Donzi 35 ZR vs Sunsation 32 SSR

[intouch1]

Sold my Donzi 27 ZR 496HO a couple of days ago and was set on ordering a Donzi 35 ZR with twin 496HO's........ad now I came across the Sunsation 32 SSR which looks very cool also.

Anybody can chime in on major differences and advantages on one over the others ?

The Donzi 35 ZR does seem quite a lot larger on the pictures and I have no possibility of test driving or evaluating at a dealer cause none have dealers in my country...

All thoughts highly appreciated

[Ed Donnelly]

If I were going to spend that kind of money,, I would be hopping a jet to Miami U.S.A. or where ever to be test driving.

OH and welcome to the Registry......Ed

[Cuda]

A Sunsation is a nice boat for sure, but in my eyes, it's more of a lake boat than the 35 ZR.

[fegettes]

It is Sunday and I may have a buzz here.

But, wasn't there a 32' Sunsation fall apart in the Houston Ship Channel two seasons ago, going over a tug boat wake? And there could be more that story too. And there was boat come apart out at Lake Powell last year, and I thought that was a Sunsation too.

You will not ever see that in a Donzi.

[chappy]

If I were going to spend that kind of money,, I would be hopping a jet to Miami U.S.A. or where ever to be test driving.
OH and welcome to the Registry......Ed

Agreed. Also, how rough is the water you're planning on running the boat you choose?

[mjw930]

It is Sunday and I may have a buzz here.

But, wasn't there a 32' Sunsation fall apart in the Houston Ship Channel two seasons ago, going over a tug boat wake? And there could be more that story too. And there was boat come apart out at Lake Powell last year, and I thought that was a Sunsation too.

You will not ever see that in a Donzi.

Be careful with statements like that, I saw a 38 Donzi tear part of it's transom off, lose both drives and sink in a race off Daytona a few years ago, all because it hooked in a turn. There is not such thing as a boat that's NEVER broken. It's just that some do it more than others.......

It's also about what the manufacturer does with the information from these incidents. Donzi looked the boat over, figured out what failed and strengthened the design well enough for it to come back and win the P1 World Championship so it's all relative.

[mjw930]

To the question at hand, if both boats are roughly the same $$$$ then the Donzi is hands down the better buy.

[mjw930]

Pleasure boat vs race boat... I had a friend rip the transom off of a Cig SS in San Fran bay one day, also during a race.. Never heard of anyone doing that in a pleasure boat..

There's a few sunsation stories out there..

True, very true. I just don't believe in absolutes like fegettes posted. We don't have enough information to make that statement.

BTW, at least one of those Sunsation failures was pure operator stupidity. Barrel rolled the boat and ripped the deck off, hull was intact.

Aside from a few people on OSO, Sunsations have a very good reputation and a hugely loyal following.

[BUIZILLA]

It is Sunday and I may have a buzz here. it's probably important to read the WHOLE thread.. :angel:

[Carl C]

Any boat can be broken. I cracked the hull on a 1 year old Donzi without abusing or racing it. Both have a 5 year hull warranty. Both have good reputations and mystique. It's a tough decision when you are talking about that kind of cash. I think either would be a good choice and you must decide which one better suits you.

[Cuda]

Be careful with statements like that, I saw a 38 Donzi tear part of it's transom off, lose both drives and sink in a race off Daytona a few years ago, all because it hooked in a turn. There is not such thing as a boat that's NEVER broken. It's just that some do it more than others.......

It's also about what the manufacturer does with the information from these incidents. Donzi looked the boat over, figured out what failed and strengthened the design well enough for it to come back and win the P1 World Championship so it's all relative.
I remember that sinking. It was a guy who goes by the name of "Audacity". I met him at a race in St Pete.

[blackhawk]

Any boat can be broken. I cracked the hull on a 1 year old Donzi without abusing or racing it. Both have a 5 year hull warranty. Both have good reputations and mystique. It's a tough decision when you are talking about that kind of cash. I think either would be a good choice and you must decide which one better suits you.

Well said. Both are great boats. I would assume the Donzi is more $$$ and also the bigger boat. I would check out both boats and pick the one that fits your needs. I wish I was faced with such a "tough" decision! :D

[ChromeGorilla]

There's a few sunsation stories out there..

There sure are......:(

This was my best friends 32SS.... :doh: And I assure you this wasn't due to rough conditions or operator stupidity.
That said, he does now have a new one.....

Until this accident I really liked the 32SS. Large cabin, taller than the 35, but very close in size. But the 32 definately is a "tall" boat for its length..... which I feel leads to some of these stories..... the 35 on the other hand is low slung and long. If it was my money I would buy the 35ZR.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk30/svarsanyi/0001.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk30/svarsanyi/0002.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk30/svarsanyi/0004.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk30/svarsanyi/0007.jpg

[Carl C]

Wow, CG, that's some big time damage:eek!:. Is there a story to go with those pics?

[mjw930]

Wow, that's some serious damage. It would be interesting to understand what they feel caused it.

[intouch1]

thanks for all the info guys........can't really say i am any wiser now.....tough choice !

[Carl C]

38 ZR:thumbsup:

[blackhawk]

Unfortunately boats sometimes fall apart, even Donzis. There was a ZX that fell apart up here in my neck of the woods a few years ago. The deck seperated from the hull.

[Carl C]

38ZRC :D :D


Ooops, no cabin... Exactly

[LKSD]

Order a 38zx.. It can crush anything in its path & has plenty of space too.. The 38zr will be a little faster & lower due to having a bit less space & height making it lighter.. Either is a great boat & if it were me Donzi would be the way to go.. :) Jamie / Lakeside

.

[boxy]

38ZRC :D :D
Ooops, no cabin...
Continue on, continue on... :)

Exactly

Come on Carl, after your re-work of your 22's ski locker, the cavernous space of a 38ZRC would be a breeze, it's even got two hatches ......

[Carl C]

Come on Carl, after your re-work of your 22's ski locker, the cavernous space of a 38ZRC would be a breeze, it's even got two hatches ...... I had to make that space usable and the cool thing is that I only added a couple of pounds. The Competition version is extremely bad-ass and fast but probably for those who can afford more than one large boat. Frankly, if I didn't want a cabin and was in the market for a boat that size I'd probably go with a cat if I could find insurance.

[Cuda]

If I had unlimited funds, have no doubt, I'd own a 38 ZRC.

[Team Jefe]

watch out intouch...these guys already have you in a 38-footer....they skipped right past the 35.

One of those sunsation failures happened in Galveston bay. Guy jumped a tug wake and stuffed it. Not sure any hull would have taken that...but maybe the Donzi would not have stuffed....of course I'm bias.

Unlike the rest, though a 38ZR is really cool, I would have a 35ZR myself....I think it would be more fun to drive. Still, the test drive would be were I made the decision...you really should try to do that....its a big hickey if you make the wrong call...and only you can make that call.

[intouch1]

watch out intouch...these guys already have you in a 38-footer....they skipped right past the 35.

One of those sunsation failures happened in Galveston bay. Guy jumped a tug wake and stuffed it. Not sure any hull would have taken that...but maybe the Donzi would not have stuffed....of course I'm bias.

Unlike the rest, though a 38ZR is really cool, I would have a 35ZR myself....I think it would be more fun to drive. Still, the test drive would be were I made the decision...you really should try to do that....its a big hickey if you make the wrong call...and only you can make that call.


yeah, i know and it's tough call. the 38 is too big. i am interested at the limit of trailerable....therefore 35.

i was not too happy with the level of finish on the 27ZR. it felt like a mass product and nothing really special. ofcourse the ride was good and speeds were solid 65-68 on a 496HO.

i just feel the sunsation is much more custom and manufactured with more 'devotion'.

just afraid it's 'small' at 32 feet and only 97 inch beam..

