Waterskiing in a Donzi Classic

[dolens]

Hello,

I just had a question about water skiing behind a donzi classic. How nice is it to ski behind and also how easy/hard is it to get back into the boat after your done? Has anyone ever added a ladder to the donzi to get in and out? Or a swim platform, like the Chris Craft have?

Thanks for the help!

[ANGUS]

They're not the best. Having said that we have done quite a bit with ours. I think it probably makes a lot of differance which one you are skiing behind. We ski from a 22C and it is not ideal. Your prefered speed has a lot to do with it. I like 32MPH which works OK, but much below that the hull falls off the strakes in a turn which takes some getting used to. Getting back in the boat is done by shutting off the engine and stepping on the outdrive and climbing in. This is not the way to do it with kids!!! We are experienced skiers and have enjoyed ours, but do not take novice skiers along. I would think a 16' or probably an 18' would be pretty good....except for the climbing back in part. Don't fall and ride the skis back to the pier or shore and it should be a blast.

[zelatore]

Take a look at the bottom of any Donzi, then look at the bottom of any ski boat.

Notice anything?

Like the flat bottom of the ski boat vs the deep V of the Donzi?

You can ski behind most anything if you want to (heck, I had a client wake board behind his 65 Viking once...) but a Donzi isn't going to be the best choice. You're going to have a relatively slow hole-shot - nothing an experience skier can't deal with but you'd have a heck of a time teaching someone new. You're also going to have a huge wake with a less than great shape.

If it's the boat you've got and you want to ski behind it - go for it! It will do the job. But if you're shopping I would no more buy a Donzi for skiing than I'd buy a ski boat for going fast.

[zelatore]

Oh, and as for climbing up the drive, it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

I always had a ladder on boats before, whether small ski boats/bow riders, or larger yachts. When I got my 22 it was the first boat I had without a ladder. I knew plenty of people climbed up the drive in the past, so I figured I could do it too. I'd be a little hesitant to let kids do it, but I'm sure they would be fine. I'm sure there are plenty of kids out there who do it all summer long.

[BUIZILLA]

I would no more buy a Donzi for skiing than I'd buy a ski boat for going fast. now there's a good tag line..

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Hello,

I just had a question about water skiing behind a donzi classic. How nice is it to ski behind and also how easy/hard is it to get back into the boat after your done? Has anyone ever added a ladder to the donzi to get in and out? Or a swim platform, like the Chris Craft have?

Thanks for the help!

I have to differ from the other opinions - maybe because I skied so much behind my 1971 18' in the 70s and didn't know the meaning of a small wake. I loved mine as a ski boat! It had a great hole shot with the 350HP for pulling slaloms, it turns on a dime to pick up the skier, and we liked jumping the wake! I put around 1000 hours of ski time on mine. We used to see how far we could jump over the opposite wake at full acceleration from one side to the other. Even the ski boats today have the ballast tanks to sink down and create a bigger wake - something already built into the Donzi wake. Bottom line is that I really liked mine as a ski boat, but I guess it depends on what kind of skiing or wakeboarding a guy is doing. As far as getting in the boat, it was easy for us guys to use the side grab bars and jump in - sometimes with a hand of another. The girls could easily be pulled up and in or in some cases we would step on the outdrive and grab the lifting eye. Unless you want almost no wake, I think you would be pleased with a Donzi classic as a ski boat. My two cents, Bill

[mattyboy]

we had alot of time on skis wake boards and tubes in our 16 it did it well, it is a little tough on first timers as it pulls them up way to fast and also on overweight 40 year olds trying to relive their youth(it pulled my friends shoulder out of socket) my daughter had a hard time getting up her first time out, a friend taught her on a master craft with a boom and she never had a problem on the 16 after that. a little longer rope will put you back away from the crest of the wake and make it a little easier i feel tabs are a must for any water sports, storage is a bit of a problem you can't take the tube , the wake board and the skis in a 16 so you make a trip or 2 back to the docks

what size classic are you thinkin about????

[Donziweasel]

I ski behind the 16 all the time. Pulls great, nice wake, no issues. Plus, I like to ski fast (in the 40's) and it has the power to do it. It was named the "ski sporter".

Buddy of mine has a 22ft Tige'. Has a 345 hp inboard. Will only pull me 35 mph up here. His boat is 80,000.00 and I would rather ski behind my 13,000.00 16. On the other hand, Boo Boo like to wakeboard behind the Tige with the tower.

