1995 33 ZXi, what to look for?

[robscarab]

Hi everyone,

Newb here, hoping to join your ranks. Need some advice on my intended Donzi purchase and my go-fast experiance is limited to a 60mph Scarab Panther with Alphas!

I have been surfing this site for a day or so and you guys and gals are a real trip! I am really hoping this boat is a good buy so I can have an excuse to attend some of your gatherings !

OK so heres the deal; She is a 1995 Donzi 33 ZXi. (not sure what the i stands for ?) It has 502efi power, B1's and comes with a 2 year old trailer. The boat has 250 hrs. on it and was a bank repo. I have not seen it in person yet but I am told it shows well other than some seams are parting on the engine hatch upholstery. It is a green color and has a lion graphic on the foredeck. It was purchased at an auction in Misouri by an independant used car dealer up here in Canada. I purchased a Wellcraft Excel from him 2 years ago and it was a solid deal with no BS. He described the flaws in that boat clearly and without ommisions. (the dealer is 1000 miles from me so I have to rely on his description and pictures) He apparantly had the engines and drives checked out before he bought it at auction. The price is 58,000.00 CAD with the trailer.

I am going to fly to the boat to look at it in person if you folks feel it is a good buy.

My questions are:

Was the 1995 a good hull design and layup? I see that the hull changed to a stepped design a few years later.

Do these engines have a good track record when maintained properly and kept stock?

Are they a multiport efi or TB ? Do they have a roller cam?

Can the stock bottom end handle some boost? (6to8 psi, looking for 80mph)

Does the efi system use proprietary Merc software or can I fix issues myself with GM scan tools?

What mods work well on these Motors and what should I do first in my quest for 80 ?

Is 250 hrs of run time well into the useful life of these motors or are they good for much longer?

Perhaps some of you HP Mercruiser owners can post your total run times on your efi Mercs before a rebuild was required. It may make an interesting thread to see whom has the highest hrs. on their Mid/High performance engines....


I am a single Dad of 3 young boys and we are not limited by a "voice of reason" when it comes to buying toys... Please let me know if this is a risky purchase because of any known design flaws from this era of Donzi! I can afford the 60,000 price of admission on this one, but my savings will take too much of a hit right now to spend another 60,000 on unforseen major repairs this summer. I would like to have a trouble free fast mover that I can slowly upgrade as money allows.

By the way I will be running in the Thousand Island region this summer and I live near Picton Ont. (Trumpours point) The kids and I love to travel during our summers and camp in whatever is hooked to our dually! Hopefully this boat will check out and we will be hitting some of the other Great Lakes to meet some of the Donzi Family on here...

Thanks Gang,

Rob

[MOP]

Your best bet is surveyors both hull and power, it will cost you a few bucks but it turns out to be darn cheap in the long run. You can check two sites for local guys, NAMS and SAMS there should be someone close enough to take of things for you!

Phil

[boxy]

