22 Classic stringer mod

[BOBMX]

Hey guys-been looking at 22 Classics and found a real clean 2002 / 496HO -425hp. Dropped a deposit on it yesterday and just read an old thread about stringer problems with the early 2000's today and am flipping tf out! How do you tell if the boat had the mod and would it have had it only if the owner took care of it with DONZI or what??? The boat is a gem but dont want to buy into a crapshoot when there are so many boats on the market these days in this economy. Are the early 2000's boats to steer away from to be on the safe side or a coin toss on each one? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[mrfixxall]

that would depend on how and where the owner drove the boat..look close under the engine and crawl under the boat,when crawling around under it look under where the engine sits and that is usually where the cracks will be..not all were bad just the ones that were rode hard..i think donzi will still honor any cracks on the hull if they were to appear,may want to call them and find out..

[BOBMX]

so if i dont find any issues now but "I" run her hard i could potentially develope issues in the future?

[gcarter]

A survey will tell you if there's any issues, but they're usually pretty visible.
Regardless, the fix or fixes are fairly simple and straight forward.
The engine does have to come out.

[mrfixxall]

so if i dont find any issues now but "I" run her hard i could potentially develope issues in the future?

what george said, if your going over 4' waves at full speed then you could develop cracks but normal speed runs over average waves should not hurt anything..

[roadtrip se]

I'll weigh in with a slightly different view. Putting aside how the boat has been run for a moment, the stringer fix was put into effect to patch boats together that had obvious manufacturing flaws. This boat is almost a decade old, so the flaws should have shown themselves by now, if they were going to appear.

And yes, get a survey, for anything you decide to buy.

[BOBMX]

Thanks for all the input. I have a survey scheduled for tomorrow. I guess where i am still confused is here: Was the defect found only in a number of hulls or in all the hulls in all the years and the difference is they show when the boats are ran rough? Going back to the post about hitting the 4 footers, will one of these years see problems easier than pre 2000's or late 2000's because of the defect when pushed hard in the rough stuff? Also it was said that it a fairly easy fix when the engine is out. Is it a structural fix or cosmetic? Last, would you guys experienced with Donzis shy away from this boat if is surveys good "if" you planned to run it hard or go find another year? Ive owned about 14 boats, never a Donzi, mostly bigger stuff, but I am realistic, I dont plan on beating the crap out of it but I like to own quality boats that make you feel like they will take a beating and come out on top. It's the old "rather have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it".

[gmcars10]

I am curious as to when Donzi made the fix in production? I have a 2006 and was not aware of this before I purchased mine. Is it considered a later model that was changed in production or one with potential defects. I did not notice any stress cracks when I bought it and I won't be running hard but sure would like to know. Thanks Ward

[MOP]

Another approach would be to call Donzi with the serial number, if they have supplied the fix kit or authorized a fix they will have a record. The boat may well have been babied and show no signs, a phone call may help. The issue was with the inner panels under the engine, they tend to show cracking in line with the strakes. They start out as hair not easily noticed, make your surveyor aware. Question are you using a NAMS or SAMS approved surveyor?

Phil

[BOBMX]

yeah SAMS.

[mrfixxall]

here is a pic of one so you guys in question will know what to look for..

[gcarter]

Laying up boat hulls isn't like assembling cars. Hulls aren't often all that consistant.
In the worst of times it was possible to get a really good hull.
It seems that quality would be different on a day to day basis, and from team to team.
I'm just talking about what I've seen.

[BOBMX]

So based on your pic, if the inside matches the outside it would be structural, not cosmetic which sounds like ripping out the deck and rebuilding stringers $$$$$$$$$$???

[yeller]

There are a lot of boats out there that weren't launched off 4' waves that had the cracks appear. The boats don't have to be run hard to develop the cracks.

I wouldn't trust a survey to find the cracks. In my case, they were barely visible. I didn't see them the first time I checked. Don't even bother crawling in the bilge. The best way to check is to get a very bright light and check the bottom of the boat at the end of the inside strakes. The cracks will appear where shown in the pic. They may not be as noticable as in the pic and might only appear as light pencil marks on the hull. I didn't see mine until I put a bright light on the hull bottom.

I also wouldn't say that the fix is simple. Simple is a relative term. It is expensive if you don't do it yourself. The motor has to come and it the hull has to be repaired inside and out. Expect to pay about $4k (possibly more) to get it done.

....and Donzi WILL NOT repair any cracks you find on a 2002. If you are lucky, they may send you the materials....but I wouldn't count on it.

[RickSE]

I am curious as to when Donzi made the fix in production? I have a 2006 and was not aware of this before I purchased mine. Is it considered a later model that was changed in production or one with potential defects. I did not notice any stress cracks when I bought it and I won't be running hard but sure would like to know. Thanks Ward

Ward, I don't mean to scare you but, one of the worst cases was a 2006. DudeHoss' 2006 This boat went back to the factory for repair just before mine and was so bad that it forced a revision in the repair procedure. As far as I know the construction methods did not change until the 2007 Model Year. Also, at the time Donzi was only seeing these issues on the bigger power HO boats. Just take some of the advise written here, bright light under the hull, port side inner lifting strake is usually the worst.