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Diesel Dog
03-29-2006, 07:10 PM
Hi The Boss said I could get a Donzi. After many years of nagging, she said if you want one get one...But I'm not paying for it. So we are bidding on Ratmans 2 + 3 on Ebay. The only problem is the boat is in Tampa, Fla. and we are located in Maryland. I have been told that people run up and down the road all the time with empty loads, one way or the other. If we were to win that most georgeous 2+3, how would one go about finding an empty load? We would be willing to pay for fuel plus, to save us a trip from driving to Tampa. Having never driven a high performance power boat, do I need to take lessons? We have owned many fast cars and slow boats but never anything of this caliber. We've never had an I/O or a boat with tabs...Our current boat is a 1968 Pacemaker diesel motor yacht, with that you just point and hope people get out of your way...Any and all input will be sincerely appreciated...thanks, Bill and Beverly

onesubdrvr
03-29-2006, 07:26 PM
Hi The Boss said I could get a Donzi. After many years of nagging, she said if you want one get one...But I'm not paying for it. So we are bidding on Ratmans 2 + 3 on Ebay. The only problem is the boat is in Tampa, Fla. and we are located in Maryland. I have been told that people run up and down the road all the time with empty loads, one way or the other. If we were to win that most georgeous 2+3, how would one go about finding an empty load? We would be willing to pay for fuel plus, to save us a trip from driving to Tampa. Having never driven a high performance power boat, do I need to take lessons? We have owned many fast cars and slow boats but never anything of this caliber. We've never had an I/O or a boat with tabs...Our current boat is a 1968 Pacemaker diesel motor yacht, with that you just point and hope people get out of your way...Any and all input will be sincerely appreciated...thanks, Bill and Beverly
Bill and Beverly,

Welcome!!!

That 18 is a pretty boat, good luck with your bidding. In my opinion, I would just "learn" that boat like any other. Chapmans has a good chapter on learning a boat and how it handles, and how to find your comfortable spot. All the classics (with the exception of the Blackhawk's) are very stable, and pretty easy to drive. They cut through the waves, and handle like a dream. Just take your time and learn the boat.

As far as transport, you could try www.uship.com it is an e-bay style shipping site, and if your flexible on your times, you can pick up a good deal. OR, you could make a weekend of it, and maybe get together with some of us Donzi folks here, and spend some time on the river here getting used to it.

Best of luck to you
Wayne

tiger lily
03-29-2006, 07:36 PM
shoot me a PM if you purchase and need it shipped, my cousin hauls, he comes back from that area empty ALL the time, he has mostly been hauling FEMA trailers all year, he might be into it, for ya, i know he brought a 35 fountain exucitioner(spelling) from tampa to chicago not to long ago.

yeller
03-31-2006, 11:15 AM
Hey, good luck in your bidding. I just bought my boat on Ebay. Should see it here in a week.
Word of advice if using Uship. You will probably be dealing with a private person who works on thier own and may not have cargo insurance and probably is not registered to transport legally. I went that route originally. The guy said he was fully registered but after a couple attempts at getting him to send me his #'s, I cancelled the deal. I also started to feel very uncomfortable about letting someone I never met pick up my boat. Now, that being said, if you're more trusting than me, you can get awesome deals on that site.
I ended up getting a professional company to transport my boat. It'll be on their trailer (not towed) and fully insured. I called A-1 boat transport. Unbelievably, their price was just over $1/mi including the fuel surcharge! I'm guessing they had an empty truck going west so I got a deal. I had quotes from them before that were $1.60/mi + fuel surcharge. In any case you'll probably get a better deal if you phone the company directly as opposed to email.

Johntrip
03-31-2006, 01:55 PM
Wait a minute........ Its only Maryland to Tampa......!! Last year I made the trip from Miami to Maryland and back in 3.5 days.... trailering a 33zx.

Put the money you would use for shipping into your bid as security and drive on down.... !! :)

just my .02

Diesel Dog
03-31-2006, 02:57 PM
The Boss has the truck for the next two weeks. She's taking her father out west for a long road trip. Ratman said he can hold it for me for a few weeks if need be. When she get's back I can make the trip, but if some one was coming this way it would save me some time and driving.