New Donzi 38ZR vs Original Donzi 28 (007)

[JOHN SCIBERRAS]

Many members of this site like the old Donzi's and many prefer the new ones and some probably like both. The question I put out for comment is which boat is the best race boat , the new 38 ZR or the original Donzi 28 (007). Both boats have raced around the world with great success. I will start by saying that I have not had a chance to try a 38ZR but did spend a day on Lake Simcoe in Canada in 10 ft waves and 50 mph winds in a 33ZX Safari edition prformance cruiser and in similar conditions in my 1967 Donzi Sportsman and must admit that in these conditions the 1967 28 was the superior boat by far. Looking forward to some interesting comments on the subject and which boat will be voted the winner. This is just a fun exercise!

[RedDog]

10 foot waves...

[BUIZILLA]

rule to live by...

B B B B B

Big Balls Beats Bigger Boats

[JOHN SCIBERRAS]

Redog, the waves may have been 6 ft or better but these size of wave are quite common on Lake Simcoe and closely spaced similar to those you would see a the south end of Clearwater Beach Florida where the intercoastal enters the Gulf . It is not uncommon to see waves splashing over the bridge of a 40 Ft sportfisherman on Lake Simcoe. Many an offshore has met its demise on this lake inculding approx 50 ft skater with twin 900's which led to the end of the city of Orilla organized poker runs.

[Cuda]

There are many ways to go from the ICW into the gulf. The most scared I've ever been in a boat was Egmont Channel crossing the bay. Then there is the miserable mile going out Pass-A-Grill. and if the wind is blowing in, with the tide going out, John's Pass ain't no picnic either, I've never seen 10 ft seas at any of them.

[gcarter]

These two boats are so different in character and nature that I'm having a hard time trying to mentally compare them........

Other than the fact that both boats are significantly faster than the typical
Bayliner, they're both considered "performance" boats, and named "DONZI",
I sure can't find much to compare them.

Once in Sarasota, I was the first boat behind a 38 ZR leading the entire fleet to lunch.........It was really interesting trying to follow along in all that aerated water coming off the transom of that big stepped hull!:nilly:

[VetteLT193]

.....
Once in Sarasota, I was the first boat behind a 38 ZR leading the entire fleet to lunch.........It was really interesting trying to follow along in all that aerated water coming off the transom of that big stepped hull!:nilly:

It has a ton of technology in that hull. And Donzi knows how much area of each portion is wet while running etc. there are two flavors of it too. A Twin Step and a Quad Step.

An old wave crushing 24 degree deadrise hull is great when things get really snotty. but in average snotty weather I'd think the newer hulls flying high and over the waves would be better.

10 foot seas I'll stay tied to the dock in either boat. Rum today Run tomorrow.

[Tom A.]

Owning a '03 38 ZrComp. I may be a bit bias but here is my take.:cool!:

When the 38 Comp came out in '02 it dominated the F-2 circuit and v-class with multiple world championships. Many of the same boats are still competitive today 7-8 years later. That says alot!
The sister to my boat ('03 38 Comp) was bought by an English team at the end of 2008 and then proceeded to win every event it completed in the P1 offshore circuit in Europe last year (a few mechanical gremlims knocked them out of a couple of races). Not bad for a six year old boat competing against a fleet of newer offerings.
As for the quad step, I rode in one multiple times and it was quicker by a few mph. However, the twin step handles turns better and doesn't feel as loose on the top end. Unless you are running dead calm and straight, I would take my twin step.

The 28' 007 had a huge impact on the way offshore boats evolved. It was the greatest in its day.

To me this is like saying which is better the first '53 Corvette or the new ZR1. By far the ZR1 is the best Corvette ever built (not to mention will run with the best cars of the world for a small % of their price). However, without the '53, would their even be a ZR1?