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MikeStar
04-24-2001, 05:35 AM
I've been "lurking" here off and on for some time, and I've picked up a bit of knowledge. The Admiral and I are looking to downsize the boating budget, so we're selling our 1999 28' Powerquest (www.safe-boater.com, if anyone's interested - shameless plug http://www.donzi.net/ubb/wink.gif ).

Once the PQ is gone, I'm thinking long and hard about our next boat being a 16' 18' or 22' Donzi. I'd like to learn more about the history of these boats. For example, I see boats advertised as having Volvo 270, 280, or 290 drives - what's the differences and is one preferable to the others?

Other questions include:

What years were which models made?
I see a lot of Ford power in the early boats - what was the standard power back then (little before my time - I was born in 1968)
I've seen boats listed as "left hand drivers" - did the Volvo drives spin opposite from the Mercs of today?
What is the relationship of the Donzi models to the Four Winns U-17/19 models? It seems like availability of these boats is pretty regionalized, and up here in Detroit I'm a lot closer to Four Winns than Donzi.
In a similar vein, what's the story on the various small Magnums and Formulas?


Basically, I'd like to know anything and everything about these boats. Reading the posts on the board, it's sometimes hard to follow the discussions amongst "those in the know" without a primer course http://www.donzi.net/ubb/smile.gif

I really like the classic speedboat look, and I've always wanted an older boat that I could tinker with, but without the potential headaches and money drain of a wood Chris or Century. A Donzi or Formula sounds like it might fit the bill.

Thanks very much for your assistance...

Dr. Dan
04-24-2001, 08:09 AM
Mike Star, I started a response and lost it. I was saying, to check out some of the veteran posts;Fasteddie,Frank Civitano,Allan Brown,Scott Pearson,GEOO,Madpoodle & so many others. This is a great group of people here, and probably your largest "Practical" information source on the Donzi, and especially classics. You will find your answers to virtually any question you would have here. Check out some of the rides in the Boats for sale section! Good Luck we look forward to you coming on board, let us know...Doc

Tony
04-24-2001, 09:46 AM
Mike,
You're right, there seems to be quite a few Four Winns Unlimited 17/19's in our area. I researched these boats at length a few years back, before I bought my Donzi. Basically they are very similar, maybe not as well built as Donzis, but then they ran into some bad publicity over perceived handling problems. So, after producing them for only two years ('96 & '97) they stopped. If you e-mail me I can share more details...I have e-mails from Four Winns explaining all of this and more.

Yes, Ford was used extensively in the early Donzis, in collaboration with the Holman-Moody people. Most people that re-power opt for Chevy, although there are some die-hard Ford guys still. There are some great posts/discussions of the H-M history...maybe use the search feature for more on this topic.

I love my '67 16', and if you shop carefully you will find a boat that is every bit as maintenance free as buying a good quality new boat...maybe even more so. Welcome to our board and good luck gathering information on these great boats!

Formula Jr
04-24-2001, 05:26 PM
Mike, we have a HUGE information base stored away in the archives and the old threads. There's a small gap of about 3/4 of a year cause of software problems but most of the good stuff is there. For a brief history on "Aronow" boats you need a copy of Mike Aronow's book "Don Aronow - King of Thunderboat Row." Aronow started the Formula Marine Company (61-63) and then sold it to thunderbird and it has been run by the Porter family ever since. Aronow then started the Donzi Marine Company (64-67) and later sold that to Teleflex. He then started Magnum Marine which he sold to an italian family. Then he started Cigarette (the first company where he directly designed boats), Squadron 12 and US Racing - I think.
Alot of the designs attributed to Aronow are Jim Wynne/Walt Walters, or Wynne/John Mill designs and/or are based on collabortive teams. Some boats are somewhat whimsical interpretations of designs Don saw in Europe, like the Corsican. There are certain simularities with all these boats and certain families of design within the companies, ie the Donzi seven meter appears more Walter's than Wynne. If you follow the designers instead of the companies you can see some of the design progressions more clearly. I personally don't know all the designs and years, since Donzi was in the business of custom orders, so there are alot of different small production runs and one-offs. My favorite Donzi design is the Single Seat Hornet with a Merc, TRS Outdrive, a rare boat. This is what makes Donzi's so interesting - it is always a process of discovery and the picture gets more interesting as you dig further. The Donzi 18 is probably one of the most copied designs in history as demand was huge and the waiting list long. The originals are well thought-out, balanced and have beautiful glass workmanship. Some of the copies are just slapped together, and with the possible exception of Cobalt - never matched the quality of Donzi. The most interesting years, IMHO, are '64 to about 1982. The cut-off date being somewhat arbitrary.