Hooked on Donzis

[captainsae]

AT what point were you hooked? For me, I was about 7 years old on Roslyn Harbor, NY. That would be in the early 70's. I used to go there every weekend and take my little 8' boat with it's 2hp motor out for a tool around the harbor. Every sunday, all the go fast boats would cruise this harbor and challenge each other to race. There was one boat that always dominated and every time I would see someone challenging it my adreneline levels would go through the roof as he kicked the throttle and would destroy any other boat it would come across. That boat was a red donzi classic - probably an 18 from what I remember. When he would go by my little rinky dink boat at WOT, it would just look like a red streak had passed. Time has gone on and I know there are faster boats (ie catamarans) out there, but they never fail to turn my head.

[gold-n-rod]

For me, it was sometime in the 1980's. My dad and I would go to the boat show and look at all the boats. I was drawn to the Donzi 16's and 18's. [major drool].......... [/major drool] To be honest, I've never been up close and personal to a 22..... yet.

[Lenny]

Same era, living at my folks "Gulf Island Place". Spent EVERY waking second, 7am-dark, everyday, regardless of weather, out on the water "exploring", jigging, trolling, and learning how NOT to die in the water.

Occasionally, if memory serves me correct, there were 2 (two) boats I would see a few times a summer and they were small and they were LOUD back when boats weren't. (here)

That NEVER left my mind. Now ( 30 years later) I am happy :D

Now, if it were just about 15 mph FASTER... ;)

In looking at the pic in 1968, it is no wonder how I wound up with an "X" . Stripe, fairing etc. Must have been meant to be. :)

[Marlin275]

In the late 60's Florida, the cool boat was a Boston Whaler for us kids.
When the Donzi 18 showed up everything changed.
The Whaler would bust your ass over the waves.
The Donzi ate the waves, and that sound was better than the new Merc 100!
Love at first sight and the rest is history.
http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13500

[Lenny]

Marlin, we got to get you an Original Starboard rear vent... :)

I think I have one or three...

[Marlin275]

Lenny lets do it and that great Volvo pin you discovered on ebay.
I thought since it was the blower they were different?

[Lenny]

Nope, same vents. I can do both.

I will email you. Take care in NYC :)

[boldts]

For me it was mid 80's. Saw a blue and tan Minx at a dealer here in Ohio. That was the first time I had ever seen or heard about Donzi. A year or so later, found a '69 18' Classic up in Northern Ohio and had to have it. Took out a loan for the down payment then financed the boat through the dealer. Towed her home with a '67 Chevelle Malibu running a small block with a tri-power. Worked 2 full time jobs for the next 3 years to pay it all off and buy a '72 Chevy P/U to tow with. Life was soooooo simple back then. About 6 years ago, found the Donzi Registry. Started the Midwest Donzi Club 5 years ago because I wasn't seeing Donzi boats on the inland lakes around me. Been making more and more friends every year since! :yes:

[Dax McDavid]

grew up on water. One family in town has a 1966 or 67 or 68?? baby blue Corsican it is the coolest boat I have ever seen. They bought it at one of the the florida boat shows the year it came out. They still have it today. anyway from as young as i can remember I knew I had to have one like it. So when I was 20 years old I bought my 76 X-18.

[txtaz]

Dax, That is Wade's boat and it lived across the street from me on Harbor Drive. Funny thing, he liked the Nautique more. Caspberies 31 Cig is another classic from that time. I never cared for yellow until that boat.
For me, I grew up on water also pumping gas for my Dad as a kid at our marina. I think I was in my early teens when I knew I wanted a Donzi. Then one of my friends got one for Christmas when we were in high school. Memories...
Wes

[Dax McDavid]

Dax, That is Wade's boat and it lived across the street from me on Harbor Drive. Funny thing, he liked the Nautique more. Caspberies 31 Cig is another classic from that time. I never cared for yellow until that boat.
For me, I grew up on water also pumping gas for my Dad as a kid at our marina. I think I was in my early teens when I knew I wanted a Donzi. Then one of my friends got one for Christmas when we were in high school. Memories...
Wes

Yeah I blame the wendal's and caspberries for all my boating addictions!!!!
by any chance do know of a good boat mechanic in austin or central TX????? That could work on my x. or if any one on the site does please feel free to speak up.
thanks
dax :frown:

[goatee]

i was 8 years old. been hooked ever since.

[Surfer]

South Florida, mid sixties, I had a 12' White Swan with a Johnson 9 1/2, the kid across the canal had a sixteen....it took me thirty five years to get him back.

[OKII]

For me it was the mid 1980' when I was 7 or 8. My father, brother and myself were on Skaneateles lake in central new york for a boat ride. 19' Starcraft open bow alpha one 230 HP V8 cruising along when 16 classic (white with a maroon stripe) came up on us, my father trimmed up in our starcraft (thinking that 55 mph would keep this classic at bay), effortlessly, that 16 blew past us. I can still picture it in my head. For years, I would drive past this guys house and just stare at his boat on the hoist. I remember then that I made up my mind I was going to have one of those boats no matter what it took.. :kaioken:

[smoothie]

Heres a link to this topic a few years back...enjoy!
http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28831

[Sam]

I lost all controll once I saw my first Donzi girl :D . Actually I was around twelve years old when I saw my first one, the rest is history.

