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View Full Version : X18 or 18 2+3 You choose...



Buddyc
03-18-2011, 09:29 PM
If you had the choice what would you rather have and why?
X18 or a Classic 18 2+3?
They are both really sweet boats and even though they have length in common is that it? What would be the differences in other characteristics of these great boats

silverghost
03-18-2011, 09:41 PM
Buddy:

18 vs X-18 ~~~& Corscan
All are basically the exact same boats & hulls from the rub-rail down !

Just a deck swap update on the old "Classic" style 18 to make it an X-18 !

I like all three deck types !

The upswept deck of the X-18 gives you a slightly deeper cockpit passenger area !

Our family had a new X-18 in the early 1970s !

Other friends have/had the "Classic" style Donzi 18 .

Donzi made far fewer X-18s .
156 total I believe ?
(Where is Matty , our history & production numbers guy ,when we need him ?)

The X-18 deck was dropped after a short time in production~~~ 1973-79
Why ?~~~
Don't really know for sure !
Possibly lack of sales compared to the standard "Classic" deck style ?
Did the old X-18 deck mold wear out ?
Who really knows for sure ?

Everyone around today seems to know the standard 18, or so-called "Classic" deck style Donzi .

Then there is always the rare & sporty Corsican 18 !
1969-71 only 58 built !

Again~~~ basically the same boat & hull from the rub-rail down.
But what a sporty & radical deck design with storage area !

jstrahn
03-19-2011, 12:55 AM
I like the X-18 because:

1. Upswept deck looks cool.
2. Gauges stretched across the dash looks cool.
3. Front seats being higher looks neat and probably gives a bit more support
4. Seem to be more rare.

Just Say N20
03-19-2011, 09:07 AM
I like the X-18 because:
1. Upswept deck looks cool.
2. Gauges stretched across the dash looks cool.
3. Front seats being higher looks neat and probably gives a bit more support
4. Seem to be more rare.

Ditto. Exactly.

I've owned both, shown below.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c111/streb2005/Bill1976X18.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c111/streb2005/BillsDMR186471178-donziC.jpg

BUIZILLA
03-19-2011, 09:51 AM
is that an Aspen wagon in the first pic?

Marlin275
03-19-2011, 11:05 AM
X-18 holds the fastest record of all Donzis
Most beautiful 18 ever made
and it is rare . . .

The front deck keeps the bow down at extreme speed

There's a kind of glow to them that's hard to capture.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23428&d=1156471918

Donzi Vol
03-19-2011, 12:29 PM
Buddy,

For the ones that you're dealing with, you're going to get a rare boat either way. It basically depends on (in my opinion) if you want the old school original classic, or the sports car version. It's kind of like a stock '69 camero vs. a Super Sport. I've driven both, and like both just fine. However, I personally love my original 18, and wouldn't trade it for anything that I've found yet.

If I were you, I would drive both and see what you think. That should do the trick.

Good luck,
David

Dakari
03-19-2011, 12:36 PM
I'm going to vote for the X-18 as well....but of course I'm biased. Rolled her out today and started doing spring prep work.

Just Say N20
03-19-2011, 12:43 PM
is that an Aspen wagon in the first pic?

You are scaring me. Yes. I supplied the boat, and a friend offered to drive, and he had an Aspen Wagon. Towed the boat from Rockford, IL to Geneva, IL where we put in and ran the Mississippi River.

Wing Dams are scary. :shocking:

Mr X
03-19-2011, 02:09 PM
X-18 holds the fastest record of all Donzis
Most beautiful 18 ever made
and it is rare . . .


The front deck keeps the bow down at extreme speed

There's a kind of glow to them that's hard to capture.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23428&d=1156471918

Not the fastest any more..... I ran this one at 132 MPH on GPS

Marlin275
03-19-2011, 02:44 PM
Not the fastest any more..... I ran this one at 132 MPH on GPS

Its Official
X-18 holds the fastest record of all classic Donzis . . .

Greg Guimond
03-19-2011, 03:44 PM
Having seen Marlin275's X-18 up close several times last Summer I would vote X-18 as well without a doubt.

