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Thread: Donzi 16 Timeline - The Boats Built During 1964

  1. #16
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    yes I have it I will try and upload to the LGDCC resource page some of the pdfs I have are too big and won't upload
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
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  2. #17
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    Greg

    popular boating june of 1965

    two boats are tested and photographed during the APRIL 15th 1965 test session There are two boats at dinner key an original demo boat and a newer 16 with an 165 interceptor the author runs the old demo boat which he says is propped wrong and not tuned and has been ridden hard the feel I get, is he didn't want bash this boat so has a trusted honest friend test run the other 16 a newer 165 hp eaton boat test results are given on the newer 165 boat.

    the boats pictured are a volvo boat with the deck stripe thru the dash a swedish flag and an aq 200 the original hull 1 pictured in all the original BW press photo shoot

    the other newer 16 is a 165 interceptor and a dash plate the stripe doesn't go thru the dash and it looks to have a boot stripe. the picture of these two boats IS NOT the pic of Wynn and Brownie
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

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  3. #18
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    Matty,

    That is good information. As you see in my timeline excerpt below that I wrote I did NOT know that two hulls were validated in the magazine. Let me know when you get the article scanned in as I'd like to take a close look. I have one very specific clue in mind, but I don't want to cloud the 50 year old waters just yet until I can read it several times and then go through my notes.


    September 1964 - "Popular Boating"' magazine writes that Hull #2 (or #3) is demonstrated at longtime establishment Santana Marine in Coconut Grove Florida running on Dinner Key. The iconic "grab rail" is offered as a $48 option on the 1964s. No pictures survive of it at Santana Marine but this hull could be the one a bearded Jim Wynne is piloting alongside Brownie in the same photo referenced above. The hull is Volvo powered and rigged with an AQ drive after Wynne and Volvo President Harald Wiklund introduced the first drive to America in 1959. Which model is on that Santana demo boat, 100 or 200? It does not have a grab rail, and carries the Swedish decal (recognizing Volvo) first followed by America. These three items are identical to the press boat photo. It is white with a red deck stripe and red waterline boot stripe. Very possible that the "press boat" was also the "demo boat" that PB's Dick Borden wrote about in there June 1965 issue.

    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  4. #19
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    In the interim, another door that I was able to close was Donzi's reach out to the West Coast. We all knew with 100% certainty that Balboa Marine was a dealer in Newport Beach, CA for these early builds. Over the past couple of years while doing research on Outboards I developed a strong hunch that there was another dealer/friend of Don A up in Washington State. I was finally able to dredge up an ad from 1965 that confirms that Bryant's Marina was a part of the very early Donzi family, and I suspect, the only other dealer out West. Bryant's has a long and storied history in Seattle and the Northwest world of race boats as an aside.


    And below are two later pieces on Bryant's that I had found a couple of years back. The advertisement referenced above I only found in September.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  5. #20
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    Greg
    I have no info on the sept 1964 article and test you are going to have to find that. The dinner key test was on April 15 th 1965 and appeared in print in their June 1965 issue
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

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  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by mattyboy View Post
    Greg
    I have no info on the sept 1964 article and test you are going to have to find that. The dinner key test was on April 15 th 1965 and appeared in print in their June 1965 issue
    Oops. Poor wording on my part! I have to re-word the excerpt I wrote as it is confusing. In fact, I want to read the June 1965 issue that you have. The issue is below.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  7. #22
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    Nice work guys.

    Don't peak too early.....

    It's a long winter.

    Also - very interested in the Popular Boating article that starts on pg. 39, I'm good friends w/ Bill Snaith's son - he's been in both of my Donzis many times.
    1967 Ski Sporter (sold)
    2004 40th Anniversary Edition 18

  8. #23
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    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

    My Ride

    Come Join Us on The Queen Of American Lakes



    Contact Us

    www.lgdonziclassic.com

  9. #24
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    Courtesy of The Mariner's Museum and the LGDCC resource page Miami Nassau Popular Boating June 1965


    The cover pic is from the A&F photo shoot for their 12 months of Christmas Catalog That is Don A. driving
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

