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Thread: Doral 24 SS Brochure and Review

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    Doral 24 SS Brochure and Review

    I just bought a 1974 Doral project hull (no engines). It needs a lot of work but I'm thrilled. The seller had the original press release, brochure and boat test review from 1973. I scanned them to share here:

    Attachment 71866Attachment 71867Attachment 71868Attachment 71869Attachment 71870

    more pics to come
    Gary M
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    ...and here's my project:
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    The hull looks to be in decent shape. Good luck with you project.

    Bob
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    1997 22 Classic (sold)
    1997 Formula 271 Fastech
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    ----You will have to get hold of Smidgen too here on the board as he has a Doral configured the same way yours is, with Volvos, etc. Add to that; he has just finished a mini-resto on it and you can find out some of the pitfalls inherent in any Donzi 24 ft model. Get his phone # as you guys will have to talk. I have also restored a 24, but an El Pescador and also know most of the problem areas. Mine started life as a Merc powered 24 and still is. As a starter; I can almost guarantee that the transom will be soft due to the inherent problems with the methods used to manufacture these 24 footers back then. Its fairly easy to repair and even upgrade, but you need to have some input before you start......Bill S

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    Thanks Bob,
    Thanks Bill,

    Yes, you are right about the transom. No joke, there are small weeds growing from the wood where the outdrives were! I'm just happy and honored to have one of these hulls - wanted one for many years. If possible, I'd like to remove most of the wood from the deck and hull, and rebuild it with composite stringers and foam core. Whatever it takes... It'll look good when it's finished. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Gary M.

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    ----Gary,,,I have done almost exactly what you are proposing to my other 24, the Spitfire. Where are you from? The place that did all my hull restoration has now done two complete Spitfire restos and really knows his business. Hes located near me in Marysville Mi. Company name is RCS Yacht Refinishers. You absolutely wouldnt believe the quality of his workmanship. His name is Ryan Smith and his # is 586-725-2628. Tell him Bill Stephenson said to call.........Bill S

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    Thanks Bill,
    I live in South Carolina now. I grew up in Miami and the Florida Keys. My dad stored his boat at Apeco Marina in 1974 when I was 12. Donzi and Magnum were the envy of all in those days. I've seen their work (RCS) - it's very good. Is that blue Spitfire yours?

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    ----Gary,,,Believe it or not that blue Spitfire is one of Ryans early restos. Mine is about four steps beyond it, and about two shades darker blue. All closed cell foam, vacuum bagged, etc. The hull and deck are completely done but the boat is on the back burner for awhile as we finish up another resto on a Fino.
    ----I kept my 1st Donzi at Apeco way back in 69/70.
    ----If you have to do the transom over anyway you probably will put in modern power and will therefore have power trim. Trim absolutely unleashes a 24 Donzi. My El Pescador runs about 53/54 tucked in, powered with stock two-barrel 350 Merc Alpha set-ups. Hit the trim button and it runs right up tp 63/64 .....Bill S

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    Hi Gary sounds like you really want to rebuild your Donzi Doral right. Once you start to disassemble her you will see how they made the deck liner is a major part of this hulls integrity. The stringers stop at the engine bulk head. When Bill had his Spitfire done he ran full stringers to the bow. This is a great Idea but Dorals have there fuel tank in the cockpit floor witch may prohibit this.. I did not have any trees growing in my transom but you could not find any wood that was solid. My goal was just to make her usable so I just redid the transom as I have 3 other offshores that I'm restoring. For a 24' boat the Donzi is a great ride, & nice usable cockpit. What drives are you going with ? I'm happy with my Volvo drives as speed is not my concern with this Doral, I will leave that for my Magnum.
    Take and post pic's of your restoration, it should be a good one.
    Mark

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    Just have to but in with my words of encouragement too. Those 24' hulls are beautiful and whether you decide to keep it or not , the all white is kind of refreshing. With a little new teak work and a new S/S rub rail it'll fire off quite nicely should you decide to go that way.

    Just take your time and don't cut any corners . Putting a date in your mind as to when you want it to go over is not the best thing when doing a resto like that IMO. You'll always find another thing that comes up that will take yet more time and in retrospect you'll wish you had done such and such a thing or done it better.

    Have you any ideas yet about what you're going to do for power ? ?
    If you don't have any of the original components not to worry. There's been a huge advance made in single B/B power since that was built that would work very well !
    Just because something's old doesn't mean you throw it away !

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    ----A single wouldnt be a horrible idea but you would have to see the bilge to understand why it would be so difficult. Mark,,,do you have any pictures of the engine compartment center stringer??? MC would understand why its very difficult then......Bill S

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    Here you go Bill.
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    Just a thought ..that's all . 'Fibreglass ,the infinitely repairable material' .. lol

    I'm just thinking that in the grand scale of things to restore to a twin engine installation simply because it 'came that way' , original engine room layout not discounted , could be a costly proposition when it comes to repowering. And of course a lot of guys go through the headache of going back to 'old' Volvos because of the transom cut outs when it's actually a small matter in relation to the rest of the restoration. And you could still possibly end up without the luxury of power steering and the hassle of a very cramped engine room , not to mention a very azz heavy 24 footer.

    However , it's NOT up to me to tell others what they ought to do with their project . Just as long as it comes out da bomb !
    Just because something's old doesn't mean you throw it away !

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    ----You have valid arguements, MC, but the one I always come back to is what happens when your engine dies. I like having a spare, but thats me.........Bill S

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