Got my Donzi 22 classic today

[AGCF]

Just got my -98 22 classic blackhawk. Bought it from smokediver through this forum. An agent in Florida took care of the freight.

Now theres one blackhawk in Sweden :sweden:, probably the only one. I just took it for a short spin. Short, since my gas station is out of fuel. I own a marina and my own fuelling station but because we have ice in the winter, it's closed more than half of the year.

Anyway, the sound is amazing :kingme: and the boat is really a beauty. Got a small fan club around me when starting up the engine. It was really hard to maneuver at in the marina and at speed the tabs need some learning. I had problems with the boat leaning to the starboard side. Is there a way to tell the position of the tabs? Maybe it's something I will learn.. They are adjusted individually but my agent also installed a steering wheel mounted switch for the tabs. This one is for both at the same time. The problem is that the cable twists around when turning and gets really annoying. Felt like a waste of money.
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Overall it's in great shape. Looking forward to some warm weather som I can make a longer trip and fiddle with tabs and trim..

[Jraysray]

I have seen your boat run several times. It's a nice one.
Clear Lake Texas to Florida to Sweden. The Donzi world is a small one.

[Carl C]

Congratulations! You will learn the feel of the tabs. Mine is not a BH and lists to port until it is running fast so I drop the port tab for 5 seconds before planing out and then fine tune it to keep the boat level. Then as I speed up and trim up I can raise the tab. Both tabs go down only if I am running at minimum planing speed or running in really rough water. Of course the Blackhawk is different but all Classics are driver's boats and take time to master. Take it easy and get to know your boat. :)

[Planetwarmer]

Play with your tabs. I use tabs full down on takeoff until the boat nears plane. I raise them both up all the way. Then I adjust each tab according to the load and speed of the boat. The tabs can really help to push the bow of the boat through rough water. I let the hull's deep V do the work of absorbing the waves as opposed to bouncing all over the lake. I will typically run the tabs fully up if in normal conditions with a passenger to offset my weight. Like I said, just constantly mess with the tabs and trim. Itl'll take time to perfect, but you'll get there if you pay close attention to how the boat. There is no set standard for how to run the tabs and trim, It's a feel thing that you learn over time. I am constantly adjusting the tabs and trim due to changing conditions and speed. When I run wide open, the tabs are all the way up.

WORD OF ADVICE--
Don't run tabs while turning, and make sure the drive trim is level or up some while turning. If not, you can spin the boat.

[AGCF]

Thanks for the feedback. Does anyone else have a tab control mounted on the steering wheel? I can't turn properly because the cord twists.

It's this one (http://www.thmarine.com/products/Outboard-Performance/Trim-Switches/Steering-Trim-Control-Unit).

[joseph m. hahnl]

Welcome and Congrats:

The switch that you link to is a trim switch not a tab switch.
It's for raising and lowering the drive.
I have tab switches on my steering wheel.
They dont use coiled wires ,It uses an energized JO/PRO hub that has a series of isolated plates and contacts. Even my horn switch is hitched up .the horn is activated by pushing the blue Donzi marine emblem on the steering wheel cover .

Unfortunatly For you this is my own design and only this one is in existance.

But Fortunatly there is or was a company that manufactures them. They are pricey.The design intent of a hub is to allow the use of steering mounted switches with hydraulic steering .

There are also radio controlled hubs available through Lavorsi


I'll see if I can find the link

http://www.screamandfly.com/content.php?39-Livorsi-Marine-Wireless-Trim-System

[roadtrip se]

on a Blackhawk are a great idea, because these things need tab all of the time. You trim the BH drive very little and use the tabs to run the attitude of the boat like you would normally trim a Bravo boat. Start with them all the way down, hit the throttle, and trim them up as you gain speed. This is not how you run a normal Classic, so it takes practice.

If you have separate tab controls, left and right, on the wheel, you might look at adding another switch that brings both tabs up at near equal speeds and at the same heights together. The Mercury trim motors are infamous for not running at scychronized speeds, so you still will need to make minor adjustments from left to right, based on what the boat is doing, but lifting the tabs in sychronized fashion will make life a lot easier for you.

As for the cable binding, I would look at redoing to to add length if necessary, or just move the new primary sychro switch to the throttle, eliminate the switches on the wheel completely, and make minor left and right adjustments with the switches on the gunwale.

All of this is what I have seen the truly accomplished Blackhawk jockeys do with their boats over the years.

Good luck. These boats are a blast when mastered!

[Ghost]

Just curious RT, with all you just described about tab-driving, do you think a Blackhawk is worth springing for mechanical tab indicators?

[roadtrip se]

Sure would not hurt!

