OK, So I'm the one......

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

That bought the 96' 16 with the blower for 15K.

Spent 5 hours with Jeff Rogers, the original owner. Has all the documentation. Guy was OCD with the boat, which I can appreciate very much! He was VERY VERY meticulous about everything about the boat. It looks better than the pictures on E-bay. Very nice guy!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-SWEET-16-DONZI-CLASSIC-W-TRAILER_W0QQitemZ130336108032QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPo wer_Motorboats?hash=item1e58a32e00

It's been winterized and is at Lake Kerr, Va. waiting for spring!

As a noob here and with a Donzi I hope I'll be able to pick at the collective brain trust on the forum about getting this thing up to speed.:beer:
Thanks, Steve

[cutwater]

That's SICK! Welcome to the Donzi family. :pimp:

[VetteLT193]

Welcome!!!

I think another member here is on the same lake... his screen name is KerrLake. Super nice guy, try to catch up with him sometime.

[MOP]

You will need a large supply of shorts to drive that thing!

[Ghost]

Looks fantastic, congratulations!

Hey, as an aside for the field, looking at the pictures leads me to a general question about blowers and gas fumes in bilges.

Blowers are used at low RPM (and no RPM before startup) to clear the bilge of trapped gasoline vapors. And they have (when right I think) at least one hose that goes all the way down the the bottom of the bilge, as gasoline vapors are denser than air, to ensure those are removed.

At higher RPM, the blower is turned off, as the motor itself is assumed to do the job, right (as it pulls a large amount of air in through the intake manifold, drawing fresh air through the vents)?

If so, what are the implications of motors with vents right up at the intake, such as this one? Where, presumably, the motor might be fed by air predominantly from the vent, and the air in the bilge might be able to stagnate? An even more pronounced example would be one where the intake/arrestor stuck all the way up through a hole in the deck.

Any thoughts or ideas welcome. I'm curious if it is known to ever be an issue.

Regards,

Mike

[MOP]

Mike it is belt driven all the time, no lazy time for a roots! I have seen one setup with an electric clutch, but it had a carb on a seperate tube with big check valve in the tube plumbers nightmare. It worked Ok was on a street machine, flip the switch and all hell broke loose!

[Just Say N20]

Congratulations! :yes: :eek: :yes:

That is one of the most wicked cool, well put together 16s around. What previous boating experience do you have?

[Ghost]

Mike it is belt driven all the time, no lazy time for a roots! I have seen one setup with an electric clutch, but it had a carb on a seperate tube with big check valve in the tube plumbers nightmare. It worked Ok was on a street machine, flip the switch and all hell broke loose!

Not sure I follow. (By 'blower' I was talking about a simple bilge blower to avoid detonating trapped fumes, not a supercharger.) I strongly suspect I have missed what you were saying entirely.

Mike

[Bubba Dog]

That bought the 96' 16 with the blower for 15K.

Spent 5 hours with Jeff Rogers, the original owner. Has all the documentation. Guy was OCD with the boat, which I can appreciate very much! He was VERY VERY meticulous about everything about the boat. It looks better than the pictures on E-bay. Very nice guy!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-SWEET-16-DONZI-CLASSIC-W-TRAILER_W0QQitemZ130336108032QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPo wer_Motorboats?hash=item1e58a32e00

It's been winterized and is at Lake Kerr, Va. waiting for spring!

As a noob here and with a Donzi I hope I'll be able to pick at the collective brain trust on the forum about getting this thing up to speed.:beer:
Thanks, Steve

Greetings, Fluffy Foo-Foo,
I'm nearby, NC side, I usually put in at Nutbush. Welcome and good luck with that beast. Bubba:cool:

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

That's SICK! Welcome to the Donzi family. :pimp:

Thanks!
Sick is what a lot of friends have been calling me when they see the boat! Can't figure out why?:nilly:

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

You will need a large supply of DEPENDS to drive that thing!

Fixt!:beer:

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Congratulations! :yes: :eek: :yes:

That is one of the most wicked cool, well put together 16s around. What previous boating experience do you have?

Had a 14'runabout with a 40 hp Merc back when I was young, dumb, and full of......!
Then had a 18' Sanger Jet W/ 455 big block. Wish I still had it! Great river boat!
Now have a 22' Tuna W/ 115 Yamaha 4 stroke. For lazzin' around (IE going SLOW!).
This boat will add a little zing. Still have go fast in me to get rid of!

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Greetings, Fluffy Foo-Foo,
I'm nearby, NC side, I usually put in at Nutbush. Welcome and good luck with that beast. Bubba:cool:

Thanks Bubba!
Your at the far end from us. We are just up from Clarksville, Va.
Would go down to the end in NC once a year just for grins and giggles. Takes a long time in a pontoon!

