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View Full Version : Donzi Minx versus a classic 18



markdonzi
07-22-2005, 08:34 AM
Wondering if I could get some advice from the experts. I am thinking of getting an 18 or an older Minx. I live in Lake George. Was wondering how the two compare in terms of ride. Pluses and minuses if anyone has ever owned or driven both? Why did they stop making the Minx? Better in rough water than the 18? More room inside?
markdonzi THANKS

Cuda
07-22-2005, 08:41 AM
I've never ridden in an 18. The Minx has a higher freeboard, which I like, and to me they are just perfect lines of a boat. I was on here for years before I decided what Donzi I wanted, then took about another year to find the Minx for me.

I think the reason they discontinued the Minx was it was right between the 18 and the 22 without a big enough difference to warrant keeping it in production. They probably thought instead of bringing a customer in with the model, they were just dividing them up from people who would have gone 18 or 22 anyway.

I love mine, and I'm glad I bought it.

gcarter
07-22-2005, 11:29 AM
Hmmm..a Minx is a short 22. I have measured the major dimensions of both sitting side by side.
While the 22 is much like a large 18 in nature, the Minx's CG is much higher. For instance, the seat pedistals in a 22 are probably 4" high, the Minx's are about 9" to 10" high. The rear seat is also higher by a like amount. Likewise, the coaming around the cockpit and engine compartment is about 6" high. The higher CG really shows up with a full passenger load. Below 35-40 MPH, it's "interesting" to maneuver. But with only a couple of people, there's no discernable difference.
The Minx also differs a lot in the dash and ski storage arrangement. Also it has side bolsters with cup holders which precludes any thought of swiveling front seats. There's just not room for them to swivel. The rear seat area is very similar to a 22, but a little larger. I currently have a set of upholstery from a 22 installed in my Minx. It has to be stretched about 1 1/2" to fit. Also the 22 seat back is a little short on the sides.
Performance wise, the Minx probably performs a little better than a small block 22 from the mid '80's since it's a little lighter. On a good day, I can see mid 60's on mine with maybe a little more to come.
Over all I like the Minx, it's very dry. The windshield actually keeps air off you if you slouch down in the seat.

gcarter
07-22-2005, 11:43 AM
Why did they stop building them?
I think sales slowed. If you look at;
http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39260
you'll see all the '87 & '88 boats were built in '87.
Also, they were expensive. If you take Tim Morris's boat as an example, he bought his new. I ran his purchase price through the inflation calculator, it came out $43,000.00 in todays dollars. Considering todays boats are more complex anyway, i.e., Bravo drives, FI engines, etc, a Minx today would probably cost as much as a 22.

1996Z15
07-23-2005, 05:37 PM
I've driven an 18' before, granted it was an Olds 455 powered, Berkeley Jet model, and I've owned a 1986 Minx. I would have to say that the Minx is a dryer ride but, in my opinion, the 18' handles better than the Minx.
I was not all that impressed with how the Minx handled rough water; thought it would have handled it much better than my friends 18.

Overall, I like the looks and the dryer ride of the Minx but prefer the way the 18' handles.

Jamesbon
07-23-2005, 08:42 PM
With all due respect, get a 22 Classic.

18's are a blast to drive, adrenaline factor is 100%.

Never driven a Minx, but if you're going to go 20', why not go 22'?

The 22 Classic is the ride to have, IMHO.

Tim Morris
07-26-2005, 12:46 PM
Why did they stop building them?
I think sales slowed. Also, they were expensive. If you take Tim Morris's boat as an example, he bought his new. I ran his purchase price through the inflation calculator, it came out $43,000.00 in todays dollars.

Hell, it cost $42K back in '87. (Canadian $ of course)

joseph m. hahnl
07-26-2005, 08:51 PM
Wondering if I could get some advice from the experts. I am thinking of getting an 18 or an older Minx. I live in Lake George. Was wondering how the two compare in terms of ride. Pluses and minuses if anyone has ever owned or driven both? Why did they stop making the Minx? Better in rough water than the 18? More room inside?
markdonzi THANKS

It really depends on how new you want your boat to be. the minx came with a windshield and trim tabs as standard equipment i bought my minx just for the fact that it had a windshield. you can get both of them on an 18 but they're retro fit. i believe the minx's are the last of the hand made boats. but one thing is for sure. as it stands with GC's minx list i may own the very last one ever produced. until #164 comes out of the wood work my rooster tail is the newest minx you'll see. but with either boat you'll never get tired of people saying nice boat. and druelling over your donzi.

mattyboy
07-26-2005, 09:14 PM
having had the pleasure of coming out of the narrows past the sagamore when the wind is whipping out of the north the 18 or the minx ain't big enuff go for a 22
not all minx's have tabs some don't have thru hulls either ;)

Cuda
07-26-2005, 09:15 PM
It really depends on how new you want your boat to be. the minx came with a windshield and trim tabs as standard equipment i bought my minx just for the fact that it had a windshield. you can get both of them on an 18 but they're retro fit. i believe the minx's are the last of the hand made boats. but one thing is for sure. as it stands with GC's minx list i may own the very last one ever produced. until #164 comes out of the wood work my rooster tail is the newest minx you'll see. but with either boat you'll never get tired of people saying nice boat. and druelling over your donzi.
Man, that thing is sweet. Does it have a horn mounted on the bow?