[AGCF]

Tab indicators would be great but it seems like a complicated thing to install. Anyone have that on a classic? I took it for a 70 mph run today. I started trimming the tabs up in very small steps but the boat starts to bounce at the smallest of wave. Anyway a solenoid for the drive trim is broken so it only goes up, trimmed it down with a piece of wire today.
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[olredalert]

----It seems to me that while this 22 obviously has a Blackhawk drive it doesnt appear to have the rocker (Blackhawk) hull with the "rocker" built in. As well, the X-dimension seems to be a very normal 22 X-d. Do the same trim rules apply to this 22???......Bill S

[AGCF]

I'm sure it has the rocker hull. If you look at the exhaust pipes they are touching the top of the transom. Although in the limited edition they are cut of like in the picture, mine has another type of pipes that doesn't have a ring with screws around it, so it doesn't need to be cut of.
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[olredalert]

----You can tell the rocker is there by just looking at the hull out of the water. It has a noticeable upturn. I certainly could be wrong, and if so I apologise. It still doesnt look like a Blackhawk hull to me, but the pictures arent from the optimum angle either.........Bill S

[BlakeSullivan]

Once you get some " Seat Time" you will get the hang of it but, I did put in indicators just for reference plus they look cool :pimp:71262

[glashole]

it will have blackhawk on the plate beside the driver's seat

either way it is a nice boat, you will be happy with it whether or not it is a blackhawk (pretty sure blackhawk hulls were only made in 95 and 96)

alot of guys here have blackhawk drives on the regular 22 and they seem to have a possitive improvement

Shea

in my opinion you absolutely don't need indicators on a blackhawk you can tell exactly where they are by the feel of the boat and how fast you are going

[AGCF]

If you look at the picture on the trailer I think the hull is deeper right in front of the wheels and then goes up again. And the engine actually rubs the engine hatch. I've seen a black mark from it. It doesn't say BH in the HIN but it's not one of the limited editions so I guess it schouldn't say. Would be interesting to measure the hull..

[glashole]

move the steering wheel mounted tab trim switch to the throttle and run it with that hand

[Staffan Berg]

WHAT ! - I can see that your boat is fore sale.

http://www.blocket.se/ostergotland/Donzi_22_Classic_Blackhawk_Edition__98_40284052.ht m?ca=11&w=3

What is the reason :confused:

[Carl C]

$43,245 US Dollars
425 hp 502CID
90.9 mph "in right conditions"

Did this boat scare the crap out of the OP or what? :confused:

[AGCF]

It's always for sale but when I want to sell it the price will be much lower off course. I am not motivated to sell now but if someone is paying what I'm asking right now it would be stupid not to sell.

[AGCF]

Where do I get those screens that deflects the wind? Maybe it's called wind away..

[gero1]

it"s not a black hawk hull but it has a black hawk drive, nice looking boat

[Tidbart]

It is a Blackhawk hull with a Blackhawk drive. It is just not the LE that was black with the gold hardware and the chicken on the hood. :wink:

Bob

[Carl C]

http://www.windaway.com/ Mine have been tested up to 85.8 mph... They work really well with the aluminum fairing but I've heard mixed results with the windshield. They are almost invisible on my boat.

Using your logic I guess my boat is for sale too. Asking price $95,000.

[AGCF]

The price is not unreasonable. There was a 22 classic sold for 34 000 usd a year ago (ad stayed online for only five days so I guess the price was really the market price). It was not a Blackhawk and only had the 260 Hp engine. Since it's a very small market with few people searching for Donzis in Sweden i think a 20 dollar ad that stays for three months is a small investment. I have had a BMW Alpina and tried to sell it for a year, lowering and lowering the price and when I stopped trying a guy contacted me and offered more then I asked for in the first place. The "matching time" is long here in Sweden on stuff like this.

Thanks for the help with the wind deflector.

[AGCF]

Staffan, you sell restaurant cashiers. I've seen you on the Gastro Nord fair a couple of years ago I think. I have a restaurant, Stegeborgs Hamnkrog.

[Carl C]

I wasn't mocking your price. My price isn't unreasonable either. $95,000 is about what I have into it plus a lot of work. I bought my boat new & installed a 525, XR/Imco, BBlades, Zeiger, reinforced hull, custom open storage up front, gps, SS raw water pump, sea strainer and more, meticulously maintained, dialed in for running fast on the Great Lakes, like new condition :). I would not sell it for much less than $95,000! I'd trade it for Ted's Ilmor boat though or maybe a nice 525 27ZR. :).

So how is your boat running? Is this your first Classic? Did it scare the hell out of you the first time out? They usually do!

[AGCF]

I've measured the hull side. In the back it's 54 cm, by the drivers seat rest it's 64,5 cm. Does anybody have a blackhawk limited to compare? I would like to know if I have a rocker hull.

[VetteLT193]

Considering the engine and drive match you are 99% likely to have a rocker hull.

I went by the serial number in your boat ad, that drive number is a blackhawk... while it is likely that the boat could have had the drive swapped out it's highly unlikely to have been totally re-powered.