doing the brochures in the Bahamas and that fella (Company, Charlie something) the pilot for the area airline in the St. Tropez brochures...Time will tell...

[Scott Pearson]

Could this be the boat??? This is in the Bahamas.....


(NJ)Scott

[BUIZILLA]

If i'm not mistaken, that pic is a Bermuda boat??

[mattyboy]

That's the boat I was thinking of,
just a thought maybe they had to stamp a hull number on it when the title passed from the US to Bermuda and it's an arbitrary number and doesn't jive with Donzi numbers???, wonder if the Coast gaurd might have it in file??
I don't recall ever seeing a bench seat with the rail around the back
interesting sorta like the 2+3 hornets


Matty

[Morgan's Cloud]

Unless another benchseat Hornet has snuck into the island that is the one that Adam is referring to.He did'nt make it very clear but the number he supplied is on an aluminum plate riveted to stbd side of transom.
This boat was imported here about 10 years ago by my friend Danny it was originallly in the Miami area and was found in a Boat Trader.
S

[adam d.]

Could this be the boat??? This is in the Bahamas.....


(NJ)Scott
There she blows. Thats the boat. I have more recent pics. and am trying to post them. I spoke to the previous agin, and he says that he posted them on the reg. and got back some replys that the number could be a proto. as the deck was much longer than usual, and it did not seem to be altered from orig.

[adam d.]

Unless another benchseat Hornet has snuck into the island that is the one that Adam is referring to.He did'nt make it very clear but the number he supplied is on an aluminum plate riveted to stbd side of transom.
This boat was imported here about 10 years ago by my friend Danny it was originallly in the Miami area and was found in a Boat Trader.
S
Thats the one, I know Danny T. well. And yeah, the tag is as you say.

[Scott Pearson]

Thats just a Bench Seat Hornet. Nothing really special as far as bench seat go. But, It is a bench seat! The tag was most likely attached for registration purpose only. They just issued it a hull number. I have one on my 1968 18.

I would look under the deck where I said and see if you find anything.


FYI .There where more then 5 made.


Good Luck! Great Boat!


(NJ)Scott

[adam d.]

Thats just a Bench Seat Hornet. Nothing really special as far as bench seat go. But, It is a bench seat! The tag was most likely attached for registration purpose only. They just issued it a hull number. I have one on my 1968 18.

I would look under the deck where I said and see if you find anything.


FYI .There where more then 5 made.


Good Luck! Great Boat!


(NJ)Scott
Thanks for the hel;p. Wasgood to get so much assistance from a group. You guys really like your brand. Beautifull lines, and always been a fan of the deep v. So my wife says. Am trying to chew the price down on the boat, and had the owner saying it was a prototype etc. limited number, and with no engine and outdrive, am a little sticker shy. Any clue as to a replacement motor and possible ball park cost? Needs pretty much everything. Gauges, controls, manifolds, stern drive/outdrive, etc. Could be an expensive job, and the purchase price is a little steep. $5,000.00 as is, and the as is is not as per the pics you see. Got a little damage or neglect since Hurricane Fabian. Talk about boats with holes, being in the crane business, we have lifted all of 25 off the rocks ourselves, and we have no barge. Some write offs, some fixable, but no space to do all the work. Boat yards backed up.

[Scott Pearson]

Adam,
If I didnt have a Bench Seat Hornet I would jump on this thing in a second at that price. If you dont buy it someone will. In fact, Let me know if you dont buy it.


Thanks!
(NJ)Scott

[Scott Pearson]

Adam,
Also, Check all the coring in the boat. Most times these old Hornets need most of it. Check the deck and seat area for soft spots. A good indication that the coring is bad is the area behind the seat where the foward scoops are will sink. The seat is sinking do to soft coring. (see Picture) Also look at the transom and stringer wood.


(NJ)Scott

[mphatc]

When I pulled my 69 deck I found another hull number that i have not seen mentioned here . . .

A hull number matching the deck number . . written on the wood block for the bow eye and glassed over , see attached image

sorry it is upside down but it is C18-32 1969 Corsican

FWIW, in my years of working in the marine business, most builders id'd both the hull and deck during the layup period, often because they had several molds in process. Highly likely with the various deck and hull combinations from Donzi.

think of all the variations of the 18' and 19' hulls . . . .

Mario L.

[mattyboy]

that's where mine was 16-410,
if you're gonna crawl all the way up under that deck,
pack lunch ;) i was amazed how big the deck is on a hornet, the ultimate looked like an air craft carrier next to my 16!! ;)


Matty

[adam d.]

First, sorry for not responding sooner to all the great help that you guys have been giving. MOST APPRECIATED. I was a floored by all the responces to an anonimous posting from some islander, and I am sure I did not reply to everyone. MY APOLOGIES. I have found the number for the hull, G19H39, and sorry for the confusion of the reg. number. Does this ring true?

[BERTRAM BOY]

That "G" should be a "C"

[adam d.]

It was dark under there. I didnt thing I would need a miners light.

[adam d.]

Its funny that you use Bertram boy, as the other boat I am looking at is a 25 Bertram hard top that I retrofitted with outbaords about 15 years ago. The present owner still has the same engines on it, and is trying to sell them as only 8 years old, the boat has sunk twice, was painted with a roller, teak hatches warped and dry etc. Not enough money and too many choices.

[Bob]

Rings true. C for classic, 19, the length, H for Hornet, 39, the 39th hull produced. My 1971 BS Hornet is C19HV59. The V is for Vdrive.

[adam d.]

Any idea what age that might make this number? If yours is 71, then this must be about the same vintage

[Scott Pearson]

Bob your mistaken on the "C" in the numbers.

"C" is not for classic its for Chisholm. All the Donzi's in the John Chisholm era all had "C" before the number.

My Hornet is a V-Drive but does not have a "V" in the numbers. This is something Chisholm started also.

In 1971 Donzi offered both styles. 2+3 and the Bench Seat. Bobs is most likely one of the last ones produced. Hull #52 is John Shahbas boat and its a 2+3. Hull # 39 is a Bench Seat "The Sting".


(NJ)Scott

[mattyboy]

I thought the c was for classic??? :cartman:
shows what i know???
learn something new everyday


Matty

[adam d.]

PArdon my depth of ignorance, but does that make this a Hornet or Sting? Or is Sting just the difference between a bench and double seater Hornet? Also, I now have to make the choice between the Bertram or the Donzi. I know which way you guys lean. Are you still interested shoudl I decide not to buy?