Cuda
07-26-2005, 10:27 PM
having had the pleasure of coming out of the narrows past the sagamore when the wind is whipping out of the north the 18 or the minx ain't big enuff go for a 22
not all minx's have tabs some don't have thru hulls either ;)
I haven't seen any that didn't have both. I guess they could order them that way, but I think they were both standard.

joseph m. hahnl
07-27-2005, 07:22 PM
having had the pleasure of coming out of the narrows past the sagamore when the wind is whipping out of the north the 18 or the minx ain't big enuff go for a 22
not all minx's have tabs some don't have thru hulls either ;)

Dude: i take my 13' whaler out to sea. you may be right about the tabs being standard equipment. but they are shown in the brochure picture and with thru the hull exhaust.


P.S. the original hornets were only 19' and they use to come in full board from out at sea past audibon island into cotuit harbor when i was a kid

mattyboy
07-27-2005, 07:38 PM
like for sure it must be righteous out there surfing the tasty ones in your bodacious glass sled :rolleyes: :p my point DUDE was if he's thinking about how the ride is in an 18 or a 20 why not go to a 22,
and I don'tknow
nothing bout brochures just by what I see on the lift a big ol red and white minx ass flat and simple no pipes no tabs and a bimini all special order

and a Hornet is a much bigger boat that a minx

and lake george is one of those fresh water, sissy mary, calm boring water lakes with 1 foot rollers :rolleyes: just not when I am there ???


hey bud let's party :rlol:

gcarter
07-27-2005, 08:48 PM
There's no question a BBC 22 has a lot more speed potential and better handling than a Minx, even though their hulls are almost identical.
The Minx, while having the same interior volume and a larger rear seat than a 22, has a whole different feel to it with the much higher CG. I can't stress this enough. It's a different boat. A Minx is more,I guess you could say, luxurious. Much higher, more comfortable seating, you DON'T sit on the floor. More convenience with the side bolsters and cup holders. Theirs no mistaking a Minx with an 18 or 22 Classic.

joseph m. hahnl
07-27-2005, 08:53 PM
like for sure it must be righteous out there surfing the tasty ones in your bodacious glass sled :rolleyes: :p my point DUDE was if he's thinking about how the ride is in an 18 or a 20 why not go to a 22,
and I don'tknow
nothing bout brochures just by what I see on the lift a big ol red and white minx ass flat and simple no pipes no tabs and a bimini all special order

and a Hornet is a much bigger boat that a minx

and lake george is one of those fresh water, sissy mary, calm boring water lakes with 1 foot rollers :rolleyes: just not when I am there ???


hey bud let's party :rlol:



oh Excuse me: I can't argue with the righteuos .nor do i want too. but i thought that the donzi hornets made by the one and only don aronow were 19'in length. by bigger do you mean draft. beam or length. but when i went to school 19 came before 20 . i guess after you graduate elementry school numbers have no meaning. did you mean the hornet II was a bigger boat at 21' or they even made a hornet III .


ps it's not that serious lighten up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

mattyboy
07-27-2005, 09:27 PM
Joe ,
if you don't know righteous I would refrain from calling people dude, and I am light :) what i meant was the 19 hornet is a big boat yes the minx is longer but the hornet 19 not II or III is a huge boat the flare at the bow, the freeboard, it is a huge boat for a 19 true it doesn't have the same deadrise as classic but seeing an 18 side by side on a trailer with a hornet shows the difference yes only a foot in length and the minx only is only a foot longer.

so what does the 13 whaler and hornet have to do with this thread??? but maybe cut class in elementary school that day???



:rlol: :) :p all signs that I am not serious

Barry Phillips
07-28-2005, 11:16 AM
Markdonzi, if you have nice clean Minx in mind go for it, they are good looking, rare and seaworthy boats. I boat on both LG and the Sacandaga, I owned a 350 equipped 18 and now a 496 powered 22 and I will go with a the larger hull on these lakes any day, both of which get pretty choppy, not to mention cross wakes from larger boats especially the swells created by the big tour boats on LG. The only down side with the Minx is that most of them are powered with small blocks, what was Donzi thinking, considering they were not much lighter then a 22, but a re-power could be easy enough.

I almost purchased a really clean honey on navy blue freshwater Minx several years ago, equipped with a small block 260, and Alpha Drive, it ran 58 mph, just think what a 502 or a 496HO conversion would do for this very rare Donzi.
:biggrin.:

CHACHI
07-28-2005, 02:26 PM
Markdonzi, if you have nice clean Minx in mind go for it, they are good looking, rare and seaworthy boats. I boat on both LG and the Sacandaga, I owned a 350 equipped 18 and now a 496 powered 22 and I will go with a the larger hull on these lakes any day, both of which get pretty choppy, not to mention cross wakes from larger boats especially the swells created by the big tour boats on LG. The only down side with the Minx is that most of them are powered with small blocks, what was Donzi thinking, considering they were not much lighter then a 22, but a re-power could be easy enough.