[osur866]

Hmm, Cig makes the 36' gladiator I've allways thought one of those would be a sweet ride as well! Steve

[boxy]

i was not too happy with the level of finish on the 27ZR. it felt like a mass product and nothing really special. ofcourse the ride was good and speeds were solid 65-68 on a 496HO.

i just feel the sunsation is much more custom and manufactured with more 'devotion'.

just afraid it's 'small' at 32 feet and only 97 inch beam..


There is no comparison between the 27zr and the 35zr.
Your thoughts are correct, the 35zr is more of non mass produced boat, there were very few of them that came out of the factory "base".

[Team Jefe]

I'm kinda shooting in the dark here, but I tend to agree with the Box-man on most things...including this one.

It seemed to me, when I saw my first 27ZR here in Clear lake, like they came out of nowhere.....Now, I know I don't have my finger on the pulse of the performance boatring industry...still, the 27 is more a niche boat than anything IMHO....fast with a single Big Block, blah, blah, blah

One thing is for sure. Sunsation took a big hit...pardon the pun:wink:...when that one broke up around here. I know of a few guys who go out of them pretty quick....generally that was an overreaction and mostly they moved up to bigger boats.

[mjw930]

I know this is a thread about 2 specific boats but I'm going to throw another one out there, Active Thunder.

The 37 with the Harry Shoel AVH bottom is IMHO one of the best values in this size. The 33 is a more classic 24 degree deep V that's a wave crusher for a 33' boat. On top of that you work with the builder on every phase of the construction and end up with YOUR boat. The construction is top notch and it comes with a lifetime hull warranty. Below is the 33 Evolution.

http://www.activethunderboats.com/

http://www.activethunderboats.com/graphics/2007-33demo.jpg

[Cuda]

I saw an AT in person back in about '03, and I was not impressed at all with it. Almost all the hardware had rust on it, and it wasn't a very old boat, regardless how it was cared for, it should have held up better, if they used a higher grade for the fittings.

[boxy]

You can re-sell a Donzi anywhere in North America, or the World for that matter, the name is recognizable.
The same can't be said for some of the smaller, regional brands.
There is an Active Thunder 25 up here, great boat for it's size, but they can't give it away.

[fegettes]

It is Sunday and I may have a buzz here.

But, wasn't there a 32' Sunsation fall apart in the Houston Ship Channel two seasons ago, going over a tug boat wake? And there could be more that story too. And there was boat come apart out at Lake Powell last year, and I thought that was a Sunsation too.

You will not ever see that in a Donzi.

Yes, it has been a couple of months, but this has been driving me nuts. I had pics of this accident from the Houston ship channel of this occurance but could not find them. It wasn't a life long obligation to find them, but, I knew I had them.

And yes, I made the statement "You will not ever see that in a Donzi". You are correct, I should have said "In my opnion". At the time, I just felt like a Donzi would not fall apart like this. I have been around long enough to see the effects of a small crack in a hull and the water force devastate it. And like I said before, there must be more to this story. My thoughts were that a boat of quality should not come apart like this.

[p729lws]

If I had unlimited funds, have no doubt, I'd own a 38 ZRC.

Yep, me too!!! :)

[Donziweasel]

I thought the boat on Powell was a Baja. Crossed a huge tourboat wake and stuffed it. I feel for anyone who has had a nice expensive boat have structural problems.

BTW, was looking at donzimarine.com last night for kicks and the 38 ZRC is a one bad mother! Twin 1075 hp engines! Anyone know what the top speed on that setup would be?

[Madcow]

Personaly I would NEVER own a sunsation, I'm not big on boats made with a chopper gun. On boat no one has mentoned yet is a 35 Sonic. I know from personal experence (I've owned a 42 for 8 years) that the build a world class boat.

[Planetwarmer]

Since you joined the Donzi Registry, you might as well buy the Donzi. Hey, at least you would look cooler wearing your jeans, penny loafers and a sport coat in a Donzi. :cool: