New Donzi Owner!! Engine options??

[ZaneDonzi]

Hello fellaz... im just about to buy my 1989 22 classic, the boat is in good condition except its missing the windshield and for some reason it has a 260hp mercury or mercruzer engine which i think is quite low power for the boat... at least from what iv seen on here, it is low hp..

What are my options for motor? i dont want to go race everybody i see and go all out... all i want a nice motor that'll push that weekend baby hard without breaking the bank.

When u guys say a 350 or 454 big block... are u referring to the chevy engines out of cars?
If so, what needs to be done to have it marine ready and how reliable are they? What should this roughly cost?

Thanx in advance:beer:

[goatee]

cost and fuel efficiency, (and also weight) stick with the 350.
oh wait,,,, you said 22, right? ...........454 then. or 502, or 496

[goatee]

p.s. welcome to the board!
run the 260 for a season. get the feel for it , and go from there.

[ZaneDonzi]

Thanx Goatee... our season here is all year around:biggrin.:

Heres a pic of the boat and the engine it has...

Can someone give me the laydown of this engine.. how much hp it makes?

Thanx again.

[Patrik Sweden]

I just bought a 22 with a 350 MAG MPI, 300hp.. 60knots. 1998

Look in http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43619 for pictures..

Go for a mercruiser 5.7 MPI/MPX with Bravo One or Volvo Penta 5.7..

In Dubai the fuel is soooo cheap, so if you have the money.. go for the BIG BLOCK!!

[Carl C]

Yes, big block chevy based motor if gas is cheap there. Do not just drop a car motor in, there are many differences. Good luck. It looks like those front trailer rollers are putting black marks on the hull.:wavey:

[ZaneDonzi]

I just bought a 22 with a 350 MAG MPI, 300hp.. 60knots. 1998
Look in http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43619 for pictures..
Go for a mercruiser 5.7 MPI/MPX with Bravo One or Volvo Penta 5.7..
In Dubai the fuel is soooo cheap, so if you have the money.. go for the BIG BLOCK!!


Yep i saw this thread and im in loooove with ur donzi as well as many others on here...

As for the motor... id love to go with some big block and a bravo one but not right now...Is my motor real crap?
What am i looking to spend for a decent motor and gear?

i wanna start with the oustinde and interior... i wanna repaint it even tho its just been painted by the previous owner... but i hate how he did it.

Poodle... I have seen many Donzis with a windsheild and grab rails... does it mean something when i has the grab rails?

What do u think of just making a windsheild out of fiberglass like the Shelby GT edition and paint it black? yes, no, cheesy?

Those front two rollers are busted, i need to change them;)

Ill post more pics soon.


Thanx for all the replys fellaz:cool:

[Dr. Dan]

:beer: Congratulations on the 22, and Welcome to the Sickness! Poodle is correct, in my opinion a Big Block will put you comfortably into the 70 mph arena. However you also might want to shop for a drive, the Alpha One is not as Horsepower Friendly as the Bravo or the Newer XR Drives for sure.

There are alot of deals on "Pull Out Motors" and Drives are down right plentiful, just check it all out prior to laying your money down. Especially after all of our Hurricanes, the Jerk Offs sell their Wrecked Components all over the place so get whatever you buy Tested/Analyzed by someone who knows...just a suggestion!

I did a repower 2 Seasons ago, I have a 1993 22 Classic, it had a 330 Horse 454 in it, the high speed was an anemic 58 to 62 mph! Which with this crowd is not gonna cut it. So I made some changes:
http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33999&highlight=blue+pill


http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=35703&highlight=blue+pill

:spongebob Now this is just one of the many options out there....and it's a good one, but it is not for the faint of wallet or time. I have a chevy motor with a OMC Drive(Volvo terchnology now)but it works great. In time I will be replacing the drive to add the full hydraulic steering, which comes in handy over 75 MPH.

Good luck, I would spend some time doing searches and research on here, you will learn alot from the many different repowers and work the guys have done here. Some items will be more helpful than others...but all are entertaining.