[breeze400]

When I was young and strong has an OX. I had an 18' Fiber-form with A 165 HP. merc. It was the best ski boat. Everyone wanted to go skiing with me! We could pull up to 6 skiers at A time. We had the use of A ski kite one summer. I have so many memory's.

When I bought my 89 R-23 The wake behind her was not very conducive to skiing. You could ski behind her OK but I soon found the going fast was more fun than skiing. LOL We also had more fun pulling the TUBE behind her.

I have lots of Friends out there on the water that have better boats to ski behind. Use there gas money instead of mine! LOL

SAM

[BigGrizzly]

Since I have all three 16, 18, and 22. I have skied behind all of them. I prefer them to the Ski Nautique. I don't ski anymore. I may be bias because I lived on the Eastern seaboard most of my life. I loved to ski in the Ocean. Showing off to the girls on the beach. The flat bottoms just weren't up to the task. I think the 16 and 18 were a tad more fun, but I was more adventurous in the 1960s threw 1970s then later in life.The days of being pulled behind a 16 on a piece of plywood with a lawn chair bolted on it hav long since vanished from my lifestyle, only fond memories are left.

[dolens]

For all the different opinions. I hadnt given the storage factor much thought, as far as carrying skis and wakeboard etc... Id still like to see an old teak chris craft swim platform on the back of a classic just to see what it looks like.

Thanks again for the help.

[breeze400]

Since I have all three 16, 18, and 22. I have skied behind all of them. I prefer them to the Ski Nautique. I don't ski anymore. I may be bias because I lived on the Eastern seaboard most of my life. I loved to ski in the Ocean. Showing off to the girls on the beach. The flat bottoms just weren't up to the task. I think the 16 and 18 were a tad more fun, but I was more adventurous in the 1960s threw 1970s then later in life.The days of being pulled behind a 16 on a piece of plywood with a lawn chair bolted on it hav long since vanished from my lifestyle, only fond memories are left.

Lawn Chair? I once mounted A Toilet seat into A pair of old wooden skies! LOL.

Sam :eek::eek::eek: :shocking:

[BigGrizzly]

The Corsican has two ski lockers on deck. Btw they worked well. I finally stopped carrying them with me in 1998, and left them on the dock.

[zimm17]

Climbing up the outdrive is easy- just tell guests to be very careful of kicking the prop. I tell them to put their feet up there in slow motion and not to kick their way up, that usually helps.

I learned to ski as a kid behind our twin engine 7 meter donzi- talk about intimidating to a 7 year old coming out of the hole. The skiing was pretty easy, but going outside the wake was like dropping in on a surfing wave. Getting back to the middle took some momentum to get up. Ski boats are famous for not only for their quick holeshot, but flat wake to make slalom skiing better. But I wouldn't buy a new boat just for skiing, I'd use what you got and have fun.

[DonziDan16]

Skiing behind the 16 is a blast. But... There isn't much room for anything more than a single pair of skis or a wakeboard. Also, trim tabs are a must for young kids who need to go slower.
I've found that pulling skiers slows me down though :cool!:

[yeller]

I use to ski several times a week for close to 10yrs behind my 16 with my (fairly large) buddy. I had a 350 Berkeley jet drive so I can't comment on how they are with an I/O, but mine pulled unbelievably hard. I had no problem popping out my buddy. The difference was barely noticeable between mine and a friends MasterCraft. A good slalom skier would pull the back of the boat somewhat when cutting hard. After the 1st few years, I installed a center ski post and that eliminated the problem. We use to also throw on a 90' line and barefoot behind it.

If all you want to do is ski, then buy a tournament ski boat. If you want a fun boat to blast around in and like to ski, then the 16 or 18 would make a great choice.

[Pismo]

22 is not the best for skiing. Big, steep wake. Tie the rope short and it is ok but not great. Climb up the drive...

[Jraysray]

Skiing behind the 16 is a blast. But... There isn't much room for anything more than a single pair of skis or a wakeboard. Also, trim tabs are a must for young kids who need to go slower.
I've found that pulling skiers slows me down though :cool!:

OK, get this... I pack a three man tube, knee board, wake board and a set of skis on a 18C. We also pack all our gear a cooler and (2) 13 year olds along with my wife and I which are over 6' tall. I got to get a pic and post it here. We ski, tube, wake and knee. Gotta be a sight to see!

