My new 26 ZX arrived, but..

[integra]

It's wonderful,

but it arrived with some great problems... :angryfire

The main one is that there is an infiltration of water across the engine platform!! :frown:

besides the pump in the engine room is broken!! :frown:

so, the boat couldn't remain in water for longer than 12 hours or it would have sunk..

I only had a very short run with it and was fantastic, but now it's on the ground waiting for reparations and for painting...

I'm still waiting from Donzi to tell me what to do about warranty, since it's not right I've to pay a lot of money to restore the infiltrations(in a new boat), but it's about 20 days since I asked them..

Hoping to solve as soon as possible this problems and to be able to run this wonderful boat... here is a pic:

Ciao FEDE

[integra]

it's coming across the engine, where is attached the stern!

I'm sorry but I don't know the precise word :(


Another pic:

[JimG205]

Beautiful boat! Good luck with it-Is sea water or rain water intruding into engine compartment????Hope the fix is near.

[Digger]

is the water coming in around the stern drive?

I am curious, what did Donzi do for dealer prep? Did it go thru a dealer in the states before coming to you or did you get it straight from the factory?

she looks very nice, I hope your problems get fixed

[BUIZILLA]

cool neighborhood...

2 - 31' Bertrams
1 - 30' Wellcraft Monte Carlo
1 - Sea Ray
1 - Pursuit
1 - Chris Craft Constellation
1 - Mainship ?

:boat:

J :pimp:

[integra]

is the water coming in around the stern drive?

I am curious, what did Donzi do for dealer prep? Did it go thru a dealer in the states before coming to you or did you get it straight from the factory?

she looks very nice, I hope your problems get fixed

Yes it's coming around the stern drive.
I think the boat arrived directly from the factory, since it was without batteries and the engine too needs pre-delivery controls... :banghead:

Thank you to everyone!

[Sport]

Very nice boat, I love the back ground of those shat shots.

Sport

[Greg K]

Can you take a picture of where it is coming in and point it out on the photo?
Bravo drive seal not correctly installed?

[integra]

I think the problem is in that area.

We realized it from the interior of engine room... :(

[MOP]

You should have someone loosen the clamps on the big upper rubber bellows, see if there is water inside. If there is flush it out good with fresh water, salt water corrodes things quickly in there. You have the bearing gimble and U joint assy. There are only a few places for leaks, the bellows, the water hose from the drive to the water intake pump and the joint where the Y pipe attaches to the transom shield. With salt it needs attending to fast.

Phil / MOP

[Team Hula Girl]

Do you have a GPS speedo?

Since all the new ZX's come with GPS speedos, I would guess that it could be the speedo tube that is not plugged. On the inside of the engine room, just to the port side of the transom assembly you will see a little white nylon/plastic barb that would usually be connected. If it has not been fixed, water will come into the engine room while it is in the water. If I can find a picture of the transom that has enough detail I will post it.

I guess that you will get some use out of the manual bilge pump that is under your bench seat?

I see that you have the terminal end of the fender lines secured from the inside of your cockpit? You have quick connect fender cleats installed on your boat. In your Black Donzi Bag (soft side briefcase) there should be two stainless hardware pieces that you use for this. You were probably in such a hurry to spend time on your new boat that you just forgot them at home. I will post a picture of these if you need further clarification.

J Mitchell

[integra]

Thank you very much J, I really found later those pieces in my Donzi Bag, I was not sure about their use, but now I have understood! the problem is still for the cleats at the bow...

About the Speedo, yes it's a GPS one, I saw it working, but it's not very precise and it sometimes works wrong...

if you find a pic of the connection,I'd appreciate a lot!

But do you think a lot of water coming in only for this mistake?

[tamburello]

Integra,

Gorgeous new boat you have there! I assume that you put the transom drain plug in after you took that picture of the back of you new ZX. Good luck tracking down that leak.

- Jeff

[RickSE]

Integra,
Congrats on the new boat. Sorry about the problems.

Who did you buy the boat from?
Direct from the factory?
A US dealer?
A European Dealer?

Have you been able to talk with anyone at the factory about your problems?

