wife wants a 16 - what year?

[ono loco]

First post here.. local over at the hull truth.. I run a Contender fishing rig now but my wife and i have always liked the Donzi 16's (2nd boat). I would like to rebuild or refinish one. I have been told that the Mercs are the ones to get? Any year better or worse as far as construction? Things to look out for? any help is appreciated...

[MOP]

There is nothing wrong with the OMC boats in fact the Cobra is a stronger drive and will hold up to more HP. What year depends on what you want to budget, any decent 16 will give a lot of fun time I had one for 3 years and loved it.

Phil

[Tony]

For 8 years I owned a fresh-water, never left on a lake, 1967 Ski Sporter.
With its new fuel tank, freshened 302, new captain's chair...combined with a rock solid hull and deck...I would put that boat up against any other 16 for reliability and solidness. Not to mention the original Volvo AQ200b is 40 years old and still going strong!

So...don't be afraid of a good quality older boat with a Volvo outdrive...they last forever!


:beer:

[kd5cue]

hi ,,nice see a nother texan on here,,i like mercruiser because they still in production,,,good look in find a donzi in tx ,,it took me a year find one i liked

[Tony]

Oh, and by the way...welcome to the board!


:beer:

[ono loco]

thanks guys.. yeah, I'm sure I'll have to do a little looking to find one around here but there are alot of boats in Texas, especially where I live. So it looks like all outdrive models have there fans, but i'm concerned about parts for them (other than Merc).. BTW.. how is the deck attached to the hull? thanks again

[ono loco]

Oh yeah, one more thing which i guess is a big thing.. are there any advantages/disadvantages to going with an 18 classic over a 16? resale value, construction, etc.. seems like there are fair amount of 18 out there and i think it would still fit in my garage. we want something easy to trailer to the Austin area lakes and and use locally for casual cruising. we also want to use it for wakeboarding - can a swim platform or ladder be used? are the engine hatches on these boats strong enough to walk on?

[kd5cue]

ys you can walk on hatch,i do mines 1994 16 classic,these boats built vary good and heavy

[kd5cue]

if you going use a 16 wake boarding you need trim tabs,mine dont like going that slow with out propiising

[smokediver]

the big thing is what seating arrangement do you want ? the 2 + 2 or the single seat with the wrap around seating .. if you are planning on cruising with wifey , figure out if you want her yelling in your ear or yelling at you from behind ...either way it's gonna happen .... in a 16 anyway !!!!!!!:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: