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onesubdrvr
05-27-2005, 01:55 PM
OK,

See what I mean? I keep looking!!

Anyway, just curious as to what the overall opinion of the Dorals are? I know there isn't a ton of them, but I don't think I've ever caught a thread on one (will search some more though). Please tell me all your thoughts on this boat

Thanks
Wayne

Cuda
05-27-2005, 02:03 PM
I think they have perfect lines for a beautiful boat.

TuxedoPk
05-27-2005, 03:51 PM
Wayne,

To quote Olered, "This is one of the driest 24' hulls ever made". Bill's got a beautiful fishing boat version of the Doral- the El Pesc. Here's some info from one of Bill's posts:
------The story of the DONZI 24 line as I know it.
------Roy Farmer,General manager of DONZI for years,loved fishing down in the Keys.In the early 70s there really wasnt a hull conducive to conversion to a center console that DONZI was building.Roy felt that the St.Tropez was too small for what he wanted and anyone could see the trend to longer boats.Im sure that over a few lunches with the boss,John Chisholm,a plan was hatched to do a whole line of 24s,with the El Pescador as the starting point.I was around for some of those early lunches when Roy would tell us he wanted a bigger center cosole boat for his excursions.
------Im not sure when Harry Schell,the designer,got drawn into the plans but he designed the the 4-boat package that became the 24ft. line.
--------1.El Pescador
--------2.Spitfire
--------3.Doral
--------4.Spirit
------It really was an inspired plan.Harry designed an absolutely killer hull(ask anyone who rode in my El Pescador at Sarasota),but I think the deck design was truly revolutionary.All 24s were built with the El Pescador inner hull.There was an indented lip all the way around the circumference of the inner deck.That indented lip accepted the other three design deck caps.
------Had production really got cranked up it would have allowed the factory to build spec hulls to a more finished degree.Ordered boats could have been built faster.
------I dont know why the sales plans didnt work out.DONZI may have priced them selves too high.I cant remember,but maybe there was a market downturn around then.Maybe Brownie would have some input on this subject.His knowledge of this stuff is so deep.In any event the 24 line was sold to Sonic sometime in the late 70s.I have a friend from Ft.Lauderdale who bought the first 24 Sonic SS (Spitfire) out of the (now) Sonic molds.It unfortunatly got destroyed.I dont know how many other SSs were built.I also dont know if Sonic ever built any of the other deck plans.In any event,the 24 is no longer built by anybody and it is truly a shame.I havent talked to anyone from Sonic but was told by my friend that the hull mold(at least)exists.Who knows what shape its in though.
------We need someone with deep pockets to step up and start up a company to build these boats.Ill help!Truly a big water boat if need be,and yet easily trailerable.Something me,and alot of us on this board value highly.Got to get to all these great DONZI shows with a minimum of fuss,yah know!Hope this has helped.............Bill S......ol red!


From Madpoodle's post:
LOA 24'2"
Beam 8'
Draft to keel 20"
To bottom of outdrive 33"
Weight, single 3950 lbs
1976 price:
Single
280 Mercruiser (TRS?) 17,165
300 Chris Craft (Volvo 280) 16,835
Twins
280 Mercruiser 23,785
300 Chris Craft 22,510

My Doral is one of the Supersport models with the full height front seats that have storage compartments in their rear. Not that anyone who boats drinks, but Donzi offered a recessed bar in the rear of the front seats as an option.

Q. Bill/Poodle- My boat happens to have had the twin Chris Craft engines. Was the Supersport option something that only came with this power configuration or was it strictly a seating option that was independent of the boat's power plant?

Cuda
05-27-2005, 04:18 PM
What were the major differences between the Spit, the Doral, and the Spirit?

TuxedoPk
05-27-2005, 04:34 PM
Here's a simplified description:

All of these boats share the same hull but have different deck configurations.

The El Pesc. is a fishing boat with a configuration like a St. Tropez

The Doral has a cuddy, 2 front seats and a rear bench.

The Spirit has a cuddy, 2 front seats and an open rear similar to fishing boats

The Spitfire has no cuddy and is more along the lines of a 24' Criterion.