anybody have a 27ZR with the 525EFI

[rmagarel]

New thread ...

In the market looking at a fountain, donzi, formula... 26-29ft , 5000lb to 6000lb

I've always been intrigued by Donzi history and am leaning that way. Found out about the new 27ZR ...

Problem ... can't find any info on the 27ZR

I have contacted the dealer to send me info ... but these forums typically give you the real deal...

how may have they shipped approximately?
does anybody have the the 525 in their 27ZR?
(i did do a search on the forum and got some info ...ps. great forum from what i can see)

thanks much ...

:boggled:

[Shanghied Again]

Carl: i don't want to sound like a B Buster but what differs Donzi Dealers from Fountain Dealers is dealer royalty, This site is to help people, not find a dealership to buy boats, I try to direct a person to his local dealer not sell all over the world when there is a dealer near them, this only gets the dealer in that area pissed. I have many people from this board and many other boards talk to me about boats and then I send them to a dealer near them. Its Only fair to the guys that live in that area espeilly when they are a stocking dealer. In Toronto they do have a stocking dealer. as far as the information the customer wants is no Donzi has not built a 525 boat yet they are still getting the orders from the 496s out the door.

[sellsman11]

Frank is 100% correct on the dealer loyalty statement. I will gladly offer info to anyone needing it. Carl......keep em coming!!! I will sort them out!
BTW......no 525 27ZR's built yet.

Frankie
www.pier57.com

[rmagarel]

Cool ..thanks ... i actually have met both my donzi and fountain dealer ... so i know where i'll buy ...

however i am looking for some independent advice from guys that play with this stuff alot ...

comparing performance of 27ZR Donzi with a 525 to a 27 or 29ft fountain fever with the same block (single screw)
cost is a seperate issue ... that i have to work out with the wife :-)
I did check out the pier1 site ..and at least got to look at some closer shots of the 27ZR

thanks in advance.
rm

[Carl C]

Carl: i don't want to sound like a B Buster but what differs Donzi Dealers from Fountain Dealers is dealer royalty, This site is to help people, not find a dealership to buy boats, I try to direct a person to his local dealer not sell all over the world when there is a dealer near them, this only gets the dealer in that area pissed. I have many people from this board and many other boards talk to me about boats and then I send them to a dealer near them. Its Only fair to the guys that live in that area espeilly when they are a stocking dealer. In Toronto they do have a stocking dealer. as far as the information the customer wants is no Donzi has not built a 525 boat yet they are still getting the orders from the 496s out the door.Sorry, Frank, I took my post down. I was only directing the person to a source to get the info he asked for since Donzi's web site is hopelessly outdated. Also I don't see a problem with buying from a distant dealer if they have what you want in stock and delivery can be negotiated as part of the deal. Frankie, what can I say; I can't win.:confused:

[jeddski]

RM,
we have a 27ZR with the 496 HO, and have run it all season. As far as the performance goes we couldn't be more pleased. Currently the boat will run 70mph in any conditions. We are waiting for the correct sized prop and believe that the boat will run closer to 75mph with the right prop. The handling of the new ZR hull is amazing. The way the boat slices through rough 3-4ft chop, boat wakes, and takes turns is a huge step up from the 22ZX we used to run.
When we placed the order we found it hard to justify the price increase for the 525hp engine over the 496 HO 425hp. There are many after market kits for the 496 HO that get you closer to 500hp. Over the winter we plan on adding a set of the CMI sport tubes which add around 50-60 hp and should hopefully bring the top speed into the high 70's.
There are others on this site that know far more about modifying these engines than I do. But we are planning (with the help of Frank C.) on a few additional mods this winter. The most extreme version includes rebuilding the engine and adding a whipple supercharger and going for close to 700hp and a top speed somewhere in the 90's... For close to the cost of the upgrade to the 525 originally.
After a few months of use this summer it is apparent that the hull is more than capable of handling additional power. As I mentioned above, we are very pleased with this boat. I've attached two shots of our 27ZR, I'll have to take some action shots before the season ends!

