First Donzi ever built?

[BigGrizzly]

It could be like my boat with a 351 Ford Cleveland block, The engine was produced by Ford in 1969.

[vonkamp]

Mine is exactly like boat that started this thread...
I've been unable to find a hull id anywhere...
Someone closed up the transom and put outboard on it at some point, but I've removed the bracket and uncovered the hole where the Eaton drive once lived. The color of the hull and deck are original.

You can see where the single exhaust was on the right side. Must have been a 4 cyl boat. Very cool.

[BERTRAM BOY]

It's hard to see, but if you look closely, you can see the exhaust cutout on the port side.

[BigGrizzly]

Some of the 16's has 260 CID interceptors in them. I did see a 1965 with a 260 interceptor with a Volvo with the external shift cable. This is the boat that helped convince my Dad to get our 16 for us. BTW we still have it.

[Gearhead99]

I bought a 1965 16' in Jacksonville around 1979. I was living in Delaware at the time. It didn't have any hull #'s.

I hauled it back to Delaware and redid it. It had a 289 Intercepter. The motor was a 5 bolt engine too. The outdrive was a 200 Volvo, but had been converted from an Eaton drive. The seller gave me the Eaton drive also.

The boat had a red hull, white deck and red stripe. The interior was "sparkly" rolled and pleated red. The drivers seat was the flat style seat. It had the "heater vent" under the rear seat in front of the battery.

It had the SS louvered vent below the rear lift ring on the stern with a white lamp built into it and the bilge blower attached to the inside of the plate.

The hull had lots of "hook" built into it too.

Also, Rocket trailer.

I sold it when I moved to Florida. Then I bought an 18 here. I saw the boat for sale on this site many years ago. That was back when this site first started. Wasn't much activity back then. If I remember correctly there was probably only 2 or 3 boats for sale. Met GeneD back then too.

Use to run the Donzi 16 around the northern Chesapeke bay around the Sasafrass River and the North East Marina. Wasn't another Donzi at the "Flats" then. Miss that little boat.

[Greg Guimond]

ttt for Bob in Covington

[BobinCovington]

That is pretty funny...I clicked on new posts and then read through this whole old thread and was amazed at all the info on the old 16s, most older than mine...then read the last post which said "ttt for me"...LOL

Mine is a 66 and dad bought it new at Balboa Marina in Newport California right after they did the Donzi boat test in Boating News. This boat has seen some real water back in the 60s on several trips out to Catalina Island and been in some serious big waves. Dad put the 289 HIPO engine in and changed out a few shafts/prop in the Eaton, but it runs and we are working on restoring as we can.

I have to say, the rotating Eaton sure turns heads at the boat launch or on the trailer, the more I work on and run this boat, the more I love it. I really want to learn more and love reading what people know about the old 16s...hopefully this thread continues

[Greg Guimond]

ttt for Bob

[Ballinger]

IMG_0026.JPGIMG_0047.JPGIMG_0046.JPGIMG_0061.JPGIMG_0042.JPGIMG_0039.JPGIMG_0032.JPGIMG_0027.JPGIMG_0022.JPGIMG_0019.JPGIMG_0017.JPGI attached some photos for Comparison

[Greg Guimond]

Ballinger, with only his 3rd post, throws an epic "1964 Hull" fast ball!

[Morgan's Cloud]

Ballinger, with only his 3rd post, throws an epic "1964 Hull" fast ball!

Sweet little boat though . I think I'd hate to be in the position of having one that's in that shape + being hull 4

Do I leave it alone ? Do I restore it ?


OK , all you knowledgeable axpurtz , was there a year that they stopped using the 'air register' style ventilator ?

[hardcrab]

my '72 - 16' had the air vent

[jl1962]

Great old thread.

I think you have to keep an old 16 as original as possible - unless it's the "pulled from the weeds" variety......But this one's very nice.

I thought the HVAC vent was long gone by 1972. 1968 or 1969 for a guess.

[woobs]

Well, Since some of these posts I have acquired SEANO's very early Ski Sporter 16 and hauled it from Long Is, NY up to Toronto, Canada. It's a "pulled from the weeds" kind of boat but, an early one nevertheless. (I think SEANO got it from Connecticut)

I'd love to glean the early hull card production records for a blue/blue, w/white stripe, Interceptor-Eaton production. There can't be that many... subtract the known boats and see what's left to do some detective work.

Of course, the other alternative is... it could be one of the Shepherd built Donzi 16's that came out of St. Catharines Canada. Shepherd had long time customers (dealers/marinas) all over eastern Canada and North Eastern USA that would have been able to retail these boats in both countries.

The original Donzi vision for these designs was to build a boat, test it and then race it while selling licenses for others to build boats for general distribution. I think Shepherd was the only party to get on board with this business plan.

Shepherd Donzis 1965-69 are very similar to early build Florida boats (with a light layup, HVAC vent and no factory clamshells). They were made with the original 16 moulds (shipped up from FLA in spring 1965). The only distinguishing factor I have found is the support tubes in the engine hatch run fore-aft and not port-starboard like the USA built boats. All hardware/rigging was sourced through the Florida operation. I have not been able to ascertain IF Shepherd numbered their production of Donzis. I have also been unable to ascertain how many boats Shepherd produced in their 5 year contract.

I am near the head of the list when it comes to preserving "original" boats of significance. However, if you cannot find supporting evidence (i.e. hull #), the boat has little significance, is not the 1st, 2nd, last or one of half a dozen ever built, and not owned/raced by a notable person, no notable feats etc... there is no point in going to additional expense to keep it all original. In this case make it the boat you want.



Donzi16pile2.jpg64 Ski Sporter 002.JPG002.JPGDonzi-StartupJune-1964-Moto.jpg
YellowSS16 a.JPGDonzibyShepherd1.JPGDonzibyShepherd.JPG

[mattyboy]

the pics I have seen of the shepard boats the hatch looks to be smaller than I remember my 16 especially on the yellow pic the width of the deck next to the hatch looks to wide

wonder if Ed D could measure his 16 that would explain why Donzi went side to side with the support trying to keep the ends from flattening out

this is just looking at pics never seen a shepard in person