Ebay Mystery Boat

[Mercrewser]

looks like a Jim Wynne hull to me. Any ideas?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Classic-unique-raceboat_W0QQitemZ250074434040QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3 1270QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://i13.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/85/37/a8a7_3.JPG
http://i8.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/85/37/a8d3_3.JPG
http://i16.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/85/37/a971_3.JPG

[BUIZILLA]

I know EXACTLY what it is............. my next door neighbor had one brand new...

made in Miami

JH

[rustnrot]

From the sheer down it looks Formula Jr. Has wrap around seating like the Jr. as well. Is it worth the BIN of $2500 and more??

[vonkamp]

I like that transom water pickup.


I know EXACTLY what it is............. my next door neighbor had one brand new...
made in Miami
JH

Do tell.....And the brand name is __________ .

[Mercrewser]

I know EXACTLY what it is............. my next door neighbor had one brand new...
made in Miami
JH






So, what is it?

[DonziDave]

Looks like a "Champ"......:cool!:

[BUIZILLA]

yup....................

[bmc69]

Hey!..that's it!..that's my boat..the one I was trying to get some help IDing in this thread..http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=47354

Champ eh?..that was suggested to me earlier but I could never find a pic of 'that' one that's on Ebay. Anybody got any Champ links?..background info?..was it a Jim Wynne hull design?

[DonziDave]

In the early 70's, I had two friends who each had Champs built by Holman Moody with Ford 302 engines and Volvo drives. They were really nice boats. They ran in the mid 50's.

[Sagbay32]

The Ebay listing says it is a "Don Aronow Champ". Who manufactured it, Champ boats?

Mike

[BUIZILLA]

Champs were not built by Holman Moody.... they were a small 2 -3 man operation in OpaLocka west of 22 Ave in a small warehouse, they didn't make very many 17's, but there was a small cult of owners that bought them.... with a relatively wide deck beam for it's length, and somewhat narrow transom, they had a lot of bow rise on accell and decell, it was not unusual for water to seap in the rear engine hatch area on decel if you weren't carefull... Don Aronow had ZERO to do with Champ..... interestingly enough, Champ decided to build a 22 hull in the late 60's, they built a beautiful mold that looked suspiciously like our modern day 22 Donzi, they never built a hull from that mold I don't think, (if they did I don't remember, nor do i remember a deck mold) BUT, they did sell the mold to someone local that stored it for several years, and sold it again, then all of a sudden a 22 Donzi appears around 1978-79ish.... at some point I think Champ copied either a Woodson or Formula tri-hull derivitive, and built a few of those for awhile... it may take Brownie to shake my memory on this...

JH

[DonziDave]

Sorry Zilla - Bad sentence structure on my part. What I meant to say was that the engine/drive package in these Champs were done by Holman Moody not that they built the boat. :smash:
Dave

[bmc69]

This is too cool...but I still need to see something other than that dead-match-to-mine ebay boat to confirm that both of ours our 'Champs'. Mine originally had an HM engine and Volvo drive too..reasons why, I think, it got mistakenly labeled as a 'Donzi'. Although I did see that piece of sales lit so long ago,,?

BTW..I have a 1964 Woodson trihull too..LOL..and that is one awesome daily-driver boat..I've had mine since 1985 and converted it to a center console as soon as I got it...something Woodson did themselves in the early 70s before they went under

[Beny]

Hi all
I had one of these!
Mine was 17' SB ford Holmen moody.
Lots of fun very fast 55/60 Handled very well.
Some day I will have a Donzi and then compare them!
Beny

[Beny]

HI
Stern heavy! You bet.
Every time I would lunch the boat someone would scream, HAY you forgot to untie the back of the boat!!!
It would just about go under and it would pop up off the trailer.
When you got on the throttle all you would see is sky for the first
100’or so.
But when she was going road very nice in anny water.
I had a lot of fun one day with some one in a 18’ jet boat berkly and some BB Buick two Four barrels!
He would just pull me on real flat water but when we got out in the lake where it had a little chop I would catch and pas him!
It seamed he was sucking air in the chop!
He said later he was read lining the engine at that point.
Off the line we where very even.
I think he had too much carb Bigger is not always better.
A scoop might of fixed his air thing.
Did I say my 289 out of a Ford Falcon had a 2br 46000 mil. and small cam! Just lucky to hit the right set up with the prop. I know very littil at that time.

[bmc69]

Hi all
I had one of these!
Mine was 17' SB ford Holmen moody.
Lots of fun very fast 55/60 Handled very well.
Some day I will have a Donzi and then compare them!
Beny

You have any more pics or other info on yours.? Mine is identical, except for having been converted to an outboard with jack plate after I got it (all I got was the bare hull and the rear deck/cover was already gone too). Definitely the same exact boat though. Mine did 76 on radar with a 235 Evinrude and a 26" prop..with the motor raised and trimmed just right. Did it very well too..never any drama or feeling like it was unstable.

But now I'm going with the 428 and Berkeley jet. I wouldn't be surprised if the top speed is less than it was with the OB setup.

[Beny]

No sorry I had this boat from 1979/1982:eek!:
Long time gone.
I did dig for some old photos you know we had no Digital back then!: wink:
The boat ran very strong I changed the cam, int and carb 650cfm, cam was a car cam for towing!:yes:
Was very much like the Donzi perf. wise.

Beny

[ALLAN BROWN]

That hull was originally a Vega, designed and built by Harry Schoell. Charley Champ let the hull sit unsupported for so long, that it got a foot wider, and 6" lower than the Vega. I was a pretty good boat. They had some success in the Inboard Pleasure Craft races at the stadium.