May have to visit more often now that the time zone is shortened with this thing!:beer:

[JeffH]

Get up to speed? Doesn't that thing go 90 or sommething:bonk::nilly::eek:!!!???

Welcome to the madness...do me one thing, ease into it!

JH

[Greg Guimond]

You better post that hull up right away in the 2009 top speed bracket thread!

[silverghost]

Ghost~ I think you are asking about a bilge blower to evacuate gasoline fumes from the lower bilge area.
This supercharger mounting is a bit unusual . I agree ~
On most boats you typically turn the blower on for 3-5 min. before you start the boat's engine for the day. This is to evacuate any gas fumes that may have acumulaed in the bilge after long term engine shut-down
Whn you get moving the air-scoop like clamshell vents will allow air to circulate with the boats foreward motion. The faster you go the more air changes you will get..
Sometimes after long term engine shut-down the fuel in the carb will evaporate through the carb vents and intake.
As you stated the fuel vapors are heavier than air and settle in the lower bilge area.
This can be explosive at the right air/fuel ratio.
Just make sure you have no fuel leaks from fuel pump, hoses, fittings carb, filter etc
Run your bilge blower 3-5 min after long term engine shut-down on your first start of the boating day.
If you are really worried about fumes you can buy & install a marine electronic gasoline fume dectector. These are not very costly and have a sensor that is placed low in the engine bilge area between the stringers.
A small gauge-like control head is then mounted on your dash. This typically has a set of warning lights and audable alarm. Some better units have an actual read-out of gasoline concentration.
Gasoline bilge fume
explosions can be tragic~
But actually they are quite rare.
Make sure all engine electrical items, such as starters, alt's dist, fuel pumps, bilge pumps, etc. are true marine units that are explosion proof & ignition protected. Use Coast Guard approved fuel hose & carb flame arrestors. I have seen boats after a bilge gasoline vapor explosion~
Not a pretty sight~ not much left of th boat.
In an older Donzi make sure the gas tank is not full of pin-holes and leaking.
This is a real well-known Donzi issue with old Steel & aluminum fuel tanks that sit low in the bilge seated in foam. See he many treads about this on this great Donzi site.
Make sure fuel hose and outside tank vents and fuel fill hoses are in good shape.
Use double hose clamps if you can.
I have also seen 5 boats that had burned completely to the water-line.in 50+ years of boating.
I also like the automatic fire supression units with, Halon gas etc, that act like a sprinkler system.
These are not really very costly.
Respect the potential explosive power of gasoline fumes and you will be safe.

[Sweet Cheekz]

Bad azz boat! Congrats and take your time spinning it up it may ba a bit of a handfull to start. Well done, can not wait to see what it does.
Parnell

[Ghost]

Thanks SG, this is exactly the sort of stuff I was thinking about.

At the extreme, I was wondering if, in theory, that some motor setups would actually want the bilge blower to run all the time. For instance, if you had the intake/arrestor fully up through the deck, one would think the air it would draw would be nearly entirely from the outside, and that it would fail to changeover the air down in the motorbox.

Never really thought much about it til I was looking at that scoop picture, with the intake right below it. Somehow I doubt the airflow in that case would be quite that clear cut, but it made me think about other stuff where the intake for the motor sticks further out and the changeover might be pretty close to zero.

Mike

[handfulz28]

How do we hijack a supercharged 16 thread and talk about bilge blowers? :nilly: :bonk:

You'd have to have a sealed engine compartment for air to get stale. Accessories turn, parts get hot...plenty of things to keep air moving around. Not to mention, gas fumes shouldn't be an issue if the system is in good condition. Most boaters don't realize fuel line doesn't have an infinite life. That includes metal lines.

I had a metal fuel line fail. It was right after an impeller change luckily. I looked in after starting the engine and thought "crap, I missed a hose clamp." Then I caught the smell. No sparks = no problem...just cleaned the bilge a bit. :lookaroun:

[mrfixxall]

That bought the 96' 16 with the blower for 15K.

Spent 5 hours with Jeff Rogers, the original owner. Has all the documentation. Guy was OCD with the boat, which I can appreciate very much! He was VERY VERY meticulous about everything about the boat. It looks better than the pictures on E-bay. Very nice guy!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-SWEET-16-DONZI-CLASSIC-W-TRAILER_W0QQitemZ130336108032QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPo wer_Motorboats?hash=item1e58a32e00

It's been winterized and is at Lake Kerr, Va. waiting for spring!