Good gawd is it a work out though. Funny thing last season, my son said the engine was running funny cause he could taste more gas through the exhaust. GOTTA LUV IT! I laughed for hours.

[sweet 16 1966]

Many fond memories of the 16' Donzi as a great ski boat. Ran it through the ski course if the Mastercraft's were not an option. Perfect for Barefooting or tubing. Bought my 16 in 1980 and taught all 3 of my sons to ski behind it. We would pack lawn chairs in the engine compartment + cooler and head out for the day. We saw it all from that lil boat. Georgia Lakes, Virginia Lakes, Texas Lakes, Florida Lakes- even Cumberland. Many great times and many miles after ditching the Eaton outdrive for the Merc.
Sorry for the rambling but you reminded me of some good times- when life was simple.
One thing though still remains true- Still look forward to - running the Donzi's!!
So... as you can detect- the smaller Donzi's- 16-18 would satisfy a dual purpose role of a ski/speed boat but if you just want to ski- but a tournament ski boat.

[DonziDan16]

OK, get this... I pack a three man tube, knee board, wake board and a set of skis on a 18C. We also pack all our gear a cooler and (2) 13 year olds along with my wife and I which are over 6' tall. I got to get a pic and post it here. We ski, tube, wake and knee. Gotta be a sight to see!

Good gawd is it a work out though. Funny thing last season, my son said the engine was running funny cause he could taste more gas through the exhaust. GOTTA LUV IT! I laughed for hours.

Lol! No need for a picture, we've done the same thing! (except it was just a one person tube) Don't get me wrong, it is possible to pack it all in there, it just depends on how comfortable you want to be :nilly:

The thu-hull is the only downside to skiing behind our 18 rather than the 16...but I suppose the upside is being able to tell if you're running too rich:yes: Hilarious!

[Planetwarmer]

I have a teak swim platform on the back of my 22C. Actually 2, 1 on each side of the out drive.

[Planetwarmer]

Notice the handles at the back of the deck as well. It is a lot easier to keep a boat if the wife likes it too!

[RickSE]

We ski all the time behind our 22C and used to with the 18C. The hole shot behind a BBC 22C is not a problem but sometimes was with the SBC 18C and a heavy skier. I think the worst problem with skiing behind a Classic is the low ski eye mount, makes the rope dip into the water a lot. We ski with 75' & 100' ropes.

[blue boat]

when I was young I did ski behind my donzi. That was a challange because of the wake, it was like stepping down a flight of stairs. This boat had no problem pulling you out of the water.With 500 hp under the hood it pulled my friend that weighed over 250.

[Ghost]

Wow, I'm amazed. I would have thought a serious slalom skier would threaten to flip a 16 or 18 over. Sounds like they track pretty well.

[yeller]

Wow, I'm amazed. I would have thought a serious slalom skier would threaten to flip a 16 or 18 over. Sounds like they track pretty well.Ghost, I loved skiing behind my 16. As I stated earlier, a good skier would pull the back end a bit, but I attributed that to having a jet drive. Once I put the center post in, the boat was very solid...and we skied hard. We didn't find the wake too big, probably because we both grew up skiing behind larger, family style boats.

[mattyboy]

the wake blue boat is referring to is from a v drive classic i would think that is different from a jet or an I/O boat. and again a serious skier is not buying a classic but someone looking for and all around sport ski boat that handles bigger water and is a dock side attraction won't find a better boat

[Donzi Racer]

Wow, I'm amazed. I would have thought a serious slalom skier would threaten to flip a 16 or 18 over. Sounds like they track pretty well.


Track they do. I have the pleasure of telling you of the very best ski boat and the worst ski boat I have ever been behind, including ski natiques, and correct crafts in the old days. Both boats were Donzi's & carried the same model name. The worst was the 1st boat I ever skiied behind. It was a 1967 Donzi Baby. 14 feet of pure misery for a 9 year old. Took way to long to get on a plane and once it was on a plane, WOW what a wake. If a 200 lb. slalomn skiier was trying to get up, it took forever and I was the designated kid hat had to climb over the windshield and touch the front eye to help the thing plane off. The boat I am speaking of is my upper avitar.

Now for the best ski boat I ever skiied behind was also a Donzi Baby. 1971 with a 115 merc. without trim and no planes. I taught 6 of my younger brothers and cousins to ski with that boat. The thing that was great was with the outboard you could come up smooth and fast and really good slalomn skiiers were snapped up so fast and even when they laid down and touched their shoulders to the water, it would not move the back of the boat. It stayed true thru the slalomn course. I loved that boat and we have one almost just like it today. My baby brother has it and is teaching his Daughter to ski and knee board with it. It has the ski pole which makes it even better.

Cute story about that 1st '71 Baby was we bought the 1st Black Max in North Alabama back in 75 or 76 when they first came out. The local Mercury dealer was a sponser of the local sunday night fishing program. They wanted to show how powerful the new Black Max was for family boats and bass boats. My now wife, then girlfriend worked at the local TV station and we came up with a fun idea for a commercial. ----- "Is your boat so underpowered it just cant yank your skiiers out of the water anymore?" ( The camera would scan to a skiier "ME" with a pair of Jump Skis on almost coming out of the water but not quite. Scan up the rope and it showed a row boat with me in it, rowing like hell trying to get enough speed to get the skier out of the water. Then they changed pictures to the skiier shooting off a water ski jump and splashing into the landing. Go up the rope and there was our Donzi with the Black Max on the back. At the end of the commercial there was a bass boat running full out and then our Donzi full out with me having it way to trimmed out "as usual" with the front end way up in the air. The message was "when you need all the power ou can get" That boat is the bottom avitar on my signature. As someone else said, where would we be without our memories? Thanks for letting me reminence a bit. Tom

PS my grandfathers fondest wish was to have all 7 grandchildren up behing the Donzi at one time. We accomplished that at one of the reunions at the lake house. Youngest was around 7 and oldest was me at 18. He had the greatest job in the world when he was younger. He was the water ski instructor at the local Country Club. How is that for a job? Get up around mid day, crank up the old chris craft and cruise over to the club and teach all the youngsters how to waterski? Well his other wish was to water ski on his 65th birthday. I went down to the dock early on his birthday morning, put his rope out and cranked up the Donzi, left his jump skis at the dock with his rope. Eased the boat out and here he comes down the steps with his coffee in his hand and a bensen & hedges hanging out of his mouth. He wore one of the terry cloth outfits like we all wore when we were younger. The swim trunks and the top jacket matched. He had his perscription sunglasses on. He set his coffee cup down, put on his skiis and sat on the dock and said hit it. I took him for a few mile spin and he did his usual tricks like putting the rope over his head and sitting on the skiis and dealing a hand of poker along with the betting, winning the hand and raking the chips. He then would jump from one side of the wake across the wake and half way out the other side of the boat. He was awesome for any age but for 65 it was fantastic. I brought him along side the dock and he threw the rope away and sat down on the dock. His cig still hanging out of his mouth, soaking wet and him also. I put up his skis and that was the last time he ever skiied. But as you can tell it was like yesterday even though it was 32 years ago. Now that was a hell of a ski boat boys. T

[Ghost]

Very cool. I love the commercial--hadn't heard "Black Max" in a while--takes me way back. Makes sense that the boat would track better than I was thinking, just because the V is deep if nothing else.

Now I'm wondering what wakeboarding might be like...haven't tried off my Nova yet but it is huge back there at 16-20mph...looks like fun.

[BigGrizzly]

At 28 mph you would really have to be strong and good to pull our 16. The best we ever did was 4 people shallow water start.

[Donzi Racer]

Ghost, there is also a nice Hook in the bottom of the 16's and it works wonders on the 16 outboard. As soon as it starts to come up utof the water getting on a plane, the hook catches and throws the front down getting the 1050 lb hull on a plane in an instant. Especially when you have trim. Those ole Straight 6 Mercs in the 115 hp were like bullet proof and wow what gas mileage! The 125, 135, 140 & 150's were faster but did not hold up as well and drank gas a bit more. I had a buddy that had a 140 behind a lightweight Baha hull and I could almost stop the boat coming out of the water on a slalomn. Sometimes I would get him to keep the steering straight and I could steer pretty well just leaning on the ski one way or the other. That deep V on the Donzi and the extra weight made it quite different. Tom

[Donzi Racer]

At 28 mph you would really have to be strong and good to pull our 16. The best we ever did was 4 people shallow water start.

Course Randy with our brood we were pulling me at 117 lbs back then and the rest of the crew was between 110 to 55 lbs. ha ha That makes about 3 or 4 normal people. ha ha I told them if one of them fell we would come back around and I would beat them prefusely with a ski belt. Of couse I was only kidding but it worked an we made a good run with everbdy up.

