1997 Donzi 16, 4.3 V6 (NOT MINE)

[Just Say N20]

Seems like a good deal.

http://greensboro.craigslist.org/boa/1518890005.html

[MOP]

Pretty indestructible package, seems strange how many Volvo boats are turning up lately! Someone will get a great buy!

[Walt. H.]

Also seems strange to put a dual prop SX Volvo drive instead of a single prop SX on such a small hull boat?

[Just Say N20]

I think a duoprop on that hull would be awesome! 16's are pretty "tender", and I believe the duoprop would make it rock solid stable.

Does seem like an odd combo; V6 and Duoprop.

[Walt. H.]

Bill thats very true, But very costly when experimenting with props and you do lose some mph perf with duals over a single prop drive.

Of course with a heavy cabin cruiser a dual prop drive is the thing to have, they get up on plane so much easier.

[silverghost]

To me this package is crying-out for a supercharger kit~
Or better yet a nice 300HP+ SBC V8 !
Seems a bit strange to put that costly Duoprop on a 16 and then couple it with a V6 .

[piper_chuck]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'm shopping for a boat and like many others, Donzi is a brand I've wanted since I was a kid. I'm currently trying to decide between something like this and a ski boat (Mastercraft). I still have to decide for myself which would be best for my purposes.

I found this ad a while back via site mash but didn't know much about the VP Duoprop drives, so I had kind of dismissed it. After reading this thread and doing some searches, I think I understand a bit better now. From what I've found, the drive should give me better acceleration, shorter time to get on plane, and better low speed handling at the expense of a few less MPH at the top end and significantly higher expense if I need to change props. Feedback on reliability is that they're solid. Does this pretty much sum it up?

The price on this boat seems pretty good compared to others that are on the market. It'd be a 3 hour drive each way to look at it, but it's in the same general direction as a few other boats I want to see, so I could probably combine trips. I'm trying to figure out if this boat is a must see before I decide what to buy...

[Bamboo Loui]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'm shopping for a boat and like many others, Donzi is a brand I've wanted since I was a kid. I'm currently trying to decide between something like this and a ski boat (Mastercraft). I still have to decide for myself which would be best for my purposes.

Everyone is different when trying to decide what boat is best for them. I have had 3 sport Nautiques-- great for the kids but other than late evening putts pretty boring for me. then I had a couple of Malibus-- same as the Nautiques and same for me. My wife and I sold our last one that was two years old and still not broken in because I did not drive it. I wanted a new boat last year and was leaning towards a Big Block open bow boat to satisfy family and give me a little more fun-- my loving wife and her elderly parents told me I was nuts and that I should buy something for me instead since we have a 25' pontoon that serves family duty-- so I bought a 22c-- I find that I over-hear my wife saying how happy she is to see me out driving and having fun. I hear the same from her folks and when I think back on last summer I must admit I had more fun--(even though the weather was horrible) than any summer in recent memory. I was a kid again!

I found this ad a while back via site mash but didn't know much about the VP Duoprop drives, so I had kind of dismissed it. After reading this thread and doing some searches, I think I understand a bit better now. From what I've found, the drive should give me better acceleration, shorter time to get on plane, and better low speed handling at the expense of a few less MPH at the top end and significantly higher expense if I need to change props. Feedback on reliability is that they're solid. Does this pretty much sum it up?
Years ago I had a 21ft larson SE open bow with the volvo dp package and I think the 5.7 carb sb. I am very big on the volvo dp packages.More expensive to prop, but great in every other way- TheLarson was a pretty fastboat for its size and weight-there was one other boat on the lake at that time that always wanted to race- it too was a larson -21ft all red senza with the merc sb set up- same hp. we were always neck and neck across the lake. I loved the DP. I do not know why we ran so close in speed- I was heavier & less aerodynamic. -- Only change I made was Stainless props.
The price on this boat seems pretty good compared to others that are on the market. It'd be a 3 hour drive each way to look at it, but it's in the same general direction as a few other boats I want to see, so I could probably combine trips. I'm trying to figure out if this boat is a must see before I decide what to buy...

for me, I would get more pics before making the drive-- but the package looks good.:crossfing:

[Donzi Vol]

Seems like a pretty cool set-up to me. As for a ski boat, it's probably about the best one out there if it hops out of the hole quicker than others.