As a noob here and with a Donzi I hope I'll be able to pick at the collective brain trust on the forum about getting this thing up to speed.:beer:
Thanks, Steve

Welcomt to the madness :).. be careful with this one! you may want to look into getting hydrolic steering if the boat really does 90+mph..

[Donzi Vol]

Kudos on the new boat! Welcome to the board

[MOP]

Not sure I follow. (By 'blower' I was talking about a simple bilge blower to avoid detonating trapped fumes, not a supercharger.) I strongly suspect I have missed what you were saying entirely.

Mike

As far as fumes a blower does not add and additional fumes, sorry we missed each others point.

Phil

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Bad azz boat! Congrats and take your time spinning it up it may ba a bit of a handfull to start. Well done, can not wait to see what it does.
Parnell

Thanks!
Have read your threads and am in awe with what you've done!
Item is what I have and plan on going slow (that didn't sound right!).
The guy I bought it from said one thing that sticks in my head and makes a lot on sense, "Pick your water". I plan on heeding his advice.

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Welcomt to the madness :).. be careful with this one! you may want to look into getting hydrolic steering if the boat really does 90+mph..

Thanks Mr. Fixxall.
I guess madness is a good word on this forum!

I talked to the owner about the steering as well as the Alpha drive. As he stated above "pick your water" is something I will be doing for a while. Or at least until I get used to this thing.

I assume that in clean water conditions and being easy with the drive I should be OK up to about Oh, say 45 or so? :wink:

Not pulling any hole shots or taking on all comers should help a little (I hope).

I am new to I/O's as well as a deep vee hulls so I will be taking it easy for a while. I will post speeds as I gain experience and confidence in driving this new toy!

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Kudos on the new boat! Welcome to the board

Thanks for the welcome!
Go Vols!!! (that was for a good friend/neighbor of mine from Maryland that still lives in Knoxville after graduating).

[Christian]

i would like to know who built the motor and what parts, specs?
sounds very interesting as i am building a set for the race boat and wanted to go the blown route!!

Congrats looks very well done. Welcome to the club

[The Hedgehog]

That looks like a whole bunch of fun.

Congrads and welcome aboard.

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

i would like to know who built the motor and what parts, specs?
sounds very interesting as i am building a set for the race boat and wanted to go the blown route!!

Congrats looks very well done. Welcome to the club

He had a machine shop do the hard work. He put the parts together himself.
I will go through the paperwork and get back with you about the parts. I know the motor was a 350/385 fastburn crate motor from GM.

The blower is a Whipple with a intercooler and by-pass valve.

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

That looks like a whole bunch of fun.

Congrads and welcome aboard.

Thanks, Hog!

Much smaller than what you like to run from what I have read here.

One of the requirements I had when looking for a GO FAST boat was that it fit straight into the garage. I really liked the Classic 18. Loved Jerry Esile's boat! But it really came down to being able to go fast AND protecting the boat when not in use. Couldn't bring myself to buying a nice ride and having to leave it outside even if under cover.:beer:

[Sweet Cheekz]

I talked to the owner about the steering as well as the Alpha drive. As he stated above "pick your water" is something I will be doing for a while. Or at least until I get used to this thing.

I assume that in clean water conditions and being easy with the drive I should be OK up to about Oh, say 45 or so? :wink:

I am new to I/O's as well as a deep vee hulls so I will be taking it easy for a while. I will post speeds as I gain experience and confidence in driving this new toy!


As Grizz told me the first day, just have a little common sense and a whole bunch of respect and you will have the ride of your life. Thanks for the kind words. Again well done
Parnell

[The Hedgehog]

Thanks, Hog!

Much smaller than what you like to run from what I have read here.

One of the requirements I had when looking for a GO FAST boat was that it fit straight into the garage. I really liked the Classic 18. Loved Jerry Esile's boat! But it really came down to being able to go fast AND protecting the boat when not in use. Couldn't bring myself to buying a nice ride and having to leave it outside even if under cover.:beer:

Gotta protect the toys. I respect that. I have an X-18 and my dad has a 16. His 16 runs a whopping low 60's. It is one of my favs to drive:yes: You can't beat the fun of throwing around a small Donzi classic. I would love a ride in you boat one day.

[Just Say N20]

I would seriously consider finding someone with a lot of time in a 16 who would be willing to go out with you the first few times (like finding someone to ride in it will be hard :cool: ), so they can give you some coaching.

It will put you on the faster/safer learning curve. :yes:

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Gotta protect the toys. I respect that. I have an X-18 and my dad has a 16. His 16 runs a whopping low 60's. It is one of my favs to drive:yes: You can't beat the fun of throwing around a small Donzi classic. I would love a ride in you boat one day.

