uneducated Donzi question

[1996Z15]

I don't claim to know that much about Donzis (I love the boat) but, I do know that Don Aronow had involvement with Donzi, Cigarette and Magnum. I'm not sure if he owned all three at the same time or at different times.

I often wonder why Donzi never marketed a larger offshore boat to complete with the likes of the Magnum Maltese or 27' Sport, the Cigarette 28 SS; etc. Was Donzi viewed as the entry level boat of the 3 manufacturers or did they just target different markets?

It would have been cool to see a 27 - 28' Donzi alongside the Magnums and Cigarettes.

[somerville99]

but I can answer a few of your questions. Don Aronow owned each of these companies, but at different times. He would start a company, sell it, and then start another. Donzi was never considered an "entry level" boat. It's always had a high performance/high priced/well built image. I'm not familiar with all of it's models, but I would say that it always had something to compete with the other companies you mentioned. There must have been some 27'-28' models to compete in the offshore market. Others who know much more than I will chime in.

[oledawg]

I don't know all of the models from the past, but a quick look at the site shows ZR's up to 43', others at 35" and 38'. Nothing in the 27-28' range.

[1996Z15]

I don't know all of the models from the past, but a quick look at the site shows ZR's up to 43', others at 35" and 38'. Nothing in the 27-28' range.

I guess what I meant to say was that Donzi never made, as far as I know, a boat larger than 24' (Spitfire) that was of the classic style that would have competed with the Cigarette SS and/or Magnum Sport.

I know they now make the Z series boats that compete with the Cigarettes and other similar boats. I just would have liked to see what Donzi would have come up with that would have competed with the older style performance boats.

[Marlin275]

Donzi 28 raced open ocean Miami to Nassau

It was a constant evolution of racing boat design.
1963 - Formula 27.5 sold to Marlin in 1964
1964 - Donzi 28
1966 - Magnum
1968 - Cary
1970 - Cigarette
1979 - Squadron



White Marlin275 racing Don in 1965

[oledawg]

http://www.diseno-art.com/encycloped...onzi_28ZX.html

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olTpt5JVAa0[/media]

http://fastdonzi.com/classifieds/200...n-o446-en.html

etc. etc. etc.

[1996Z15]

Donzi 28 raced open ocean Miami to Nassau
It was a constant evolution of racing boat design.
1963 - Formula 27.5 sold to Marlin in 1964
1964 - Donzi 28
1966 - Magnum
1968 - Cary
1970 - Cigarette
1979 - Squadron

This is a cool boat; was this ever offered to the public as a sport boat?
White Marlin275 racing Don in 1965

Wasn't this boat a modified Sportsman 28 which was really a cruiser type of boat?

[Marlin275]

This is a cool boat; was this ever offered to the public as a sport boat?

No at that time race boats and production boats were very separate.
Cigarette changed all that.

Wasn't this boat a modified Sportsman 28 which was really a cruiser type of boat?

Yes, Donzi 007 & 008 were modified Sportsman 28.
Donzi 008 was sleeker, lighter and faster version of Don's record setting 007.
Her deck was sheared about 2.5 ft lower, twin Holman-Moody 500s.

[cutwater]

Is the 008 still in existence somewhere?

[Marlin275]

Is the 008 still in existence somewhere?

007 was tracked down a few years ago and was converted to a fishing boat somewhere in Fla. 008?

http://www.jecary.com/marine/cary.html

[Dakari]

008 looks like an X-18 that spent too much time at McDonalds. I love it!

[joseph m. hahnl]

In the beginning: Bertram started it,Donzi perfected it. every thing after was just a modified Donzi ,Well what in the manufacturing world
is called a "REV Change"



http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Donzi


[media]http://www.donzi.net/photos/osaffell529.jpg[/media]

[gcarter]

All right, let me settle this......
When offshore racing, sort of as we know it today, first started, much of it was in Europe. The European rules, until about 1970, stated the race boats had to have a cabin. They had to have a head, bunks, a convertible table, plates, cups, flatware, linens, everything you can think of.
If you look at my sig line, there's a picture of Sonny Levi's "Delta Systhesis", which is a cruiser/racer. It had all the above mentioned stuff.
Levi is a very clever dude, he used toy accesories like a small girl would play with.......

BTW, if you don't know about sonny Levi, shame on you!