I almost purchased a really clean honey on navy blue freshwater Minx several years ago, equipped with a small block 260, and Alpha Drive, it ran 58 mph, just think what a 502 or a 496HO conversion would do for this very rare Donzi.
:biggrin.:Barry, where was this really clean honey brown/blue Minx located? Sacandaga? Ken

Barry Phillips
07-28-2005, 02:55 PM
Minxguy, the Minx I was looking at was located in Northville NY, the owner had heart surgery and didn't think he could keep up with it anymore. Very clean boat, the honey with the flag blue hull sides looked sides looked really good. The Minx is a boat Donzi should rethink as a nice alternative to the Classic line. I do not know were this boat ended up.

half shell
07-28-2005, 06:12 PM
Since we are talking minx I have a question.Barry your boat has minx after the donzi on the hull sides.Another minx I am looking at has the same emblem so to speak.However I was talking boats today with someone at work and he told me about another minx for sale. He said it is a little dirty needs some cosmetics but worth a look.

So I did a drive by and it has donzi then the emblem no minx.Is this a different model or year?

Thanks to all Bob

gcarter
07-28-2005, 06:48 PM
They originally had "Donzi Minx" on the sides, but many have had the sides painted. The Minx decals have to be made. That's the way mine was when I bought it. Right now mine has no decals.
Maybe before Sarasota.....

BUIZILLA
07-28-2005, 07:14 PM
The MINX script is a different font, done in italics, than the DONZI script

joseph m. hahnl
07-28-2005, 07:22 PM
I noticed that the wind shield on the blue donzi is different from mine. it's lower darker and does'nt seem to have the metal frame on top. The black one on the donzi model list is the same as the blue one's. they made a minx LE which appears to have the cockpit further forward . i beleive the black one is an LE . I think I saw that boat for sale in boat trader a few months back.

gcarter
07-28-2005, 08:18 PM
Yep, that was Buizilla's boat. He sold it to a neighbor of mine. It resides about two miles from my house.
Your windshield was made in Italy and was offered in '88.
The windshield in the picture is like the one on my boat. The lower part is painted black on the inside where it overlaps the cockpit coaming.
These things are fragile. When I bought mine it had no windshield. I had painted the recessed windshield part of the coaming to match the sides. From a distance it looked like a cut down windshield.
Later I found a windshield in Seattle from a boat that had wrecked. I considered myself very fortunate. I doubt if anyone finds any more like that.

CHACHI
07-29-2005, 06:44 AM
Minxguy, the Minx I was looking at was located in Northville NY, the owner had heart surgery and didn't think he could keep up with it anymore. Very clean boat, the honey with the flag blue hull sides looked sides looked really good. The Minx is a boat Donzi should rethink as a nice alternative to the Classic line. I do not know were this boat ended up.Barry, the boat ended up at the 1K Islands hanging in my boat house. I purchased the boat 5-6 years ago and its has been a blast. If you look at Tonys pic's from the 1K Island event this year you will see the boat, also Lone Star Donzi Girl has a shot on the boards of the boat at the dock. Thanks Ken

Barry Phillips
07-29-2005, 12:13 PM
Barry, the boat ended up at the 1K Islands hanging in my boat house. I purchased the boat 5-6 years ago and its has been a blast. If you look at Tonys pic's from the 1K Island event this year you will see the boat, also Lone Star Donzi Girl has a shot on the boards of the boat at the dock. Thanks Ken

That's about right, I was looking at it 97, I chat with the previous owners from time to time and Betty misses there Minx very much. I'm always glad when a Donzi this rare finds a good home, good for you. We ran into Betty last summer and she told us that they regreted selling her. Barry.

Tim Morris
07-29-2005, 12:56 PM
Barry, the boat ended up at the 1K Islands hanging in my boat house. I purchased the boat 5-6 years ago and its has been a blast. If you look at Tonys pic's from the 1K Island event this year you will see the boat, also Lone Star Donzi Girl has a shot on the boards of the boat at the dock. Thanks Ken

Yes, and I saw a photo of the boathouse - posted by Tony I think.
Beats the hell out a lift rack 100' from shore. Shallow lake that I'm on.

Speaking of Tony, I was surprised to see his red 16' at 1K Isles - exactly
the same as the '65 I restored and later sold to get the new Minx in '87.
I was sure it was my old one at first glance, I asked him if he bought it
in Midland, he said 'yes'. I was thinking of making him an offer when it
became clear. I sold to a fellow in Midland ONTARIO, he bought in Midland
state side. Also his was a '67. Tony need to sell his 16' to buy MINXGUY's
so MINXGUY can step up to a 22' as I understand it.

Got a call from a bud who lives north of me and knew my '65 inside out,
claims he saw it in Graverhurst, looked it over and is 90% sure. I haven't heard anything about the boat in 18 years. Going to check it out Saturday.
Going to be tough to catch up to some of you guys - but 2 boats is a start.