Come to VA and we'll go for a ride! Would love to learn a couple of pointers from a pro!

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

I would seriously consider finding someone with a lot of time in a 16 who would be willing to go out with you the first few times (like finding someone to ride in it will be hard :cool: ), so they can give you some coaching.

It will put you on the faster/safer learning curve. :yes:

So when do the lessons begin?:)

I am NOT so proud or egotistical to not ask for help! I know that this will be a handful at least until I get some seat time. OK, maybe A LOT of seat time!:beer:

[Donzi Vol]

Come to VA and we'll go for a ride! Would love to learn a couple of pointers from a pro!

Where are you located in VA? I'm in Southwestern VA all the time for work. Wouldn't mind swinging by if you're close.

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Where are you located in VA? I'm in Southwestern VA all the time for work. Wouldn't mind swinging by if you're close.

Lake Kerr. Or in Va. known as Buggs Island. It is about an hour East of Danville. About 2/3 of the lake is in Va. and 1/3 in NC.

Please feel free to call and come by. It is a vacation house, but we are there almost every weekend and then some.

Steve
301-908-0857

[Donzi Vol]

Lake Kerr. Or in Va. known as Buggs Island. It is about an hour East of Danville. About 2/3 of the lake is in Va. and 1/3 in NC.

Please feel free to call and come by. It is a vacation house, but we are there almost every weekend and then some.

Steve
301-908-0857

Cool. Sounds like a nice place. When I'm out that way I'll definitely give you a shout. Let us know when you come down to TN and we'll go for a ride. I'm sure we can find a Donzi to take out! :yes:

[The Hedgehog]

Lake Kerr. Or in Va. known as Buggs Island. It is about an hour East of Danville. About 2/3 of the lake is in Va. and 1/3 in NC.

Please feel free to call and come by. It is a vacation house, but we are there almost every weekend and then some.

Steve
301-908-0857

Nice area. I will be right over. I am pretty sure I can show you what NOT to do:shocking:

You HAVE to bring that beast to AOTH.

[Phil S]

Nice area. I will be right over. I am pretty sure I can show you what NOT to do:shocking:
You HAVE to bring that beast to AOTH.



No offense here HH, but from what I've read here Fluffy, HH has no hesitation at 90 ++ mph ! Those are only his "posted" numbers, so who knows ? Cool boat, and welcome.....just be careful around those Tennessee "go-fast" boats...methinks they tend to haul sand, and are loading more this winter !!:shocking:

No dog in this hunt...

With kind regards,
Phil S.

[The Hedgehog]

My ZX is a caged animal. The best way to get more out of it would be taking means to keep it under control at higher speeds. Being step hull with a pad makes it a different animal. I have driven it at 100+ and it was smooth as glass. I have also had some crazy dances at speeds around 90. K planes and mechanical indicators was the best mod I have done in a while. I am pretty sure I could wring some more out of it but I am having so much fun with it now I will hold off. Yes, it does take a little sack to drive in at much over 85 and it is kind of fun.

I would be lying if I said that I was doing nothing this winter. I actually started off in the direction of doing something in the big boat direction. Now I am doing something completely different (not the ZX either).

Now a 16 on the other hand. I bet that 90 in that would be like 120 in my ZX. Donnelly told me about taking his 16 on a suborbital ride. It sounded downright frightening. The big blown 16 is something else. THAT sounds pretty cool.

[joseph m. hahnl]

That bought the 96' 16 with the blower for 15K.

Spent 5 hours with Jeff Rogers, the original owner. Has all the documentation. Guy was OCD with the boat, which I can appreciate very much! He was VERY VERY meticulous about everything about the boat. It looks better than the pictures on E-bay. Very nice guy!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-SWEET-16-DONZI-CLASSIC-W-TRAILER_W0QQitemZ130336108032QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPo wer_Motorboats?hash=item1e58a32e00 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-SWEET-16-DONZI-CLASSIC-W-TRAILER_W0QQitemZ130336108032QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPo wer_Motorboats?hash=item1e58a32e00)

It's been winterized and is at Lake Kerr, Va. waiting for spring!

As a noob here and with a Donzi I hope I'll be able to pick at the collective brain trust on the forum about getting this thing up to speed.:beer:
Thanks, Steve

Welcome aboard brother:drive:

What Mop said about extra shorts:yes: and plenty of this stuff:toiletpap:toiletpap:toiletpap:toiletpap:toil etpap



:wink::wink::wink:



Looks fantastic, congratulations!

Hey, as an aside for the field, looking at the pictures leads me to a general question about blowers and gas fumes in bilges.