[Carl C]

I'm no expert on this but I think the Fountain 27 Fever is out dated and runs high 60s with the 496 HO. BTW I used to be sold on the 525 EFI until I learned that it is based on a 502 BBC block(machined by Mercury). Modding the 496 makes good sense. Just 2 cents.

[need for speed]

About the the dealer thing sometimes you just don't want to give the $ to your local dealer.. I try and buy where the prices and people are the best!:yes:

my Ford came from GA
my 22 came from MD


I am also very happy with my 496 HO..A little more HP my come for X mass!

[rmagarel]

thanks jedski ... that is one nice looking machine.

do you know the spec. for the draft with and without drive up??

i have a boat port and it gets a little shallow.

just wondering how much depth i can get away with when she's trimed up ... obviously its worse at the stern ... is there a spec?

how is it for space ...lookslike you can get 3 or 4 people across the back bench ok ... (comfortable 3 i guess huh).

how much do the trim tabs come into play do you need them as you punch out of the hole?

you guys are right ... i am suprised the donzi website is so bad ...actually i find most of the boating websites to be quite poor. (bought a nautique 2 years ago and experienced the same thing)

thanks ...

Romolo

[boxy]

I'm no expert on this but I think the Fountain 27 Fever is out dated and runs high 60s with the 496 HO. BTW I used to be sold on the 525 EFI until I learned that it is based on a 502 BBC block(machined by Mercury). Modding the 496 makes good sense. Just 2 cents.

Carl, I'll bet your view of the 525 will change after you've run a boat powered by one, or two ..... :D

[boxy]

rmagarel, you may also want to weigh the performance gains of the 525 vs the distance you will have to travel from your home lake ( I'm guessing the Muskokas) to find a 525 certified mechanic. Does Pride of Muskoka have a 525 mechanic, or will you have to travel to Jim Earle, or Double R to get any service work done?

Welcome to the board, you'll find a strong core of Canadians here.... :D :beer: :stan:

[Carl C]

No, I didn't say the 502 was junk! Come to think of it, the 525 EFI probably is worth it.:yes:

[rmagarel]

boxy ... good point ... i'll need to make sure pride has the certified guy if i go for the 525 .....

didn't even think of asking...

rm

[glashole]

ted @ speedmaster just north of the city up the 400

pretty sure he can work on any high performance Merc :)

905 939 0963

[Shanghied Again]

Jed; I remember that faithfull day when we drove your boat from Toms River to Somers Point!
1)First the rain squall we out ran a little drizzle but we beat the big rain!
2)Then the Fog reminded me of the Movie (I was expecting people to come out)
Of course it had to happen in the worst spot sandbar alley (we came close Once) the fog semi cleared in time or we would have been on one we were 100 ft off the channel.
3) Once we cleared the fog we headed for AC Inlet to try to beat out the rain, we started in the inlet and relized there was something else out there that said Stay away! with the mouth of the Inlet having 6-8 Ft waves we saw bigger stuff out there we took a wide turn and flew back launching and seeing how stable the boat ran. we were amazed!
We finally went the slow way through the back of Atlantic City and had an enjoyable ride, My Wife even commented this boat rides better then ours!
we had fun doing it and found out how well she performed.:)

[Last Tango]

Well, I came "this" close to ordering a 27ZR a couple weeks ago. But the final estimated cost was out of my league. Even cutting a corner here, and dropping an option there would not have brought it down enough. Especially since I had just purchased my '06 22ZX only a few months ago and THAT honeymoon isn't over. yet.
The 525EFI was an attractive thought right up until I looked at the price difference between that and the 496 MAG HO. I factored in the cost of a set of CMI Sport headers and it was still a whopping bunch of money less. I could have added the ITS, Full Smart Craft, a sea strainer, GPS system, and a bunch of other stuff and STILL not spent the money it takes to ramp up to the 525. $$$ vs MPH. Always the issue. If you are one of those lucky folks for whom money is no object when ordering a boat, I am very happy for you and a whole bunch jealous. But, PLEASE go ahead and order one with a 525 and bring it to the Hometown Gathering, so at least I can see one in the flesh. I will also be thrilled to step aboard ANY 27ZR that shows up.
(This is just SICK, and size does matter.)
Tell me about the prop that is too small. What do you have? What are you getting?

