Old Vs. New Donzi's..

[Magicallbill]

I'm interested in your'all's thoughts on this.
Now that my 16(68,Matty says it's a 67)is done, I've had an opportunity to compare&contrast the '02 Scorpion 18 with my 16.

I think the 16 is better.

Here's why....

It handles more nimbly..It's "Lighter on it's feet" so-to-speak.
It feels better in tight turns..It doesn't want to flip over, like my 18 does if you push it too far.
It doesn't need tabs,trim or anything..(Well, I could use trim when I carry a passenger in the stern,the extra weight aft makes for bowrise,and some porposing) but with just me and 1 other,it's level,stable,and great.
My 18 has tabs, trim, all these toggles that I fiddle with, trim in/trim out,level the load with the tabs, etc..The 16, you just hit the gas,like in the old days,and all is well.
That stupid windshield is not on the 16..I swear that it exacerbates the wind and makes it worse..My 16 (I think) is in the low-to-mid 60's,and the wind is not nearly as noticeable as the windshield-equipped 18.
It has an aura,an ambiance, a vibe that the newer boats just don't have. I look at 'em side-by-side in my barn,and while the 18 looks great, it doesn't have the history, the qualites that really take you somewhere in your mind.

I love my 18..It's my 1st Donzi,and it's rock-solid. I drive with peace-of-mind, as I don't have to worry about my Volvo blowing apart,as it has once already on the 16. Each has great qualities, but, well, Jaws and Crocadile Dundee were great flicks.The remakes were not the same.
I must qualify this by saying that a lot of modern amenties were installed on my 16 during the restoration process.Turn key hi-perf 347 Ford Custom racing engine. Hydraulic Steering, etc. so maybe that makes the boat sorts new,in a way.
My friends who have ridden in both all feel the same way, and they are just boats to them. They are not Donzi experts,but they feel what I feel.
What do you all think?

[Lenny]

Bill, "personally," I feel what you are feeling is the (as stated) life you have given a 40 year old boat and it still wants to sing to you.

Your 18 came off of a floor and has no history of importance to you other than the cheque, the people and the dealings with DONZI marine. The sixteen has consumed you and like raising a child, has encompassed you in her breadth and scope and basically "recreated" her MAGIC as she did 4 decades ago.

That is why "I" think you have these feelings...

Glass is better now, no question, chemistry, resilience, etc. In a 16 foot boat, totally redone, with sooo much history, does it matter ???

Not to me...

[CrackerJack]

I remember looking thru the fence at the Donzi factory in Miami when I was 18 yrs. old, and watching them build the 16'. This was the only boat me and my friends wanted. My son found a used 1996 16' several years ago which I bought and enjoyed until the engine needed to be replaced, which we did with a 350 sbc. Our Donzi is not an original, nor the fastest, but it is a newer classic. The other Donzi's may ride and handle better, but the 16' has a mystic about it that still draws people attention even if they don't know what a Donzi is. Ever time we take it out for a run I am 18 again, and no other boat will do that.
In my humble, but most accurate opinion, the 16' classic rules.

[Tony]

I love my 22, but miss my 16 a bunch.

coldwater and Lenny verbalized it very well...

[Ted Guldemond]

Not to hijack this thread, but has there ever been a discussion of the ride characteristics of the various Donzi hulls. Obviously you can't compare a 16' boat with a 27' boat. But which is the best riding and handling hull of the 16-22' range. Personally my 19' St. Tropez rides infinately better then my GT-21. ( Not to offend anyone I still love the ride of the GT-21). Who can compare a 22 classic vs a Minx vs a GT-21, or say an 18 with a Hornet?

[wrussellw]

Strange thing isn't it. I have always known I was going to buy a Donzi 16. Watched boat races on the Columbia river as a kid, always loved the Donzi 16, even more than the hydroplanes.
Finally decided to buy one, looked at new ones at the Miami and New Orleans boat shows, but kept coming back to the older ones. Decided to buy a
'69 and completely rebuild it. Definitely not a money thing, as Rootsy told me in my first thread I posted, be prepared to spend it.
Well a lot of money later.... still smiling.:)

[boatnut]

I'm interested in your'all's thoughts on this.
Now that my 16(68,Matty says it's a 67)is done, I've had an opportunity to compare&contrast the '02 Scorpion 18 with my 16.
I think the 16 is better.
Here's why....
It handles more nimbly..It's "Lighter on it's feet" so-to-speak.
It feels better in tight turns..It doesn't want to flip over, like my 18 does if you push it too far.
It doesn't need tabs,trim or anything
My 18 has tabs, trim, all these toggles that I fiddle with, trim in/trim out,level the load with the tabs, etc..The 16, you just hit the gas,like in the old days,and all is well.
That stupid windshield is not on the 16..I swear that it exacerbates the wind and makes it worse..My 16 (I think) is in the low-to-mid 60's,and the wind is not nearly as noticeable as the windshield-equipped 18. etc. etc. etc.

I completely agree, however I don't think it has anything to do with a 16 vs 18 --- it really is old vs new. I compare my 22 (newer, with trim/tabs etc.) to my 18 (older, volvo no trim no tabs) and the 18 wins hands down for a fun experience. It is gas and go through any kind of water and running 45 to 55 is great fun (after 37 years without a rebuild the volvo is still hanging in there). The 22 is faster but more tempermental (something always needs to be trimmed or adjusted) and it does not "flow" with the waves/swells like the 18. In summary, I think we have gained speed and creature comforts with the new classics, but we lost a lot also. Kind of like comparing a ride through the mountains in an old Porshce open roadster with a ride in the new water-cooled turbo Carrera-4 complex-mobile. I love the old classics :yes: ! Ed

[SurfGreenTele]

They're all cool, but the old ones have that MOJO! :cool: :yes:

[gcarter]

Like Mr Reed said. the Minx is very similar to a 22.....that said, every time I get in rougher water, I wish I had a 22. That extra 2' really helps the ride.
But my Minx is a lot drier.

[Magicallbill]

Thanks all;
Boatnut,you are correct,and you expressed it better than I did. I wasn't trying to compare 16's and 18's. I was wanting to get across the fact that the vibe,plus the overall experience is more pleasurable to me in the 16.
Lenny is right too, it's also an emotion-thing,or an attachment in a personal way.
I think the early 16's are the way Donzi's are supposed to be. Left helm,etc. Years go by, they add this item, change this,alter that; even though the materials,as Lenny said are better, there is a certain "something" that has been lost as they've evolved. That's what I'm trying to say in my not-so-effiecent manner. It just hit me as my new and old Donzi's are side-by-side in the barn.
Maybe that's why the Challengers, Barracudas, GTO's all cost outrageous bucks to get one. Your spine doesn't tingle when you get in a Saturn.
The guys who invented the original Donzi's are no longer here. Maybe that's what makes the old rigs special.

[BigGrizzly]

My Opinion, I have all three and I do beleive the 16 is the best ride per foot of them all. Yes bigger is better but not in all water. there are some days on this lake where the 18 ia better than the 22. The last time I was in the 16 in the Ocean it was great.