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View Full Version : Possible buying a 26zx



mattd7
09-07-2007, 01:58 PM
Hello I just joined this forum, Looking for some advice iam a current Baja H2X owner and Iam looking to upgrade to a 1999 Donzi 26x with 190 hrs 502 and the standard eqipment i would asume asking is 35000 the boat needs alot of tlc. Hull and motor are solid drive has some corrsion I guess the boat was slipped also has bottom paint ( I know that sucks but). Can anyone give me some advice on this boat has there been any problems I should be aware of , what would be a fair price to offer, over all how does this boat preform? Any advice would be greatly appreciated I am going to look @ the boat tommorow. Thanks

roadtrip se
09-07-2007, 09:24 PM
Hello I just joined this forum, Looking for some advice iam a current Baja H2X owner and Iam looking to upgrade to a 1999 Donzi 26x with 190 hrs 502 and the standard eqipment i would asume asking is 35000 the boat needs alot of tlc. Hull and motor are solid drive has some corrsion I guess the boat was slipped also has bottom paint ( I know that sucks but). Can anyone give me some advice on this boat has there been any problems I should be aware of , what would be a fair price to offer, over all how does this boat preform? Any advice would be greatly appreciated I am going to look @ the boat tommorow. Thanks

I wouldn't buy a performance boat with bottom paint. It will be a bear to get it off and the thing will be a dog with it on. I would also look for signs of blistering around the water line, depending on the amount of time it spent in the water. Also, if the tabs and drive are corroded, you need to look for signs of water intrusion on the drive to make sure it isn't going to require more than a little cosmetic touch-up.

I really like the 26ZX. It is a brick in the big stuff and flys and lands level.
They aren't the fastest, probably 68 tops with a 502. Since they are so heavy, they can eat drives, so a qualified survey and mechanical inspection would be in order.

The pre-2000 boats are not as well executed as the post-2000 boats. The boat had a mild re-design of the deck and the hull. The post-2000 boats run better for it, but you will probably have a hard time finding one for $35K.

Another area to look at is the attachment seam for the fairing or windshield.
There were issues with cracking and screws popping through the fiberglass on a few boats. It should be easy to spot, if you look for it. If you see it,
I would not just write it off as stress cracks and investigate further.

Overall the boat is an absolute monster and very solid. They will run in the big stuff and surprise a few of the twin runners out there.

Good luck with your search.