Thinking of purchasing my first Donzi...opinions desired...

[GSE Anthony]

If anyone has 5 minutes to read my post, look at my pictures and give some advice based on your boating experience, your input it appreciated!!!

I have been thinking for sometime about a powerboat and the costs involved have kept me away. We do well, but I know I have limitations on expenses, unlike my neighbor with his 32' Sunsation. So I have been contemplating getting back into a pair of waverunners again or maybe a jet boat, but I still peek at powerboats from time to time.

This weekend I ran across a old 1989 Donzi Z25 that despite it's age, was still an all around nice boat. It'll need a few things but with an asking price of 10 grand, I think if I was going to even try getting into the powerboat world to see how I like it, this might be the way.

The skinny....(details I was given about the boat)
1989 Donzi Z25, Rebuilt Engine and Outdrive with less than 200 hours, 600 hours on the boat, 10 GPH @ 30 MPH, Custom Paint, new vinyl on hatch cover and wood, Anchor, Cockpit Cover, Mooring Cover, Dock Lines, Fire Ext., Life Jackets, Stereo w/CD, Swim Platform, Swim Steps, Toilet, VHF Radio, S.S. Prop and MORE! Also comes with 1989 Majic Trail dual axle trailer. Again, the asking price is 10 grand.

I have also seen that I can get into a mid 90s Donzi like a 25ZX for 20-25 grand. Which is still affordable in my eyes. But that is about the highest I would even consider spending on yet another pleasure item. It really is obviously an older style boat, but I love it. Obviously a newer boat (like my neighbors) is sharp as hell, but not all of us can afford those.

So would buying this older boat be a mistake?
Does the age just make this a money pit regardless of condition?
Should I invest double the money on a newer mid-90s 25ZX and if so why?
Or is this really the perfect way to get my feet wet with powerboats?
I would of course get an end to end inspection of the boat, that's a given.

Thanks in advance for your time and wisedom!
Hope to someday see you out there on the water! (in my Donzi of course!)

Pictures:
http://photos.imageevent.com/savarese_family/1989donziz25/websize/1755002_1.jpg

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[chappy]

Welcome to the board. That's a good looking Z. I would definitely consider buying that boat. I bought an 87 classic that needed some TLC, after some elbow grease and some professional care, I'm content for now. You have the right mindset and approach to this purchase, especially with the end to end inspection. As far as a newer 90's Z for twice the price, that's your call.:)

Good luck and keep us posted,

Rich

[Carl C]

All boats are money pits. Even new ones. This one looks clean and looks like a good deal. It may go fast at that price. My only concern from the pics is the roller trailer. I would inspect the hull for any indentations or distortion.

[Lenny]

Does the age just make this a money pit regardless of condition?


Nope, the mere fact that it IS A BOAT looks after that for you regardless.

:D

That wouldn;t be my first choice if you are money concious. I would get into something smaller my first time out. Smaller boat=smaller problems IMO.

just my $.02 ...

[Formula Jr]

Anthony, as your first power boat, this size doesn't make much sense - its too big. But only you can truely judge what your experience level is with boating in general.
There are a few reasons why this boat is at 10K, and 10K is a "fair" price and not a steal.
The Roller and Tip paint job is a big detraction. Doesn't look all that well done and I'm wondering why all the trailer rollers have been completely replaced and why there are no roller marks on the hull; IE, Has it been launched off that trailer since it was painted? The 200 hours used since the re-build isn't clicking in together. You look for things like this while considering a used boat. The surveyor is going to make mention of this if he/she is good.
As an X-naptown, Marylander, if I saw this boat coming into port, I wouldn't be gawking because its a Z25, I'd be gawking because of the bad paint job.
The engine was "re-built" instead of "remanufactered" This can mean a lot of things. "Re-built" with 200 hours on some parts and 800 hours on others, tells you basicly nothing. With a remanufactuered engine, everything is listed as to what was done.
The King Cobra drive, purely from a subjective viewpoint, mine, also plays in to the price. We have some King Cobra fans on this site; this is all well and good, but from a re-sell point, you would face the same resistance of an orphaned drive.
Even more subjective thoughts are that, if you store the boat at a Boat-tel near Elkton, MD, you are always going to be some what distant from the interesting areas of The Bay. The size of the boat plays into your operating costs here. The size effects everything down the line, from storage costs, to towing costs, to overnight moorage.
a ZX 22 would make more sense if you need the cabin.