Hi everyone,
Newb here, hoping to join your ranks. Need some advice on my intended Donzi purchase and my go-fast experiance is limited to a 60mph Scarab Panther with Alphas!
I have been surfing this site for a day or so and you guys and gals are a real trip! I am really hoping this boat is a good buy so I can have an excuse to attend some of your gatherings !
OK so heres the deal; She is a 1995 Donzi 33 ZXi. (not sure what the i stands for ?) It has 502efi power, B1's and comes with a 2 year old trailer. The boat has 250 hrs. on it and was a bank repo. I have not seen it in person yet but I am told it shows well other than some seams are parting on the engine hatch upholstery. It is a green color and has a lion graphic on the foredeck. It was purchased at an auction in Misouri by an independant used car dealer up here in Canada. I purchased a Wellcraft Excel from him 2 years ago and it was a solid deal with no BS. He described the flaws in that boat clearly and without ommisions. (the dealer is 1000 miles from me so I have to rely on his description and pictures) He apparantly had the engines and drives checked out before he bought it at auction. The price is 58,000.00 CAD with the trailer.
I am going to fly to the boat to look at it in person if you folks feel it is a good buy.
My questions are:
Was the 1995 a good hull design and layup? I see that the hull changed to a stepped design a few years later.
Do these engines have a good track record when maintained properly and kept stock?
Are they a multiport efi or TB ? Do they have a roller cam?
Can the stock bottom end handle some boost? (6to8 psi, looking for 80mph)
Does the efi system use proprietary Merc software or can I fix issues myself with GM scan tools?
What mods work well on these Motors and what should I do first in my quest for 80 ?
Is 250 hrs of run time well into the useful life of these motors or are they good for much longer?
Perhaps some of you HP Mercruiser owners can post your total run times on your efi Mercs before a rebuild was required. It may make an interesting thread to see whom has the highest hrs. on their Mid/High performance engines....
I am a single Dad of 3 young boys and we are not limited by a "voice of reason" when it comes to buying toys... Please let me know if this is a risky purchase because of any known design flaws from this era of Donzi! I can afford the 60,000 price of admission on this one, but my savings will take too much of a hit right now to spend another 60,000 on unforseen major repairs this summer. I would like to have a trouble free fast mover that I can slowly upgrade as money allows.
By the way I will be running in the Thousand Island region this summer and I live near Picton Ont. (Trumpours point) The kids and I love to travel during our summers and camp in whatever is hooked to our dually! Hopefully this boat will check out and we will be hitting some of the other Great Lakes to meet some of the Donzi Family on here...
Thanks Gang,
Rob


That sure looks like Chris McFee's boat Xtreme Marine....
If it is is should be real clean and well taken care of, but unless Chris bought it from the car dealer, or is importing cars now the "car dealer" wasn't the first Canadian owner - if it is Chris's boat...

[boxy]

Sorry Rob, I see the boat is a 1000 miles from Kingston :D
So it's not Chris's boat, but it is his sistership, good luck with the buy. I'll look for you at the 1000 Islands Poker Run.

[robscarab]

Yes, the boat is far from Kingston. I am in Edmonton right now,and the boat is in B.C. ! I have a place near Kingston Ont.(called Trumpours point) on the Bay of Quinte where we spend our summers. The boat was purchased at an auction in Missouri USA and was imported to Canada. The car dealer brings boats in once in awhile when he gets a good deal. Perhaps someone on here knows the boat? It is in an area that doesn't have any marine surveyors right now and I was just curious about any known issues with this model and year? I trust the seller(famous last words) and he said he had it inspected before he bought it. How do I know if the hull has damage? Would I need some sort of sonic test equipment? Anyone have any opinions on this model/year? I will be water testing it and will also do a compression and leakdown test when I inspect it. The drives were removed and inspected by a marine mechanic in Missouri prior to the auction. I will be bringing a GPS along and looking for a 70 mph top end to judge the output of the engines(depending on the props) Let me know if anyone one has any particular knowledge about these engines, and/or hull, that I should know about.

Perhaps someone on here may know of a good deal for a similar boat near Kingston preferably? Im looking for something with a comfortable cabin for the kids and can handle the junk out on the main Lake. I have friends in Rochester which is straight across 60 miles of open Lake from me. I also want to be able to haul it to poker runs behind my 1 ton dually. I can afford up to 100k but would prefer around 50k-70k. I would like to purchase it before the end of July but may be willing to wait for the late season deals if there is nothing priced well right now...

Hope to meet you all soon at the Thousand Islands Run !

Rob

[robscarab]

Yes, the boat is far from Kingston. I am in Edmonton right now,and the boat is in B.C. ! I have a place near Kingston Ont.(called Trumpours point) on the Bay of Quinte where we spend our summers. The boat was purchased at an auction in Missouri USA and was imported to Canada. The car dealer brings boats in once in awhile when he gets a good deal. Perhaps someone on here knows the boat? It is in an area that doesn't have any marine surveyors right now and I was just curious about any known issues with this model and year? I trust the seller(famous last words) and he said he had it inspected before he bought it. How do I know if the hull has damage? Would I need some sort of sonic test equipment? Anyone have any opinions on this model/year? I will be water testing it and will also do a compression and leakdown test when I inspect it. The drives were removed and inspected by a marine mechanic in Missouri prior to the auction. I will be bringing a GPS along and looking for a 70 mph top end to judge the output of the engines(depending on the props) Let me know if anyone one has any particular knowledge about these engines, and/or hull, that I should know about.