Good Luck and Keep Us Posted! :cool:

Doc of the Bay
www.atlanticcoastdonzi.com

[Carl C]

Your small block is not "crap". But this is a big boat and needs big power if you want to go fast. Modifying and supercharging this motor would be a viable option. Anyway you go it will not be cheap. Not much about boating IS cheap! I would contact Donzi and see if they will sell you an aluminum GT fairing, unless your boat never had a windshield, in which case I would leave it. Explore this site. There is tons of good info and much experience here. There are also many parts for sale here.:) edit: The deck on this boat is different from the later models and a GT fairing may not fit, but it is something to look into.

[Just Say N20]

Welcome.

If the intake cover on the engine is correct, I think that is a Chevy 305 with a 4 barrel carb, which makes somewhere around 220 hp.

Like every one else has said, bigger is better in a 22. That engine was never a favorite of mine. It has all the power of a tired V6, but burns gas like a 350 4 bbl. I would be surprized if that engine/boat could break 50 mph (80 kph).

Whatever you do, you are at the beginning of a great (and probably somewhat expensive) adventure!

[ZaneDonzi]

Dr. Dan your 22 is one hell of a kickass boat... like WOW:eek: great job man!! especially the motor.. and the interior.. and the paint.. and everything hehe (knock on wood)

Ok so i found this engine its a 502 with a Volvo drive complete for about $3500. The engine is a 1999 and has been just sitting in a crate for few years now... What do u guys think? Hell 220 aint gonna cut it:bonk:

Thanx again fellaz

Heres some more pics of my project...

[Silver Bullet]

Welcome to the addiction, love child, affair, money pit, or what ever the hell you want to call it. But there ain't nothing like the sound of a big block and the looks you get in a DONZI. The 502 set up sounds pretty good to me (thats what I have). I already forgot who said it in the previous post but definitely get someone (someone that knows what they are looking at) to check out the motor and the drive.
Dr. Dan....... Damn..... In my short life on this board somehow I never saw the post with your engine. That is pretty damn nice. That is something to truly be proud of.
Good Luck
I wish I was smart enough to come up with one of those witty closing statements like the worms with machine guns. Thats funny I don't care who you are.:biggrin:

[Dr. Dan]

:banghead: Thanks for the kind words... I had alot of guidance from some key folks here.

Zane I vote for reducing the size of those Registration Letters, those suckers are huge....and we're not talking Dolly Parton here! Hopefully regulations don't require that Stevie Wonder has to be able to read the numbers? :bonk:

Cool boat, the paint or gel looks to be more of a modern design than what I would have expected? Is that original? I would love to see shots of that Drive and Engine combo, Your New One that you're looking at?

Keep us posted....take lots of pics along the way!

Doc :wavey:

[Pismo]

If no drive, try to match whatever used to be in it so the hole in the transom does no need to be filled. If it was a Merc, get a Merc Bravo drive and Merc Bravo transom assembly and it will just bolt into the existing hole very easily. The 502 is a great choice.

[ZaneDonzi]

The boat is still exactly the way i got it, i havent touched it yet.. the only thing i did was take pics of it to post. So the letters are definetly going, so if Stevie wonder can read them so can everyone else (no numbers):smile: and also the paint is changing.. not sure what im gonna go with yet.

I found out that the previous owner has made new gas tanks and put one on each side in the front and left the OEM gas tank in its place empty, i guess it was leaking or somthing and he didnt wanna go thru the trouble of doing it the right way ... i dont like the idea of having these tanks up front on each side (upfront as in right infront of my and the passengers feet)... what do u think, should i keep them or should i replace the original?
How hard is it to remove the original tank to replace it? i searched and didnt find a tank removal on a classic 22.. is it the same procedure on all where i have top split the boat in half???:eek:

As for the 502, i mentioned that it comes with a Volvo drive, the setup was taken off a boat that got new motors few years back and have just been sitting. I havent seen it yet... tho the owner told me to hold my horses cuz he wants to check it out first to see if its ok before we talk further details.. so im keeping my fingers crossed.. i think the price is good.. no?

Anyways will keep u posted.
Zane...