Here are some assembly breakdowns of the Bravo1 drive. http://www.mercruiserparts.com/selectDocsThumbs.asp?doc_nbr=880951%2000

[integra]

Yes, I bought it from International Nautic, that is the international dealer of Donzi, so it's like I had bought it directly from the factory!

They know my problem, I'm still waiting...

hoping soon!

thank you for link and appreciations!


FEDE

[RICPAZ]

Hey Integra,

I had simialr problems when I bought my 22ZX brand new in 1999. The first time I put the boat in the water it started taking on water slowly. I didn't notice it until after using it a few times and I wondered why so much water would pour out when I removed the plug. It turned out that Donzi never caulked any of the through-hull fittings in the stern (where the trim tab hardware bolts through the hull and where the mechanical trim/tilt wires go through the hull. I brought it back to the local dealer and they caulked up all the through-hull fittings and that helped the problem but did not fix it. It would still take on water though not as much as before. I took it back to the dealer again and it turns out the rest of the water was entering through the bildge drain hole in the side of the boat which is located slightly above the water line. Donzi is suppossed to "loop" the bildge pump hose inside the engine compartment but for some reason they didn't! The dealer fixed it and properly looped the hose and that was the end of my flooding problems. So be sure to check the through hull fittings to make sure they are properly caulked and sealed and check the bildge pump hose and make sure it has a loop in it. You can check this by taking a garden hose and trying to spray water into the bildge exit drain hole on the side of the boat. The water should pour out and not go into the hole. If the water you spray in the hole doesn't spurt back out and just collects in the bildge in the engine compartment then the hose was not installed properly.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you make out and take more pics. Also post your top speed with the 496HO. I hope to be buying a 26ZX by the end of this year and I'm not sure if I want the 500HP or the 496HO.

Good luck!
Rich

[gold-n-rod]

Umm, I'm confused here. What the hell is a dealer for? How does one get a boat unprepped? Does Donzi sell boats directly to the consumer bypassing the dealer? A customer should not have to contact Donzi to figure out how to get a boat repaired under warranty.

Sorry to be so blunt, but something does not add up here. If this is indeed a true situation, I wouldn't buy a new Donzi, even if they were three for a dollah!

:angryfire Somebody needs an ass-kicking and somebody else is being waaaay to nice.

goldnrod

[RedDog]

gold-n-rod - you do realize the boat was bought sight unseen and delivered to Italy? I'm sure Integra is PO'ed and certainly has a right to be. But its not going be easy to get recourse...

[gold-n-rod]

gold-n-rod - you do realize the boat was bought sight unseen and delivered to Italy? I'm sure Integra is PO'ed and certainly has a right to be. But its not going be easy to get recourse...

I missed the Italy detail :redface: . I've been out of the mainstream for the past few days, but still.....

I am sick and tired of manufacturers and retailers grabbing their money at the time of sale and being stingy with the follow-thru.

Upon receiving Mr. Intergra's call at the factory, they should have immediately put the dealer to task or found a boatyard/marina/repair shop and authorized them to make Mr. Integra completely satisfied ASAP. This is not a $10,000 Bayliner for crissakes.

Did they not learn from past lessons? I'm sorry if I am pointing out that the emperor is buttnaked, but WTF?

I suppose that if Donzi is interested in limiting the number of boats in the market this is one way.......

another Randy :cussball:

[integra]

I totally agree with you, I'm still waiting...!!

[gold-n-rod]

I totally agree with you, I'm still waiting...!!

We have members here with contacts inside the company. How 'bout it guys, can any of you give a heads-up to the guys at Donzi that this issue is making them look like fools.

I am appalled. :(

another Randy

[BUIZILLA]

Integra, I am going to offer my suggestion, based on your location and dilemna. This may expedite the repair process in your behalf.

1) Identify the exact internal water intrusion area, with the boat in the water, if at all possible. Is it one litre a day? 2 litre's? 20 litre's?
2) Photograph the location digitally, or on film.
3) Remove the boat from the water, examine carefully the external source, whether it be drive or hardware related.
4) Contact a local CERTIFIED marine mechanic or MerCruiser dealer/mechanic near you (if one even exists) for opinion, and repair estimate.
5) Contact DONZI with these results for further direction.
6) Allow 3 days for a reply. If no reply, then contact Lee Kimmel DIRECTLY, by fax and email/phone, on a daily basis if necessary, and stay on him relentlessly until it's fixed.