Perhaps someone on here may know of a good deal for a similar boat near Kingston preferably? Im looking for something with a comfortable cabin for the kids and can handle the junk out on the main Lake. I have friends in Rochester which is straight across 60 miles of open Lake from me. I also want to be able to haul it to poker runs behind my 1 ton dually. I can afford up to 100k but would prefer around 50k-70k. I would like to purchase it before the end of July but may be willing to wait for the late season deals if there is nothing priced well right now...

Hope to meet you all soon at the Thousand Islands Run !

Rob

[boxy]

Rob, here is a 33zx a lot closer ot where the boat is going to end up. It's priced a little more than the BC boat, but I'd bet most of the difference would get eaten up on delivery costs....

http://www.aqua-mania.com/1996_donzi_33_zx.htm

[The Hedgehog]

There is a guy that goes by Digger that has a 33 non-step. He should be able to help you out with performance details. Those motors should be able to handle some boost. The procharger M-3 would be the way to go. I am not sure where that would take you in speed. The non-step hull takes some serious hp to get going.

At that price you are closing in on the stepped hull ZX. I would give serious consideration into those.

[robscarab]

Thanks Guys,

Steve, I saw that 33 in A-Bay on the net as well. Only 62 hrs is great but the BC boat has a new trailer included and is 58,000 in Canadian funds tax included. I propose to haul it myself behind a Chev diesel dually crewcab I just bought specifically to use for boat hauling. I just finished building a mechanical injection 6.5 TD with an upgraded bottom end low compression Mahle pistons, upgraded turbo, custom low rpm cam for high boost and tuned for mileage. Im shooting for 12mpg loaded and have an airride suspension and a polished aluminum 150 gal. aux diesel tank in the box. This should give me a 2000 mile range and allows me to fuel up where the price is cheap. Incidentally I discovered a site on the web called gasbuddy.com( probably not news to you guys) and it shows the best fuel prices across the country in real time. 75 cent per litre diesel is out there if you have the range to make your own choice on where to fuel up! Although I will become a regular in the Thousand Islands, my kids and I want to explore other regions as well and meet other boat people at the events here in the north country. Rather than dragging my boring landlocked 5th wheel camper everywhere, we are going to sleep in the Donzi Hilton!

To sum it up, the A-Bay boat will cost me about 20,000 more Canadian dollars by the time I pay the GST,exchange rate and purchase a trailer. I was considering it because of the low hrs but was waiting for a response on the question I asked about life expectancy of the 502 efis. I think that 200 hrs is still quite low(on the BC boat) but was hoping to confirm that here. If its time to freshen the BC 502's than my focus will turn to the A-Bay boat with 68 hrs on it. Anyone have an idea on life expectancy before rebuild?

OK Mr. er ,um Hedgehog ? LOL

Thanks for the heads up on the step hull. I was looking for one of those as well but the ones I found were taking a run at the 150,000 mark. I was thinking that a step 33 would be my first move up as I progress in the hobby. I love the thought of breaking into the 90's but I think that is just out of my leauge for now? If anyone knows of a sub 100,000 33 step please let me know. Actually Ive already spent 20,000 building my tow vehicle so 80,000 would keep me on budget(and away from a bank loan)! I have contemplated just going to the bank and getting my dream machine but I think it will be more interesting to move up as I save the money for the next level of performance. Its taken me 20 years (since the Miami Vice days:cool!:)to save enough to get into this performance boat thing and I am really stoked about getting a 33!

Decision time for me will be about July 20 or sooner so if anyone knows of a 1995 or later 33ZX pre step or stepped hull please let me know. So far the best deal is the BC boat but I am not done looking yet...

Best Regards to all

Rob

[robscarab]

Steve, I just checked your website out and see what you do when your not cruising the Islands! I have a listing on another offshore site that I would like to discuss with you. I can't get a PM to work here for some reason, but I have an interesting marina/ residential land development project about to begin. Please PM me for details.

Thanks,
Rob