handling

[thickone71]

Attachment 63856Attachment 63857
Attachment 63858Attachment 63859
Attachment 63860


I just bought a donzi sweet sixteen , it has a 351 windsor with a berkley jet drive . at high speed it wants to turn on its own . its has a place diverter for trim adjustment . wondering if i should put a fin on the hull maybe it would stop it from wanting to turn on its own . its a hand full to operate at high speed . can anybody help. also wondering if anybody knows what year it is there is no id tag on the boat.

[yeller]

I had a 16C with a jet and it handled like a dream. Never experienced what you are mentioning, but mine wasn't an actual Donzi. It was a copy. It is possible yours is a copy also, because I'm not sure if Donzi ever put a jet on a 16.
I'm no expert on the history, so I could easily be wrong about Donzi and jets.

Post some pics of the boat, engine and drive. It will make it easier for people here to help you identify it.

[silverghost]

Donzi did indeed build Jet-drive 16s in the early to mid 1970s.
There was a yellow 16 Donzi /Berkeley Jet pack in Ocean City NJ around 1973-75.
I last saw it for sale in a south Jersey boatyard about seven years ago.
It was in very sad shape at that time.

As many also know my family owned a Donzi X-18 Olds 455 / Berkeley jet-pack that was bought new in 1972 at the big Philly boat show.
We owned that X-18 for five seasons.
I loved that boat.

We never had any steering torque-steer issues with our X-18 waterJet.
Ours rode like it was on rails.

Exactly what is your steering issue ?
Does it pull to one side all the time ?
OR~
Only if you release the steering wheel ?
There is a great aftermarket service manual available out there for these jet-drives.
I have one~ as well as an original Berkeley service manual.

Call me if you have any jet- drive questons~~~
We should be able to sort any issues you have on these jet-drives.

You have a rare boat there IF it is a real jet Donzi 16 & not a splash clone copy.
They are a real blast !

Enjoy your new Jet Donzi 16

[silverghost]

Another thought~

You may want to contact American Turbine as they sell their own jets & now own Berkeley also.
They supply used & new parts for several other older jet-drive brands.

[MOP]

IMO there must be some sort of adjustment, I have been in a couple of jets they rode on rails no pull to either side.

[thickone71]

if i let my hands of wheel it still wants to go left or right and the wheel doesnt turn .

[thickone71]

seems to pull left or right only when most of the hull is out of the water .doesnt matter if my hands are on the wheel or not . seems like if boat leans to left , the left part of hull grabs water and wants to turn sharp same with if boat leans to right. like how a bike rides lean it and it will turn that way. As for the age of boat , what year where these donzi copys made , do i have an original or a copy.
Attachment 63862

[silverghost]

Donzi built their jets mostly from 1972 to 1977 .
The clone copy "Splash" boats have been built by many over the decades.
Some are better than others.
From your photos to me it looks very much like a "spash" copy & not a true Donzi built boat.
That's OK~
It looks like a great boat.
At any rate you should not be having this jet nozzle steering issue.
Most jet-drives run like they are on rails; and are very stable at any speed..
Jets usually do not suffer from torque steer.
The discharge nozzle appears to be very high on your boat compared to the unit our family once owned.
You night need to add a droop drop nozzle snoot discharge unit to get your jet pump's dscharge lower in the water. Some add-on nozzles also have a built-in steering rudder fin .
The bottom hull may also differ from the Donzi-built 16s also .
You could have similar hull performance issues that the Four Winns "U" 17 & 19 splash donzi clones have ?
Is your steering cale & helm unit tight with no side play & sloppyness ?
Without actually being there & driving your boat It's hard to tell if you have a jet pump & nozzle, or a hull issue.
I would call the guys at American Turbine

By the way~
What a great area you live & boat in.
Love those million $$$ views !

[Rumblefish]

Nice Boat.. Nice video!.. Dog seems calm even with the loss of steering..

My thoughts are you may have a little too much stern lift and possible the bottom pad is too light to maintain steering so it drifts ..

I know the rooster tail is cool with the place diverter but try to trim it lighter and let the boat run flatter to pick up the forward part of the bottom.

[mrfixxall]

First you will need to check the nozzle for any play,then determine where the play is,,steering cable,nozzle pivot points ot the steering helm..any play in the steering and the boat will do all kinds of funky stuff..

A rudder under the nozzle will do wonders,helps with low speed docking and will keep the boat from wandering from side to side at high speeds..

http://www.berkeleyjet.com/p-425-alu...udder-kit.aspx

[silverghost]

Fixx I believe is on the right track here.

The Place Diverter uses another style rudder fin.
NOT the one on that web-link.
Click on the "rudder" link on the Berkeley site to see several add-on rudder fins used with your place diverter.
The droop drop snoot will also get the jet discharge nozzel to sit lower in the water.
I'd be tempted to add both the rudder fin & the droop drop snoot.
The idea is to keep the pump discharge nozzel low & actually IN the water.
When you spray a big rooster tail spray you waste foreward pump energy & your nozzel steering also suffers badly.
The pump's discharge nozzel really needs to stay slightly underwater.

Can you get us a few better close-up photos of the outside jet drive unit ?
A side profile view of the outside jet drive would also be helpful.
This steering issue should have an easy repair fix .

[silverghost]

The transom's chine to bottom hull area looks exactly like the Four Winns "U" 17 & 19 design.
Donzi 16s & 18s do not have this sort of chine area.
Could this donzi "Splash" clone builder have used the old Four Winns hull molds ; or a Four Winns "U" boat as a hull mold plug ?
This Four Winns hull design was short lived because of several serious handling problem issues.
Do a search on this site for seveal threads talking about these problem issues.
The "U" boats tended to roll on their sides & and also suffered from "Bow Steer" & "Chinewalk" at higher speeds.
The smaller "U" boats also tended to porpose.
These issues were with the duoprop outdrive and not Berkeley jet drive.

[silverghost]

Your new photos did not attach & come though.
Please try again.

I really believe your boat is a "Splash" clone & not a true Donzi.
BUT~
Don't feel bad~
It's still a super nice speedboat.

[thickone71]

[ATTACH]63867[/ATTACHAttachment 63868Attachment 63869 thanks you guys for the help i hope it itsnt a splash model and it the orginal .

[maddad]

Thickone, that is some hook in the bottom of that boat. I wonder if it or the extra trim to overcome it are part of your handling issues. All 16' donzis had a hook molded into the outermost part of the hull, but at the lifting strake the bottom should be flat and straight. This is the best pic I have to show you what I mean.