PDA

View Full Version : Former Donzi Employee



wrussellw
01-19-2007, 05:08 PM
Met an interesting guy at the New Orleans Boat Show. Went with my brother in law, he is looking for a new center console fishboat. I happened to see a Spectre on display. Company was sold to CA firm and they are making fishboats now. Starting talking boats with the rep and turns out he has worked for Donzi on four different occassions.
The first time was when Don still owned the company in 1965. He and an another new employee got the job of delivering two new sixteens from Miami to Nassau. He said "management" didn't want to install any navigation equipment, so they found two old binnacle compasses, nailed them to a wood frame so they could "sit" on them and sent them to Nassau in six foot seas.
A much less litigious time, couldn't do that today :eek!: :eek!:

BigGrizzly
01-19-2007, 05:28 PM
Those boats were driven by Allen Brown(Brownie) and Mike Collens Who was this guy?

boxy
01-19-2007, 08:37 PM
Spectre sold it's Cataraman molds to a company in Cali, I spoke with the factory last winter, they were still working with group that wanted to build the Cats on the West Coast.

The Fish hulls were at that time still being made on the East Coast of Florida.
The 23 looks like a fun hull.

MOP
01-20-2007, 07:03 AM
Man that TOOK:eek!: :eek!: wound not want to do that in under a 25 footer, thankfully they are still around!

Phil

BUIZILLA
01-20-2007, 07:09 AM
so Mike Collins works for Spectre now ??

BigGrizzly
01-20-2007, 08:36 AM
I remember when that event happened and, at the time , I though it was soooo cool and wanted to do it myself. When Brownie told the story, at the First Sarasota event, to me and others, with Mike C. there, I was in total awl. The trip was not without problems I believe there was a haze or fog of some sort and they only had a compass (no GPS then). After the rendition Brownie turned to Mike and asked if he wanted to do it again, the answer was a flat NO. These guys were the IRON MEN of days gone by! There was an artical in I think Trailer Boat on the 16 Donzi that sort of related the trip. The mag had a red 16 on the cover. I have it somewhere.

wrussellw
01-20-2007, 01:14 PM
Griz
I found his card, Mike Collins. He said Spectre sold the performance cat business to a California company. Stated they are almost impossible to insure. He was there with a 33' Spectre Fishboat, twin Yanmar 315's beautiful boat. Probaly talked to him a good 30 minutes. Said it was a trip he would definitely not do again.

BigGrizzly
01-20-2007, 05:44 PM
Last thing I heard was he was with Donzi doing the Military boats, wow.

RickSE
01-22-2007, 10:51 AM
I never realized Collins had that much history with the company. I met him a couple of times and he was the main guy who helped my dad get a foot hold in at Donzi.