--- X-18 has "the look"
--- X-18 looks rare
--- X-18 is in fact rare
--- X-18 fastest ever amongst the Classics, and that record won't ever fall

Marlin275
03-19-2011, 04:04 PM
Having seen Marlin275's X-18 up close several times last Summer I would vote X-18 as well without a doubt.

--- X-18 has "the look"
--- X-18 looks rare
--- X-18 is in fact rare
--- X-18 fastest ever amongst the Classics, and that record won't ever fall

thanks Greg . . .


http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=59044&d=1286126959

Marlin275
03-19-2011, 04:20 PM
I like the X-18 because:
2. Gauges stretched across the dash looks cool.


right on . . .


http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23427&d=1156471918

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=16498&d=1133893738

Nasa scientists have found enough water on the moon to support a modest colony for centuries.

silverghost
03-19-2011, 04:32 PM
Old Century speedboats on the Moon ! ?

Hey~~~ I thought we were talking Donzi X-18 / 18 speedboats here ? ;-)


Speaking of Century speedboats~~~

In the late 1950s to early 1960s the Century Coronado was advetised as "The World's Fastest Production Speedboat " in their sales catalogs !

Then Don Aronow & his Donzi came along and changed everything !

Buddyc
03-19-2011, 04:35 PM
Did the X18 have a factory hood scoop? I have seen some and not on others. It was a rear facing small scoop.
Honestly you cant go wrong with either.I like how the X18 has an arched transom like the Barrelback.
I do however like the dash, Seats and deck of the X18. reminds me of an old school Farrari

silverghost
03-19-2011, 04:53 PM
Buddy:

Stop teasing us~~~ and post some photos of your new X-18 project find !

What drive & powerplant combo do you plan to use ?


Call me sometime about your transom project !

Buddyc
03-19-2011, 05:14 PM
Buddy:

Stop teasing us~~~ and post some photos of your new X-18 project find !

What drive & powerplant combo do you plan to use ?


Call me sometime about your transom project !

Nothing to post... Just trying to get as much info as I can before I do anything...

Greg Guimond
03-19-2011, 05:14 PM
Agree.........Buddy.........pony up some pics :)

Buddyc
03-19-2011, 05:54 PM
Agree.........Buddy.........pony up some pics :)

If it happens it will be Forests old X18... Not hard to find the pics of it on here :wink:

Sweet Cheekz
03-20-2011, 08:53 AM
Thats a sweet boat Good luck

Parnell

ITTLFLI
03-20-2011, 09:39 AM
Kind of biased towards the X as well!:pimp:

Buddyc
03-20-2011, 02:27 PM
Thats a sweet boat Good luck

Parnell
I thought so as well from the pics. Its a whole new world up close....

maddad
03-20-2011, 03:36 PM
The X-18's are nice looking boats. So nice in fact, you can almost overlook the car seats in it and the need to ask your passenger what the gauges on his/her side say. The 2+3 looks exactly the way a speed boat should.
But this is just my opinion.:wink:

Buddyc
03-20-2011, 05:59 PM
The X-18's are nice looking boats. So nice in fact, you can almost overlook the car seats in it and the need to ask your passenger what the gauges on his/her side say. The 2+3 looks exactly the way a speed boat should.
But this is just my opinion.:wink:
Car seats..lol
I like the x18s. but I also like the 66 18 2+3 I have and going to move forward on it with great anticipation!

Donzi Vol
03-20-2011, 06:22 PM
Car seats..lol
I like the x18s. but I also like the 66 18 2+3 I have and going to move forward on it with great anticipation!

Is there a "Like" button here? :yes:

Buddyc
03-20-2011, 06:32 PM
Is there a "Like" button here? :yes:

Thank you.

mrfixxall
03-20-2011, 06:50 PM
the only one's with the scoops were the trs boats,i think they were their because in order the get the correct x dimension they had to raise the engine which left no engine to hatch clearance..

I don't know what madd is talking about seeing the gauges but i can see mine perfectly. unless he is either blind or is a midget then those seats will fee like wrap around car seats to him..lol...

Buddyc
03-20-2011, 07:18 PM
the only one's with the scoops were the trs boats,i think they were their because in order the get the correct x dimension they had to raise the engine which left no engine to hatch clearance..

I don't know what madd is talking about seeing the gauges but i can see mine perfectly. unless he is either blind or is a midget then those seats will fee like wrap around car seats to him..lol...

Midget isnt politically correct. There called Little people..lol
There must not have been any clearance between the exhaust and hatch. This hatch was burned out and cracked where the exhaust would have hit.
I thought the seats were comfortable

maddad
03-20-2011, 08:41 PM
Fixx, it's not really based in any reality, just a poke at some of the noticable diffs. If I had an X, I'm sure I'd tried hard as I could to find a flaw in the 2+3.

Kirbyvv
03-21-2011, 08:36 AM
I'm partial to the X-18 deck style too.

silverghost
03-21-2011, 02:22 PM
It looks now like Lenny should have gone into the side business of building X-18 s from his new molds while he still owned them.

Or~~~
At least just the X-18 decks !

The new owners of Donzi should consider bringing the X-18 back into limited production again !

There seems to be quite an interest in the X-18 style deck here .

VetteLT193
03-22-2011, 12:09 PM
for some reason the X18 never looked as sexy as the standard model to me. the long flat deck is what catches my eye on the classics.

I'd also like to take an educated guess that there is a reason they didn't make many of them... not a hot seller?

Sweet little 16
03-22-2011, 01:01 PM
Funny in all of this is the fact that people think the X 18 didn't sell??


I bet they were making close to the same amount of X's as they were 18's at that time.


The Chisholm's were far from mass production and the 16 and 18 heyday was long over by then. In the mid 70's the Donzi line up was pretty big , one could choose from a 16, 3 versions of 18's the 19/20 hornet the 21 gt, 22-23 7 meter, and a few versions of the 24 footer.


The X18 in 7 years of production approx 170 boats that's what 24 point something boats a year. I bet they weren't making a hole hell of a lot more regular 18's at that time.


seriously most of the interest here is from people who already own them. Never mind making limited production X 18 . I'd be happy to see the classics go back into production instead of a custom order basis.



Of all the 18s I think the Barrelback has the best lines over the standard 18, the X, and the Corsican BUT if I had to lay down ching on one the X would be my choice. The X has a better lines style and ride comfort, so it's more of a total package.

Marlin275
03-22-2011, 02:50 PM
I'd also like to take an educated guess that there is a reason they didn't make many of them... not a hot seller?

The X-18 was the high end model that cost more than the flat deck 18.
The average annual wage in 1972 was $ 7133. and that was with one person working.
The X-18 cost $ 7670. - $ 8950. depending on engine.

So you had to be rich to own one.

http://www.donzi.net/cat/cat72/pix/prices72.gif

Buddyc
03-22-2011, 04:25 PM
Is the curved transom the same transom as the Barrelback? More arch or less?

Marlin275
03-22-2011, 09:16 PM
Is the curved transom the same transom as the Barrelback? More arch or less?

both

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=62445&d=1300846621

http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=62448&d=1300847312

gcarter
03-22-2011, 09:41 PM
If I understand your question correctly, the barrel back transom is completely flat w/no curvature.
The standard round keel hulls are flat only in the middle and between the stringers so the outdrive can be mounted.
The rest of the transom has at least two other shapes on either side of the stringer area.
It's a little complex.

gcarter
03-22-2011, 09:46 PM
At least that's the case w/other round keel Classics.

Planetwarmer
03-22-2011, 11:30 PM
The price list says the X-18 came with a windshield standard. Is that correct?

Rootsy
03-23-2011, 07:34 AM
I prefer the 2+3 obviously...

Buddyc
03-23-2011, 07:35 AM
If I understand your question correctly, the barrel back transom is completely flat w/no curvature.
The standard round keel hulls are flat only in the middle and between the stringers so the outdrive can be mounted.
The rest of the transom has at least two other shapes on either side of the stringer area.
It's a little complex.

Im sorry , I meant the rear deck where it meets the transom. I can see from the pictures that Marlin posted the simularities and subtile differences. BTW that is a sweet Barrelback in the pic

Sweet little 16
03-23-2011, 07:50 AM
The price list says the X-18 came with a windshield standard. Is that correct?


yes that is correct. they meant the upswept foredeck /fairing/windscreen unique to the X-18

Buddyc
03-23-2011, 08:13 AM
I prefer the 2+3 obviously...

WOw that is a sharp looking boat. Got to love it

VetteLT193
03-23-2011, 06:36 PM
The X-18 was the high end model that cost more than the flat deck 18.
The average annual wage in 1972 was $ 7133. and that was with one person working.
The X-18 cost $ 7670. - $ 8950. depending on engine.

So you had to be rich to own one.

http://www.donzi.net/cat/cat72/pix/prices72.gif


It was only 3% more than the regular 18. ($250). I think Donzi's have always been expensive.

Hard to tell on production. I don't think there is enough data available and I don't think the production was consistent. Meaning, in '72 it was new and hot and probably sold like heck for '72 and '73... I'd venture to guess it outsold the standard 18. It's the later years that matter... after the newness of the X wore off I'm betting production of the standard 18 took stronghold again.

--UPDATE--
I did a few minutes of research and it looks like the 111th boat was built in '74; 141st in '76, last boat I saw was built in mid 1978 so nearly 70% of the production came in two years, the final 30+% was built out over the last 4 years... with 5 or less being built the final year.

Interesting stuff. Wish we had a real registry to look up things like this on all of our boats.

rocksmann
03-24-2011, 12:41 AM
love all the info guys I have a73 x and i love it

Sweet little 16
03-24-2011, 06:20 AM
It was only 3% more than the regular 18. ($250). I think Donzi's have always been expensive.
Hard to tell on production. I don't think there is enough data available and I don't think the production was consistent. Meaning, in '72 it was new and hot and probably sold like heck for '72 and '73... I'd venture to guess it outsold the standard 18. It's the later years that matter... after the newness of the X wore off I'm betting production of the standard 18 took stronghold again.
--UPDATE--
I did a few minutes of research and it looks like the 111th boat was built in '74; 141st in '76, last boat I saw was built in mid 1978 so nearly 70% of the production came in two years, the final 30+% was built out over the last 4 years... with 5 or less being built the final year.
Interesting stuff. Wish we had a real registry to look up things like this on all of our boats.


You must take into account what was going on in the late 70's. deja vu actually a poor economy and an oil crisis. I am sure if you cross referenced 18 production numbers over the 72-78 time period you'll find they weren't making many more 18s than X 18 . I wouldn't be surprised if for every 3 18s built they built 2 X 18 over the 72-78 time period.Don't forget what showed up on the scene in 78-79, the 22.

all we need to do is find a 72 18 hull number and a 78 18 hull number

Sweet little 16
03-24-2011, 10:18 AM
So how many hulls do we think the Chisholm's were putting out a year on avg. from 72-78 ?? From a company with a reputation as more of a quality over quantity builder??? with all the hulls that they had in the line up from 72-78??
the baby 16
the 16 skisporter
the 18
the corsican
the x 18
the 19 hornet
the St Tropez
the Hornet II
21Gt
23 Seven Meter
the 24


I know you hit some models in the begining,end or hey day of their life span during those periods. But I think the mind set that they were popping boats out like hot cakes insn't correct, that ending when the chisholm's took ownership. They produced more 16s from 64 to 68 then from 69 to 79


I think you can more attribute the X-18 demise as the high end model ( for the rich as it has been put) when the 22 criterion was introduced in 78. plus the overhead on the X18 was greater and I sure the profit margin was tighter.
The 16 and 18 shared alot of the production cost same dash plate, cutouts same buckets . More cost associated with the X different seats more labor on the dash.


144 hulls a year is 12 hulls a month for nice round math. where do we think the production numbers were back then higher lower??


Would be nice to have some kind of listing or registry

BUIZILLA
03-24-2011, 10:38 AM
F22's and Critter's started in '78 :)

Marlin275
03-24-2011, 12:36 PM
It was only 3% more than the regular 18. ($250). I think Donzi's have always been expensive.

Sounds like chump change today
but in 1972
gas was 36 cents a gallon
you could feed a family of 6 for about $35. a week

blackboat
03-24-2011, 03:21 PM
Even though I owned a 1968 Donzi Corsican,I always had a soft spot for the X18 Donzi . If I ever sell my existing boat that could be my next ride!
:)