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BOBROB
10-01-2006, 02:41 AM
!st time on this site , so please deal with my ignorance ! Just a few questions if anyone can answer....... My boat is in mint condition , but i still have the original volvo 280 outdrive on it & the worm-drive tilt has been out for years , been thru 3 of them so far & they are a waste of money to keep replacing . Here is my question .... will I de-value (deface) my baby by actually upgrading to a mercruiser set-up? I have a great option to aquire a freshwater cooled 454 + outdrive but ........ i will need to either spend a $1,000 on an adapter plate for new outdrive or have some serious fiberglass work done in order to adapt for the mercruiser outdrive.
Is it worth doing or is it going to take away from the uniqness of her?

boldts
10-01-2006, 08:30 AM
BobRob - Welcome to the Donzi Registry. Ya know, if you happen to have a couple digital pictures you can put on the site here, we'd love to see your Donzi. I recently attended a Donzi gathering in Alabama where our host owns a 27' Magnum. He has replaced the Volvo drives on the boat to the newer SX drives. Really a great looking set-up. Now, for the purest, your boat would no longer be original whether you go with the Mercruiser or the newer Volvo SX. Ya know what? Whose enjoying the boat? Who owns and has to repair the boat? You Do! My opinion is simply that, an opinion. I say upgrade the boat and make it more usable for you. Take care and best of luck to you and your Donzi. A Big Block in an 18' Classic is going to lift your boat way high on the coolness factor! :)

RedDog
10-01-2006, 12:00 PM
...A Big Block in an 18' Classic is going to lift your boat way high on the coolness factor! :)

Scot - he has a 22. And a '76 at that. I a little suspicous of the year or the actual model. Please post some pictures.

I'm with the others - an upgrade to a more modern drive wil make it more pleasurable and valuable in my view.

boldts
10-01-2006, 05:33 PM
Ahhhh yes Tim. Thanks for pointing that out. Wasn't thinking. Still a way cool boat if it is indeed a 1976 22 Classic. No windshield maybe?

BOBROB
10-02-2006, 02:38 AM
are you saying that my boat is ficticious? windshield? what the fuk? i didn't come on here to get **** from anyone , only to ask some serious questions that nooone in my home town could answer .
I bought her 9 yrs ago from a guy in west palm , my bro had a '76 "left side drive" 18 ft. -- i fell inlove with it . i searched for 2 yrs to find another left side drive '76 , i found one on "boattrader.com" but was a 22 ft. he was asking 13,500 , i showed up & handed him 12,300 cash & i drove it home ! What is suspicious about a '76 22 classic? Am i not getting something here? seriously , i'm not being an asshole , but i also don't know why it would be suspicious, i'm curious . you want the registration # from state of florida? I didn't come on here to look for friends , i have enough , i came on here to ask some people questions who might actually have some intelligent answers for me. If not , i'll move on , but please let me know the inside thing about a '76 22 classic !

BOBROB
10-02-2006, 02:58 AM
i had a very bad day , came home , my fantasy team did crap today , my roomate owes me a grand blah blah blah , ...... sorry for going off on poodle's post , i think i took it wrong . if so , i apologize poodle , if not then i don't .
i really appeciate the feedback from the few people , was very good advice , {boldts , redog & poodle) i was so happy to see that within 24 hours i had 4 replies , then i sensed some sarcasm. I really do appreciate you all taking the time to read & try to help me .
My girl is my life ( not as much with price of gas ) & i really am happy to find others that actually feel the power of such a beautiful boat.
again , i do apologize to anyone i may have offended that was actually trying to help me .

THX , BOBROB

BOBROB
10-02-2006, 04:18 AM
tank you very much , sry about earlier , just a bad day .

BOBROB
10-02-2006, 04:26 AM
i knew that the '76 was hard to come across , much less a left side drive , that's why it took me over 2 yrs to locate one . I had my softail stolen & instead of purchasing another , i decided to invest in my dream boat . I am very glad i hooked with this web site , i'm sure you all know alot more than i do & i plan on using your knowledge to learn & better myself so i can give it the proper care it deserves. thx again !

BERTRAM BOY
10-02-2006, 06:53 AM
Are you sure your boat isn't a GT 21? 1978 is the first year for a 22 Classic of any kind. Some pictures and a hull number would help possitive identification of your boat.

Morgan's Cloud
10-02-2006, 07:02 AM
FYI ... The new Volvos (SX/DP-S) have the same transom cutout as Merc Alpha/Bravo . So going to a new Volvo OR Merc would require transom glasswork. And yes those adaptor plates are yucky.
Steve

boldts
10-02-2006, 10:40 AM
MC - Thanks, I wasn't aware that the Volvo SX would require filling the transom hole and starting over. In that case, I would probably opt for the Bravo1 drive since the same work is required. Merc because of availability is usually a cheaper option and no trouble finding prop sizes for it.

BobRob - Hey, no offense taken by me. As mentioned, we just don't see the older 22 Classics every day. You may even have a proto-type Donzi Classic which would be the coolest thing for everyone here.

Most of the members here are very knowledgable about the Donzi models and years of production. So, we weren't cutting you down, just trying to decipher the information you provided. A picture or boat serial number would answer many questions. You may be calling the boat a Classic when in fact it is another Donzi model name. We're just curious. Not looking to make a fool of you or blast you off the Registry. The goal is for everyone to learn and promote Donzi boats.

Everyone has a bad day from time to time.....It's understandable.....If you can, we'd love to see a picture of your Donzi. Better yet, we'd love even more if you and your family could attend one of the Donzi gatherings occuring all over the country. Latest was just held in Sarosota, FL called the Hometown Rally as Donzi boats are now built in Sarosota.

Take care and best wishes to you on your upgrade if you choose to go that route. Scott

BOBROB
10-02-2006, 10:18 PM
This is what i had hoped for coming to this site . I really hope all my paper work is legit , you have me worried now ! One thing i have noticed about my boat is that it is about a foot wider that other classics i've seen , but all the ones i come across are usually mid-90's . I will get hull # (where is it usually located? ) & i will have some pics put onto disc so i can load on computer ( i'm still stuck in the regular film era )

pmreed
10-02-2006, 10:48 PM
If you've actually got a GT21...no tears, they're cool boats, and rarer than the 22C. Look for the hull number on the right side of the transom. It'll be molded in.
Check out the pics in this old post. (http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39364&highlight=gt21) Ignore the windshield, it's not original.

Phil

goatee
10-05-2006, 01:31 PM
hi bobrob,
noone was trying to be sarcastic, it's just under suspect because you said it was a classic 22.. 76.....(no such animal)
there may have been some hulls made earlier, and you MAY have one, so it may be possible. (extremely rare, but possible) thats why they were asking for hull id #'s. or pics.

bertram boy said the first classic was a 78',,,honestly i thought it was 81'
so, you could understand the confusion.

what you have is a gt 21.
cool boat, no doubt,, but im not a fan of the left hand steering.
this may pose a problem,, i originaly thought, "yes! change to merc"
but now,,,,, i dunno. the value may drop. gt's are more rare than classics.

i'll let someone else handle the actual question.
post pics, we ike pics!!!!