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View Full Version : New Donzi owner in Lake Havasu Az



Perfect16
09-03-2011, 05:49 PM
Hi there,

I'd like to introduce myself to the forum. My name is Paul and I have just purchased a new (to me) 16 Classic this Thursday. I have been looking for an ultra clean low hour late model 16 or 18 Classic for about 6 months and happened to find one about 500 miles away just outside of Sacramento, CA.

It is a 1999 2+2 with a Mercruiser 5.0/Alpha set-up. The boat only has 90 hours and is equipped with most if not all of the options that I have seen for a boat of this vintage (Trim Tabs, Halon system, etc...)....except Fuel Injection.

With only 90 hours the boat literally looks as good as it probably did when it was new....there's not a mark on the boat anywhere including the outdrive so it truly looks new inside and out!

I have owned many boats through the years including a number of the west coast "Go Fast" boats like Schiada and Hallett with "V Drives" and I/O's.....I even had one of which would do almost 100MPH but that was years ago.

My most recent boat was an Advantage 28' PartyCat with HP500 EFI that would do a legitimate 65MPH with 8 or more people on board and the Bimini's down.....and it even had a built-in blender:). The issue was fuel consumption and the sheer size of the boat.....I could literally watch the fuel gauge dive for empty.....all 100 gallons of them:frown:

We traded it in on a brand new 24' Premiere TriToon with a Honda 150 a few months ago and while this is a great platform to jump on and head for a cove where we can run it up on a beach we really miss the sportiness that is just not there at 38 MPH!! We decided that we needed something fun to drive with just the 2 of us onboard so I started doing research including a request for advice from my local boating forum out here "River Dave's Place" with some specific requirements specifically;

Needed to be able to do at least 50 MPH or better
Had to be able to handle the 2' boat chop that comes up on the weekends here on THE hot boat lake in the west
Needed to be able to be launched and retrieved with a Yamaha Rhino
Had to "Look Cool" and be fun to drive .....which is a prerequisite here on Lake Havasu!!!
There were lots of suggestions of small boats like Yamaha (Yuck), Sea Doos (worse), and some older California boats but none of these had the build quality I was accustomed to until one of the east coast members recommended a Donzi 16 or 18 classic.....I did the research, found this site and started looking.

I am fastidious about my stuff so when I started looking I found that one person's idea of "Perfect" may not be anothers.....and definitely wasn't mine!!! Isn't it funny how sellers are always much less critical than buyers:bonk:.....In any case I really did find an amazing boat that actually wasn't for sale. It started with a guy that was selling a "just OK" 89 Testarossa but he kept talking about his perfect little 16....that he was going to sell after he sold the Testarossa so he could find a late model 18 to replace them both.

When I got into his 18 I realized it wasn't for me and when I told him what I was really looking for he said too bad I'm not selling my 16....it's exactly what you are looking for. Well one thing led to another and I now own the 16....I probably paid a thousand or 1500 more than market but the one thing I don't have a lot of these days is time and a boat like this close to new and close to home is worth something.....it is to me at least!

In any case when we took it for a spin before I finalized the deal, I fell in love....even though this guy didn't know how to really drive a boat it was obvious to me that this boat is a winner and will be absolutely what I'm looking for.

It's being delivered and I will be able to put it in the water Saturday. In the mean time I am like a kid in a candy store waiting for it to arrive!

Here's a couple of pictures I took while I was there both outside as well as inside it's own little house where the owner kept her........I really think the guy was ready to cry when I paid him for it and he handed over the title. I wasn't sure until the last minute that he was really going to sell it to me!!!

In any case I'm looking forward to getting to know and meet everyone here (at least in cyberspace) as well as looking forward to many enjoyable hours on the water!

Regards,
Paul Bruce

Ghost
09-03-2011, 06:03 PM
Good looking boat, welcome to the board. -Mike

Tony
09-03-2011, 06:26 PM
Great first post, and a very nice looking 16'!

Welcome to the board...and to the madness that is Donzi!

:beer:

gcarter
09-03-2011, 06:55 PM
Welcome!
There are a few Donzi owners in CA, maybe not a lot around Havasu, but there are some around.
Enjoy your new boat.

zelatore
09-04-2011, 12:13 AM
Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you found a winner. I'd say you made the right call to pay a little over market for the boat YOU wanted - I've seen too many people argue over peanuts and miss out on a really nice boat.

Just curious, where was 'just outside Sacramento'? There are a few of us on the board in the Sac area.

MOP
09-04-2011, 09:24 AM
Nice find welcome to the group! I still miss mine at times, but my 22 is better suited for my old bones. A 16 trip across my bay in a 2-3 foot chop might lay me up for a few days!

Phil

Jraysray
09-04-2011, 09:58 AM
Now we have another reason to take the Donzi's to Lake H! Man I wanna go there!

Perfect16
09-04-2011, 03:51 PM
This guy was in Shingle Springs and I went for a ride (Such as it was) on Lake Folsom.

Looking forward to getting this guy out on Lake Havasu Saturday....I'll report back!

I used to have a 12' boat (Schiada) with a 50HP O/B a number of years ago so I know how badly small boats can get beaten up but the Donzi with trim tabs will certainly have a fighting chance.....when it gets too choppy we'll probably take the TriToon out anyhow......that thing is OK no matter how big the chop gets.

Cheers!

Donzi Vol
09-04-2011, 04:39 PM
Welcome to the board. Beautiful 16. Always fun.

-David