I do not know if DONZI has a water test tank for pre-delivery testing, or not. I would hope that overseas delivery's would have a stricter pre-shipping inspection/test/sea trial process.

Just my 2 cents.

Jim

[gold-n-rod]

6) Allow 3 days for a reply. If no reply, then contact Lee Kimmel DIRECTLY, by fax and email/phone, on a daily basis if necessary, and stay on him relentlessly until it's fixed.


Jim's suggestions make sense, although by rights, it should be the dealer's job. In terms of #6, Kimmel has a lot of insulation around him. It's not likely one could call Donzi and simply get connected right to him. Once, when I was pondering a Donzi purchase, I contacted the factory with a question and never got an answer. I emailed from the "contact us" link at the Donzi website. I put in the subject line, "Urgent, please forward to Lee Kimmell." Fortunately, a PR person forwarded my message to Steve Simon, rest his soul, who contacted me right away.

Funny thing, though. I was just a potential buyer. Integra just dropped prolly $75K or more for his boat.

Will this be another "My Donzi is a Lemon" episode???

another Randy :cussball:

[RickSE]

Boats come out of the factory needing prep, no batteries, little to no fuel, prop in the box, etc. It's up to the selling dealer to prep the boat for the customer. It's also up to the dealer to take care of the customer's problems and work any warranty issues through the factory. If the dealer is not aggressively working the warranty issues it will drag on and on. Most of the horror stories we hear on warranty issues are related to boat owners with poor or no dealer support.

Most of the old contacts we had at the factory are now gone Mike Miller, Nick Miller, and Steve Simon. I would not try to contact Lee Kimmell. I think you'd have better results contacting someone else at American Marine Holdings, maybe President Mike Collins, 941-755-7790. Or call and ask who handles international sales. Again though International Nautic needs to be on your side pushing this through.

[Bryan Tuvell 33ZX]

I will add that Lee K. is very accessible. As a last resort....His secretary ensures he gets messages, and he has personally returned my emails.

Good luck on the 26ZX, advice given thus far is pretty solid.
This website is chocked full of all kind of knowledge. Any questions on running the 26, let me know.
Pretty boat.

RickPaz, go the 500 route, they should be getting more reasonable in price, especially with all the 525's out on the street.
Bryan

[integra]

Thank you to everyone, I received a Mail from international Nautic, and they say they'd pay my reparations, so I think everything is going to be all right...

Now my only doubt is about cost to solve infiltrations problem since the Mercruiser man told me he must get off the engine and it's very expensive... :frown:

[BUIZILLA]

Integra, if it was MY boat, I would make sure you found the intrusion source before removing the engine. Maybe it's fixable without removing it....

J :boat:

[harbormaster]

Fede,

Avete comprato il tiyr Donzi da un commerciante negli STATI UNITI o dall'azienda? Se li siete messi in contatto con? Stanno aiutandoli? Che cosa è il nome della persona che vi siete messi in contatto con? Se posso essere dell'aiuto a voi prego selo metta in contatto con.

Scot

[gcarter]

Fede,

Avete comprato il tiyr Donzi da un commerciante negli STATI UNITI o dall'azienda? Se li siete messi in contatto con? Stanno aiutandoli? Che cosa è il nome della persona che vi siete messi in contatto con? Se posso essere dell'aiuto a voi prego selo metta in contatto con.

Scot
Scott, I'm impressed!

George

[integra]

Thanx a lot Scot, Now I'm waiting for a precise examination of the problem, and after it if anything should not be right, I will ask you!

You're very kind,

FEDE

[pmreed]

Scot, I'm fluent in spoken Italian :italy: and can read it reasonably well. Result of having spent a couple of years in Naples in the Navy. Your post cracked me up.:rlol:

Phil

[Ed Donnelly]

Scot, I pensa che inglese di integras sia molto piu meglio del vostro Italiano. Ma sembra ora averle una maniglia.Di ciao..Edardo Donnelly