The original color scheme of the boat looks to have been White, Red, Gray-Blue and Gray.
The posted photos are color and tone shifted for some reason. Makes the interior look completely mismatched. I Corrected the photos and it makes sense now.

However, the custom paint additions of more Red, Green, Yellow and Black; don't add anything. The wave line of the topsides divider is just goofy. There has to be a reason why a prior owner would paint the boat this way....

The boat looks nice at first but this boat is starting ask alot of questions.

[tiger lily]

why do people take pics of there stuff, with spare oil in the back ground, or put something up for sale while leaving extra oil in it, that screams theres a leak somewhere, i carry extra fluids, because i know my stuff might leak or has leaked in the past

[zelatore]

Why do they leave all that stuff in the boat? Because when they get ready to sell it, it's because they have lost interest. Usually that means the boat has been sitting without a lot of love for a while before they get around to listing it and since they've lost the attachement, they can't seem to be bothered to actually clean it up a little.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but that's a pet peeve of mine here at our brokerage. Some of the stuff that comes in for sale is just ratty as hell, and the owners seem to get mad when you tell them they need to stip all their personal junk off the boat and get it detailed if they really want to sell it. What??!! spend time and money on a boat I'm trying to sell??!! Unheard of!!

Then they get mad at the broker when it sits on the market for a year.

Back on topic, I agree with the eariler post, that boat looks good at first glance but the harder you look the more questions come up. $10K is pretty cheap for anything that size, but I'd really want to dig into it hard and I'd expect to put a fair bit into depending on what you hope to end up with.

[BUIZILLA]

personally, I don't see anything more equipment wise, than a normal daily run,

I wouldn't read anything into that...

[Carl C]

I thought the boat did look cleaned up and Formulajr thinks it may even have a quick paint job. What's wrong with carrying some extra fluids in the engine room?:boggled:

[MOP]

Have to add one more detractor to Formula Jr list! Original manifolds an risers, they only lasted about 5-6 years with diligent flushing and have not been available for about 10 years add the "hunt and expense" of finding replacements. My opinion buy a later boat with decent upgrades it will be far cheaper in the long run.

Phil

[Team Jefe]

I have always been a fan of the Z boats....they do show a little dated sometimes, but there is just something about them.

My two cents.

What I read in to Owen's post is "Scrutinize the hell" out of ANYTHING you get ready to buy....meaning look for reasons to NOT buy it, then decide if those reasons really are valid. There are thousands of used boats out there, so don't worry to much about loosing what might seem like a great deal.

For my money I would look for a newer boat with newer power and drive. Though the OMC's & King Cobra parts are available, Mercruiser is much more readily available.

But with that I will have to disagree on the size issue. Owning a 25 ft boat is not much more that a 22 footer. Granted the Z does displace a little more, and has a bigger wind "sail", but I think it is fine for anyone with any boating expereince. I went from a 16' CC to a twin motor 30 footer with very little issues.

Regardless of size, though, if you have little or no expereince, get yourself into a boat handling and safety class. I had lots of help in learning how to operate the Revenge. I was lucky to have buds who knew their stuff and could teach me. Without that, you will be dangerous in any sized boat you buy.

One thing is for sure....whatever you buy it WILL BE a money pit:yes:

Good luck and welcome aboard.

[tiger lily]

I thought the boat did look cleaned up and Formulajr thinks it may even have a quick paint job. What's wrong with carrying some extra fluids in the engine room?:boggled:

nothing wrong with it, i carry extra fluids, i would just never leave it in the bilge while taking a picture of it and trying to sell it, always just erked me about that stuff when people try to sell things and they dont try to make them look nice