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Mac
04-18-2004, 09:41 PM
Forgive me if this has been covered, I did about 10 searches and came up with nothing. I also looked at Donzi's site which was little help. What is the difference between the classic 18 and 22? Where is the extra 4 feet? Is the cockpit any bigger? Does one ride any better than the other, plane at a lower speed? Thanks for any info.

Fish boy
04-19-2004, 07:29 AM
Hi Mac,
welcome to the donzi registry. This is a harder question to answer than you would think. Hopefully a few of the members who have both, or have had each will chime in. There is more deck on the 22, and I beleive there is more cockpit room but not sure; might just seem that way. The 22 will handle rough water better than the 18 IMHO. I beleive the 22 is generally faster out of the box, but I am pretty sure the fastest donzi on the site of the two is an 18 (mighty mouse). They handle differently and both are a ball. :)

If you are thinking of buying one or the other and trying to make up your mind, I would stronly recommend going to one of the events we have on this site. A really big one is coming up- AOTH. there you will get to see a varitey of years, see the boats side by side, and I am sure more than a few owners would be happy to take you for a spin and talk about their baby. That really is the best way to get the info you are looking for.

Another reason it is tough to answer is the boats were built a little different, and had different power plants through the years, yeilding different handling and different riding boats. If you are looking for brand new, then take a trip to a dealer, look at them side by side and take a test drive. If used, then the suggestion above might prove the most helpful.

good luck,

fish

MOP
04-19-2004, 07:58 AM
Mac I am also dying to find out, I bought a project 22 last fall not finished yet, never rode in one! I have run a buds 18 quite a bit, it does everything enough better than a 16 to be quite noticable. I got hooked on a 22 watching the guys run at the 1000 Islands last year, that turned into a "Got to have". I just sold my much loved 16 after 3 years and hopefully will have another one day, its not the size but the magic of a Donzi. No mater what size or where you go you will hear Ooh a DONZI!

Phil

olredalert
04-19-2004, 09:39 AM
------I believe the cockpit is a bit wider, Fish. Its hard to see a difference in the cockpits until you think about width. In the world of deep-Vs lenghth almost always means better ride, and thats true with the 22 versus the 18. This better ride is also due somewhat to more weight. Then because of the extra weight, big-blocks become more prevalent. Big-blocks are both a blessing and a curse. Sure, more power, but along with the power you have the added fuel consumption as well as some more extra weight. The curse part is largely mitigated by the very large grin that a big-block produces. Just ask Todd S (Roadtrip SE on the board) whose grin is almost non-stop while his boat is wet! You wont hear many 22 owners complaining about the curse part.
------Just think of the 22 as a little bit more of everything an 18 has and you will start to realize the differences.
------I agree with the AOTH part. you would get to sample all aspects of DONZI ownership that way...........Bill S

Marlin275
04-19-2004, 09:54 AM
Freeboard is higher on the 22 vs the 18.

Woodsy
04-19-2004, 10:11 AM
Mac...

I have owned both and there are a alot of big differences between 18's & 22's, its just that because the boats look similar, they are hard to see from pictures. The 22 has a much deeper cockpit, you tend to "sit in" a 22 vs "sit on" an 18. The deeper cockpit provides a better sense of security, especially for any passengers that might be with you. The hull design is very similar, except for length, and that length comes in handy if you boat in some rough water. I had an 18 up here on Winni, for about a year... then moved up to a 22. The 22 comes with much bigger power, and except for a few hot-rodded versions, the 22 is usually faster. Not by much, just a couple of mph, but it is bragging rights. If you want, give me a call on my cell, 978-502-5465, and if you can make the trip up to Winni maybe this weekend (Ice out should be today or tomorrow), I would be happy to show you a mint 22 Classic.

Woodsy Von Outboard

Cuda
04-19-2004, 06:31 PM
I believe someone on here put it best, like Woodsy said, you ride "on" an 18 and "in" a 22.

So I split the difference and bought a 20. :biggrin.:

gcarter
04-19-2004, 06:35 PM
:yes:
I believe someone on here put it best, like Woodsy said, you ride "on" an 18 and "in" a 22.

So I split the difference and bought a 20. :biggrin.:
:yes: :yes:

George

Barry Phillips
04-19-2004, 07:29 PM
I have owned both also and I like them for different reasons, the 18 is agile, and turns on a dime, you can roll it right up on it's gunnels. Hole shot is almost instant, a great 2 person boat, but if you want to bring friends along things get a little cozier. The 4.5 feet extra length and big block power makes a huge difference in the 22. Reverse clines and higher freeboard gives a dryer ride. Deeper cockpit gives better access to under deck storage and maintenance. The 22 can maintain much higher speeds in choppy conditions, and the big block power can maintain close to top end speeds with a full house. I do not find my 22 any more difficult to tow, launch or retrieve than my 18, in some ways it's easier. It really depends on the size of the body of water you boat on. In my case I boat on a lake that is 29 miles long and 6 miles across with 2 to 3 foot chop as the norm, so the 22 is more comfortable than my 18 under these conditions.

Mark Albers
04-19-2004, 07:30 PM
Mac ;)

BIG block !!!

Mark :cool:
Sarasota - - - W F O (close to the factory and far from a dream)

Mac
04-19-2004, 07:39 PM
Thanks for all the info. I am going to look at both and see what is best for me, where I will be using it in the ocean from time to time I am leaning twords the 22. I few extra feet in the ocean can never hurt. I did not realize the 22 had more freeboard that would be good in the ocean. I would prefer a small block with a Bravo, but a TRS with a BB is probably pretty tough and reliable. Thanks again.

Woodsy
04-19-2004, 09:37 PM
Mac...

If your boating anywhere near the MA coast, go for the 22, no question. There is some pretty rough water on occasion. As for the boat setup, go 454MAG MPI/502MAG MPI/Bravo. The 502MAG MPI being the best setup. Because of the MAG motors, the resale value on these boats is high keeping the relative cost of ownership low. The MAG motors are virtually bulletproof, the parts are easy to find, plentiful and relatively cheap. There are ALOT of HiPo upgrades you can make, superchargers, shorter lower units, hydraulic steering etc... The small block/Bravo setup is pretty rare on the 22 Classics, and with a 300HP 350MAG setup it really doesn't get the boat going much over sixty. Same goes for the 300HP/330HP 454/Bravo setup. I won't go into the BBC/TRS setup, although very reliable, the transmissions are the weak link (I think the Merctrans is NLA? could be wrong), TRS drives themselves haven't been manufactured in over a decade and the parts are getting scarce. They are also very heavy. Make sure you have a closed cooling system installed, prob add about $1500 or so to the price, but well worth it in the long run, especially when it comes to maintenance. Make sure you have a galv or aluminum trailer... painted ones tend to rot out from the inside....

Oh ya, and come up to the Winni Poker Run in July! Its a blast!

Ice Out tomorrow on Winni, almost time for the OB CoonWorks test program to begin.


Woodsy Von Outboard :biggrin.: :biggrin.: