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tburn
05-12-2011, 07:17 PM
Just signed up hello all. I am looking into a 1988 or 1989 Donzi classic 18 350 OMC with a little over 300 hours. The boat looks pretty nice in the pics, the guy is asking $11,000. I don't know a whole lot about Donzis, are they known for rotted floors, transom or stringers? Anything to look out for? I am going to look at it this weekend. Thanks for any help.

tburn
05-25-2011, 05:51 PM
Did I post this in the right section? I thought someone would chime in?

fogducker III
05-25-2011, 06:13 PM
Welcome to the site, you are asking some pretty broad questions, hard to answer with so little info. Do you have a link to the ad? Has anything been done to the boat from stock? Hours on the motor/outdrive, salt or fresh etc etc....?

I have found Donzi boats have similar issues to any other boat, it all depends on how the boat was taken care of, where and how the boat was run. Best thing to do is take somebody who knows what they are looking at with you to view the boat...good luck, if you get the right one, they are awesome....:wink::crossfing:

Carl C
05-25-2011, 06:17 PM
Any 22 year old boat is likely to have some rot. $11,000 seems high (in today's market) and I'd be suspect of the 300 hour claim.

pipnit
05-25-2011, 06:26 PM
I bought a 76 a couple years back that proved to be bone dry / no rot. Every boat is unique. It might make a lot of sense to pay someone with the right certs to do a marine survey on the boat in question.

tburn
05-28-2011, 07:00 AM
Thanks for the responses. I just looked at the boat yesterday. Its not bad. It has 321 original engine hours. It does have a few spots that the gelcoat is chipped. It has a few scratches and the red on the sides and transom is faded some. The floor seems to be super solid. The engine compartment is very clean as is the outdive. The upholstery is all there but dried out and discolored so it needs that(white w/red piping). The rub rail is pretty dung up so I would want to change that. Temp gauge doesn't work. I didn't get to hear it run or put it in the water but, thats next. The boat was always kept on a boat lift and covered so I would assume its got to be pretty dry. It seems hard to tell with Donzis if there is any rot going on because of the floor design. Does anyone know if there is wood in the transom or did Donzi do something different back there. The trailer is good. I think the boat could be bought for $7,000. If it checks out ok in the water. I am going to get some prices on interior and see what it takes to get the red back again. I will post some pics.

MOP
05-28-2011, 07:41 AM
Does the drive have a pronounced hump on the top? 89 was a transition year when it came to the drives, it could have three different variations! Standard Cobra, updated standard Cobra called a King, and the real King Cobra which is highly regarded. The standard Cobra is still a good drive quite a bit better than an Alpha but wimpy compared to the real King Cobra, all the drives are a little hard to get parts for. If it does have the real King it is a very tough drive tougher than the Bravo, you will not break it! The only other issue is the ignition, when it fails it will need replacement parts are like hens teeth. The areas to check fro rot is the stringers back by the engine and the transom, you can get a reasonable idea of the integrity by tapping around on them. A tiny ball peen hammer lightly tapping will produce a sharp crisp sound if all is well, any dull sounding areas are suspect for rot or delamination.

Phil

zelatore
05-28-2011, 07:16 PM
$11K sounded a little steep to start with; as described it sounds very steep. The $7K number is much better. I could live with that.

The rub rail isn't too hard to replace, but finding an exact match might be difficult. I forget which moldings were used on which boats, but you can get hollow s/s inserts readily. A couple guys and a day's work and you can replace it yourself.

Can't tell how bad the gel may be in the pics, but a solid color hull having some fading is certainly nothing new. Most likely it'll take nothing more than some work with compound and a buffer. If it's bad, some wet-sanding then the compounding, but either way you should be able to bring it back unless it's really bad.

The gel chips require a certain artistic ability for a DIY repair, but most fiberglass guys can bang them out for very little $$.

The interior on the other hand can be pretty pricey. Finding a complete OEM setup will run solidly four-figures, if you can find it at all. You could likely have a good upholstery shop do a near-match of the crispy parts for less, but it'll still cost a fair bit.

MOP - I didn't realize they used the King on the 18s/small blocks. That would be an indestructible (if somewhat rare) package.

dsparis
05-28-2011, 09:03 PM
Ive got a 91 18c w/sbc- king cobra drive These drives are bullet proof. If you ever need parts everything is readily available and inexpensive. I believe 89 was the older style drive that was mentioned earlier. Still a good drive but cable adjustment is crucial.

tburn
05-28-2011, 09:42 PM
Thanks for the info. I will check to be sure what drive it has and check the rear of the stringers for rot. I will let you know how I make out.

silverghost
05-28-2011, 10:26 PM
Be sure to check the transom wood core for rot also~~~
Especially the lower area near th hull drain & lower drive area.
And where the stringers meet the transom.

Sweet little 16
05-29-2011, 06:41 AM
one other tip, usually this era "OMC" Donzi had a tainted reputation has being not build well. Some of this might be warranted but not really .this is the case in any era donzi mostly a product of care and upkeep. There were flaws in some methods in the factory procedures in all eras but if you know what to look for you can find a solid boat.

first would be what is the HIN of this boat?? does it start with D or C ??

The classics that had Chris Craft HIN's were put together pretty well and were usually laid up a little heavier and more solid( as long as they were kept dry)

all of the info given here is pretty much on spot. looks to be a well kept boat.
good luck in your decision

tburn
06-09-2011, 05:04 PM
I could only get him down to $9000. so I am going to work on my project boat instead. 1983 Glastron CVX-20 Intimidator. Thanks for all your help and responses.