The real sight was when I was 14 and my two younger brothers were 5 & 7. Grandad had given us a little 12 foot flat bottom aluminum fishing boat and you know the saying that neccesity is the mother of invention, well when I sat in the back of the boat and throttled the 4 HP Mercury motor, the front would stick up pretty much in the front. Ok, I am telling Grandad if he can figure me a way to be able to drive from the middle seat, I think I can get it to plane off. I can see the thing he configured like it was yesterday. Imagine you have a good size black fabric hose, with a thin board crammed down it to where the throttle is and then a round clamp over the hose attaching it to the throttle. Now you could not just swing the board that stuck out of the other end of the hose left or right. You had to push to go go one way and then pull it back and push it the other way to go the opposite way. Always real fun when you pulled it off the damn throttle & you were stuck in the middle seat just sitting there holding your STICK! Well I was right, it planed off quite well. Zipping along, it probably had a top speed of about 10 to 12 mph but we had a blast with it. Now comes the sight that would bring the neighbors out of their homes in the evening to watch the crazy kids in the evening put on a show. I threw a pair of light weight skis out to the older brother and got him up on the ski's. That was pretty cool and my Grandad used to sit up on the deck and laugh his ass off. When I got him going along pretty well, I got the 5 year old out there and got him up by himself. He loved it since it was so slow and no wake. We keep pushing the envelope, and although it would not pull the 7 year old up on a slalomn, it would stay on a plane if he dropped a ski. Yea I know, with a 4 hp merc. So if that aint enough, We get the 7 year old behind with an aqua plane ( for you youngsters, that is a custom made sinister item made from Cypress tongue & grooved together & bevelled 45 degrees on the sides and the front. You hook the rope from the bottom of the board to the ski line and then you have a 1 inch thick rope you hold onto & stick your feet in some home made stirrups & I mean hold on for all hell, when the boat turns since you have no fins and the board is connected to the boat, so she realy goes out there on turns). You have to keep the leading edge up or you gonna go for a swim & the board is gonna be coming right at the back of your head if you are not careful. So now we have the 7 year old on the board, and we get the 5 year old on the set of skiis. Now boys & girls, close your eyes and if that ain't a site, a 14 year old skinny kid pulling a chunky 7 year old on a board, & a 5 year old on a set of skiis behind a tiny fishing boat with a 4 Hp merc. I always wanted to send a pic of that to Mercury to see if they would maybe get so tickled, they would send us a 10 hp and make our lives a little easier. hhahahahahahahahah I still have that Aqua Plane. Been thinking of donating it to the water ski museum here in Florida. Memories!!!!! Tom

PS sorry about absconding with this link but you can tell once I start, it is hard for me to stop. T

[zelatore]

donziracer, I'd have paid good money to see you guys with two up behind a 4hp merc........that's your best story yet!

[Donzi Vol]

donziracer, I'd have paid good money to see you guys with two up behind a 4hp merc........that's your best story yet!

Have lunch with him sometime. He's got some good ones! It must be in the genes or something...haha.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Great stories, Tom. Keep em coming. Reminds me of some of my escapades. Bill

[JeffH]

The skiing is just fine...now finding someone to tube behind me is a different story:shocking:

[joseph m. hahnl]

I skied behind the Minx once:wink:. I hadn't skied in yrs, but I'll tell yah it's like riding a bike.:yes: The pull of the V8 was relentless I couldn't catch a break.:lightning There was no stall whats so ever Just Tug Tug Tug.
The wake bruised my trailing ankle as I banked to the left.:garfield:
:drive: As far as driving while pulling a skier or tube below 25mph

Well we Know what these boats feel like off plane in a turn:toiletpap
Add a little side breeze:chillpill:

So any way the key is you have to ski at higher speeds
1 to reduce the wake and 2 to keep the boat on plane.

For me being 30 yr veteran slalom on soft water behind dinky outboard.
It just wore me out in seconds.

But my youngest born into it he''ll burn a full tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg_yLI5F8KU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K83kCFy5ng

[breeze400]

110 MPH and watersking races. SHURE DO NOT WANT TO TAKE A TUMBLE GOING THAT FAST EKKKKKKKK!!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

[dolens]

I have a teak swim platform on the back of my 22C. Actually 2, 1 on each side of the out drive.
How difficult was that to install? That would be ideal for getting back into the boat. Do you have a specific place where you bought those?
Thanks for the pictures!

[Planetwarmer]

I will go out and take some pics of the platforms. I will start a new thread about them.