Blowers are used at low RPM (and no RPM before startup) to clear the bilge of trapped gasoline vapors. And they have (when right I think) at least one hose that goes all the way down the the bottom of the bilge, as gasoline vapors are denser than air, to ensure those are removed.

At higher RPM, the blower is turned off, as the motor itself is assumed to do the job, right (as it pulls a large amount of air in through the intake manifold, drawing fresh air through the vents)?

If so, what are the implications of motors with vents right up at the intake, such as this one? Where, presumably, the motor might be fed by air predominantly from the vent, and the air in the bilge might be able to stagnate? An even more pronounced example would be one where the intake/arrestor stuck all the way up through a hole in the deck.

Any thoughts or ideas welcome. I'm curious if it is known to ever be an issue.



Regards,

Mike

I think that once your are moving at speed the moving air through the entire super structure purges any fumes that may be present. If it were the carburetor that was doing all the work. When you were at idle you could rev it up and suck out the fumes, This certainly is not true. I agree that the carburetor or rather venturi vacuum from the engine could and would create negative air flow to aid in drawing fresh air in. But I think the vents are designed to let fresh air in and force out the fumes.I believe that is why some have duct hose and others are open. The configuration may vary from style of vents> as the ones on my Minx have two holes on each vent. one side of the blower vent with a hose and the other side of the same vent wide open.
Granted this is all from memory as the boat is under cover with a foot of snow and it's in the teens out.:bawling: but I'm sure if you study your configuration you'll see what I mean.

[MOP]

You never have to worry about bilge air circulation once under way, the scoop that feeds the blower put more air into the compartment then the engine can consume.

[mike o]

Hi, since this mystery and fabled 16 kind-a vanished from Winni NH area where I live. It's nice to see it's where abouts known and back on the water + front page again.........:yes: You've got friends......:kingme::kingme::kingme:

[FISHIN SUCKS]

Welcome to the Registry Fluffy, congratulations on your Sweet ride! If you can run that baby past 90 you will have definitely proven that you went to the hardware store and got a pair:kingme:!!! Like Hedge said, bring that baby to AOTH in May 2010 to Lake Cumberland:yes:.

[BigGrizzly]

Nice boat, learn its idiosyncrasies they all have a different personality. Take it slow and learn it. Remember bad habbits are hard to break.

[Greg Guimond]

Fluffy .........what did the prior owner claim the best speeds were for that 16?

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Thanks for all the kind reply's!:)

I do intend to heed everyone's advice about taking it slow and learning the boat. I wanted fast, but this may be over the top for me!:wink:

The previous owner was from Manchester, NH. He told me about the story of him smokin' the big boat (twin engine? 20+ ft.?) that was posted before.

It has an analog GPS speedo with a tattle-tale recall. He said he wished he had saved the 92 that he hit in NH!:shocking:

Waitin' for spring!

Steve

[donzi racer]

Fluffy .........what did the prior owner claim the best speeds were for that 16?

I am so glad to know it is out of Florida now. That little 16 is almost unbelieveable. I was lucky enough to get to see it and looked it over for over an hour trying to find a flaw. You and I know of the two fingerprints on the starboard side that the factory put into the gel. I agreed with Jeff that it showed that personal touch and I would leave them there also. You got a great boat for a whale of a deal. It would cost so much to duplicate that wonderful piece of Artwork. I am sooo happy for you, and soooo glad it is out of Florida. I just hope to see you sometime with it & get a ride. Tom

[Ed Donnelly]

Fluffy; Enjoy your Donzi as it has a special accessory.. Its called a throttle..
The more seat time, the more the throttle goes forward..

I drove my 16 top speed less than 5% of the time.
Just knowing it is there brings the giggles..............Ed

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

I am so glad to know it is out of Florida now.

So am I!
Let me know when you come up the coast.
Steve

[Fluffy Foo-Foo]

Fluffy; Enjoy your Donzi as it has a special accessory.. Its called a throttle..
The more seat time, the more the throttle goes forward..

I drove my 16 top speed less than 5% of the time.
Just knowing it is there brings the giggles..............Ed

Thanks, Ed.
I am looking forward to A LOT of seat time. I will take it easy though!

What is that saying?
It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it! I think the same holds true for the extra giddy-up under the hood!
Steve

[Bubba Dog]

Thanks, Ed.
I am looking forward to A LOT of seat time. I will take it easy though!

What is that saying?
It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it! I think the same holds true for the extra giddy-up under the hood!
Steve


Hey 3F, If you look like a gun slinger, there will be those that want to test your metal. Good luck to them, they will need it.:cool:
Bubba