    My Ride

    Come Join Us on The Queen Of American Lakes



    Contact Us

    www.lgdonziclassic.com

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by mattyboy View Post
    The cover pic is from the A&F photo shoot for their 12 months of Christmas Catalog That is Don A. driving
    Don himself is at the helm in the picture below? Very cool. So when do you think roughly the photograph was actually taken if the testing for the article took place on April 15, 1965?
    Attached Images Attached Images
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  11. #26
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    working on that, photos of Don in all white driving a red 16 appear in color on this cover and also an A&F layout color hulls come in 1965 color layouts at the time where costly and uncommon not sure as of yet when or who prompted the shoot I will try and get a timeline on that

    wonder white was the base color to start. what info do you have that hull 1 was an eaton???
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

    My Ride

    Come Join Us on The Queen Of American Lakes



    Contact Us

    www.lgdonziclassic.com

  12. #27
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    a question for the sunshine state what does the 62 mean in the address North Miami Beach 62 ? as it is listed on some of the early ads and literature??
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

    My Ride

    Come Join Us on The Queen Of American Lakes



    Contact Us

    www.lgdonziclassic.com

  13. #28
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    the Aronow pic is most likely from the first quarter of 1965 and may have been taken for the cover of PB june's edition another pic at a different angle appears in the late fall of 1965 A&F 12 months of christmas catalog for 1966 so it really has no bearing on the 64 build timeline
    When the sky is grey,look out to sea.
    When the waves are high and the light is dying,
    well raise a glass and think of me...
    When I'm home again,
    boys, I'll be buying!

    My Ride

    Come Join Us on The Queen Of American Lakes



    Contact Us

    www.lgdonziclassic.com

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by mattyboy View Post
    the Aronow pic is most likely from the first quarter of 1965 and may have been taken for the cover of PB june's edition another pic at a different angle appears in the late fall of 1965 A&F 12 months of christmas catalog for 1966 so it really has no bearing on the 64 build timeline
    That sucks.................

    I thought that the red 16 with Don driving could have been a 1964 build but you have crossed that option off the list. Then, after reading the magazine article I thought that the second 16 tested could have also been built in 1964 but no dice. Only one of those two hulls was built in 1964. I looked back in my notes and Robert Cox is a solid lead though. Bob (ex Ft Lauderdale Mayor) was an early dealer for Don A and Formula. He then moved with Don and became a dealer for Donzi in 1964. It would make a whole lot of sense that he bought a 1964 16 Ski Sporter to demo at Lauderdale Marine. The gent who was the GM of his boat yard was Ed Joyce. Ed was an accomplished mariner and race boat guy both with and without Bob. He and Bob became great friends and actually had many offshore races under there belts. For some of those races in '64 and '65 they ran a very unique Donzi with wacker power, but I digress.

    In any event Fast Freddy Darwick commented to woobs at some point that right before or after Fred and Judy bought there 1964 Ski Sporter that I posted the pictures of Don A sold another 16 to an unnamed individual. My suspicion is that specific hull was sold to Lauderdale Marine under the name of Robert Cox. I reached out to Mr. Cox's son-in-law (Ted) on the matter for some additional research but I found out that his wife had just passed away last year so I did not want to bother him more. He did however recall that his wife had told stories to the grand kids of smashing her old man's Donzi into a pier when she was a kid. Her old man was Bob Cox. He died a few years ago at 97 and Ted said if he were still alive he'd remember every stinkin detail.

    I also sent an email off to Tomron yesterday but nada back just yet.
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

  15. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Guimond View Post
    ...In any event Fast Freddy Darwick commented to woobs at some point that right before or after Fred and Judy bought there 1964 Ski Sporter that I posted the pictures of Don A sold another 16 to an unnamed individual. My suspicion is that specific hull was sold to Lauderdale Marine under the name of Robert Cox. I reached out to Mr. Cox's son-in-law (Ted) on the matter for some additional research but I found out that his wife had just passed away last year so I did not want to bother him more. He did however recall that his wife had told stories to the grand kids of smashing her old man's Donzi into a pier when she was a kid. Her old man was Bob Cox. He died a few years ago at 97 and Ted said if he were still alive he'd remember every stinkin detail...
    Fred also told me he still knows where this White/blue 16 (now repowered) is and who the owners are.
    Sean Conroy,
    1964 Formula Jr. (hull #2) project

    1972 Greavette Sunflash III
    1981 Kavalk Mistral project

    "A man can accomplish anything... as long as he doesn't care who gets the credit."

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