[jeddski]

Romolo,

I'm not sure what they spec is with the drive up; next time I'm out on the boat I could measure it for you. My guess would be 2ft would be close?

The rear seat is more than large enough for 4 people. Well depending on the size of those people I guess. But I have had 4 across the back a few times (mostly younger and female). As far as comfort in the rear seat it can be interesting for the center passengers if it gets bumpy. The people sitting in the back on either side have foot rails and handles all over the place to hold onto. I've actually considered looking around for a bolstered rear seat like you see on some of the larger ZR's.... hmm anyone from DONZI listening?? :wink: Yes it would limit you to 3 people in the back but it would be a lot safer and much more comfortable at speed when it gets bumpy.

The only time you really need the trim tabs to get on a plane is if you have more 3 or 4 people in the boat. If it is just 2 or 3 even with a full tank of gas you don’t really need to use the tabs. I would highly recommend the tabs though since they are definitely needed with 4-5 passengers. Additionally, they are nice to have for balancing out the boat in high winds or quartering seas.

If you're interested in the options that we added let me know. I still believe the most economical route is the 496HO with a "minor" tune up down the line...


Frank, that ride was awesome. I'm looking forward to doing it in reverse when the season is over! I think I'll wait for the perfect day in October and run up through the ocean. I was truly amazed at how well we were able to run through that chop around Toms River. As we idled out I thought we'd have to turn around and try the run another day... Once the boat was over 40-45 we just hopped along very comfortably.

Last Tango, this is going to sound horrible coming from a motor head... but I don’t actually remember what size prop is currently on the boat? Or what size is to come...

[Shanghied Again]

Jed; She is a Bravo 24 Pitch we are going try a 26 Pitch labbed on your boat to see how much different she reacts

[Sofa King]

I don't have a problem buying from an out of town dealer. Some local dealers think they have you over a barrel and try to bend you over...high grossing gready bastards. I bought my last two H/D out of state cause of that and I don't have any remorse. Stupid local dealers missing deals.

[blackhawk]

On the 525 vs 496 thing IF you have the coin I would go for the 525! I'm guessing it's about a $14k option? But, not only do you get 90-100hp more you also get a STRONG engine that can take some serious abuse and have much more potential for future upgrades. What does it cost for a Raylar kit for th 496? $5k? $6k? PLUS labor and exhaust? So what are were talking $10,000+ to make a 525 equivelant? And with the cast internals of the 496 engine it is not a good cantidate for supercharging. And remember resale will also be higher with the blue motor.

IMO the 496 is a great motor IF you plan on leaving it stock. Exhaust seems to be a good add-on but there is NO WAY CMIs are giving 60hp. I'd say 25-30 tops and they're $4k. Damn speed is expensive! :D

[Last Tango]

Frank and Jed,
I'm totally surprised at the small size of the original prop. My '06 22ZX with 350Mag MPI, Bravo 1 drive with 1.65:1 ratio, came with a Bravo 1 22P which was way too small. I moved up to a 24P Bravo 1 and it is substantially better. But it is concevable that a labbed 26 would be even better for MY small combo. You might want to try that 26 BEFORE it is labbed.

[Shanghied Again]

Mark: remember some factors the 350 Mag is a 5200 rpm motor and the 496 is a 5000 rpm also your 22 ZX weighs 3800lbs and the 27ZR weighs 5400lbs
My 26ZX running a 502/415 hp 5200 runs a 24 pitch and she runs 66mph and my boats weighs 5800lbs dry so a 26 lab should work well.