[Formula Jr]

My Mother and Dad were both into boating. One of the best decisions I ever made was to be born in to a boating family. In 1967, at age 9, moved to a waterfront house on the Magothy River, Maryland. And for the next nine years grew up as a typical water kid.
Had my little gang of buddies with their boats and memorized all the fast boats on the river and beyond, Much like any city kid would know which cars were cool.
Train spotting, but with boats. We had pet names for them. "The Black Phantom" was a DUO tunnel hull, The "Red Baron" a Hornet bench seat, the "Tiki Tiki" a highly modified 18 classic, and many more. These were like professional wrestlers to us. And maybe like monster trucks are to today's kids. We all had our favorites. The Donzis were never considered fast. Not fast like the Sidewinders or the Flat bottom Vee drive boats. But they had that negative shear, like spaceships. And the bay offered a perfect combination of flat water somedays, and rough water other days. So there were winners and losers on any given day depending on the sea state. But the donzis had something else, they were built well and had odd touches to them like wood knobs with badges and cool stickers on their sides. To us that meant they won races that counted in some far off and more important arena and thus could brag. Even though my uncle's 16 Glasbar with the then new 150 Merc was faster in calm water. More than a few 16 and 18 owners got snuffed by that boat by an irreverent teen. :) But the glasbar did not hold together in any kind of wave action. It would start falling apart in twos or better, and as I'm falling apart the donzi would pass me.
So you wonder, what is this world that they can run in?
And that opened my eyes to running in bigger seas.
And that was so much more fun than just pure speed.
It was back to thinking about waves, and being apart of running with the sea and playing with it. And Donzis do that better than most anything else.

[Chili 18]

Ok...My turn..

My dad kept his 19 ft sea ray in a slip in Washington Park Marina in the 60. [Michigan City, Indiana, southern Lk Michigan] It had the inline six merc. My brother and his friends would drag me along when they went out skiing etc. We had such a blast on that sea ray... BUT... Their was a guy whose last name was Sugar. Had a red donzi. 16 or 18? Im not sure. It was the highlight of a day on the water to see him fire it up and then go running along the dunes. He usually had some female accompaniment as I recall. The sound..The look. I recently found some old notebooks from schooldays... LOTS of sketches of Donzi like boats at speed... :-)

Time went by as it will... Saw a dealer with a 16 on trailer taking it for a sea trial a few years ago. Fire rekindled.. Obsession renewed... Thirst.... finally satisfied. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh :garfield: Thanks for planting the seed, Mr. Sugar. Rescued my 18 from ebay. Rescued is the proper term. Couldn’t have done it so well without Donzi.net.

Cheers,
Chili

[Magicallbill]

I was working at Portage Point Inn in Northern Michigan. Had a great friend in the lifeguard,and his Dad had just sold his 16 Ski Sporter.
Somehow it had broke, and my friend's Dad took it back to fix it for the guy he sold it to. I and my lifeguard friend was in my Starcraft when we spotted his Dad test-driving the Donzi after he repaired whatever was wrong with it.
Lucky for me, he gave me a ride...
We went out the Lake Michigan Channel thru 1-3 ft. slop,rebounding off the channel walls. and I was in shock that a boat could ride like that Donzi did. I was used to the flat-bottomed aluminum Starcraft,but the difference was life-altering for me.
I never forgot it,and swore that one day I'd have one.

I was 18 years old...

I'm now 50 and I have my 18, and am redoing Jerry Eisele's 16 that I bought from him.]
I think my friend's Dad's boat had the Eaton Drive, but I'm, not sure. Ha,it ran 48-49MPH or so. Boy was that flyin' in 1973...

MB

[Craig]

Here's me in 1970 something imagining I'm in a Donzi. I knew about Donzi's - there being a few where I grew up. Not much compared or still compares on the coolness factor. This 10' GW Invader was, to me, like a mini Donzi (complete with white deck stripe and, to my eye, similar proportions).
What fun that thing was. So here we are 35 years later and my "Donzi" is actually a Cobalt copy (still imagining I'm in a Donzi - see 3rd pic - 2nd is 2 of my 3 kids). Ah well, my only real Donzi desire now is to someday maybe add to my boat collection by picking up an 18' 2+3. All these years admiring them, and it just dawned on my, I've never been in an 18'. The few that were at the lake where I play have "gone away." There's a solid red 22' (at a dock) and I think a 1968 red & white 16' and a 1978 blue & white 18' stored in a garage (owner is getting old and hasn't put them in past 2 years). One more pic - my 14 yr. old son driving (yikes)!

[Richard Rees]

I grew up in Jacksonville Fla, we lived on the river,saw my first Donzi about 1965 or 1966 at Grahams Boat Yard on the Ortega River, knew then I had to have one, just took 30 years to get one. Worth the wait.