Donzi 16 Timeline - The Boats Built During 1964

[Greg Guimond]

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Hard to know exactly but I'd say November of '64. The real key to determining if the solid dark color Ski Sporter below is a 1964 isn't the grab rail, but is to track down Dr. Oskar Trost's only surviving child and ask.

[Greg Guimond]

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5 degrees outside just like the first day of the NY Show 51 years ago, so I'm coming back to the January 14, 1965 National Powerboat Show. Here's what we have to go on so far:
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First, the one post below from 3,000+ poster Scott Boldt on 11-02-2008 that references two boats at the 1965 Show, a red one and a blue one ...........

One day on my way to dinner, I got a call on my cell from a guy who said he had an original 16' Donzi from 1965 boat show. He told me there was a red one and a blue one at the show. Don Aronow was at the show and it was the introduction of the 16 to the world. Now maybe by red and blue, he meant the stripes on the boats. Its been years and I don't remember all of the conversation anymore. Anywhooooooo, both the boats at the show went home with him. However, I remember him telling me the red one was destroyed in either a fire or hurricane maybe and I believe the boats were in Louisiana at the time? So just by the process of elimination, there is or was a 1965 blue and white 16 out there in the world somewhere. Hope it hasn't been destroyed also........Good luck gentlemen finding that boat.

Then, the never before discovered newspaper article I found in the Gaffney Ledger dated February 19, 1965 that refers to a black 16 .............GaffneySCLedgerNYShowFeb19,1965.jpg
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Also, there is the post (intact below) from legend Allan Brown on 9-12-2002 about a white and blue boat at the '65 New York Show ............

The Biloxi lady....Mrs. Joe Brown. The blue "18", a 1965 16'! November, 1964 Jacksonville, Fl. boat show display, a white 16' w/blue stripe. January 1965, New York Boat Show, NY Coliseum. Display, 16' white w/blue stripe and green Hornet w/turbo Daytona 327 w/silver stripe. February 1965 Miami Boat Show display, at Dinner Key, a white 16' with red stripe, and a (same) green Hornet. We didn't have the 18' yet. At the '65 show, I was polishing the deck of the Hornet when a grey haired guy with a frowsy blonde came by the booth before the show opened and said "I would like to buy this boat for my wife". I said " Yeah, me too, pal". About an hour later, Jack Manson, who was the show boss brought them back and said "Brownie, I think you should meet Jim Kimberly" I said "Oh, s##t!" He said "I just came back to tell you to stick that boat up your a**!, kid." Oops!

Add to the data points the NY Times article dated January 14, 1965 that talks of the 16 at the show but does not indicate a color ............. NYTimes.jpg

And finally, might as well add to the confusion the March, 1965 Motor Boating magazine picture with an incorrect reference to a green 16 .............. NYShowMotorboatingMagMarch1965.png

[Greg Guimond]

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During the building of the 1964 Ski Sporter 16's Don Aronow decided to work with Wynn and Volvo and secure (6) semi-race "Hot Volvo" packages for import.

There were three reasons for this. First, they had been used in Europe with great success including the Paris 6 Hour Race. Second, Aronow had tried them in his Formula 233's in America including the 1964 Sam Griffith Memorial Race. Third, Aq200 drives were very tough to get in the US in December of 1964 and as these were faster, they were used instead. Three of these performance packages ended up being installed in 1964's (as shown in the Timeline) while one of them was put aside and stored for Don's Son Michael at a much later date. The "race" package was based on the 110 motor and 100 outdrive but had numerous enhancements to both. Below is a picture of the motor. There is rumor that one of these complete packages is still in existence in the US tucked away in a dusty barn. The installation of the other two motor packages has never been traced.

If Shepherd got a 16 that was built and sent directly to them in 1964, it's possible that one of the Hot Volvo race packages was installed in that 1st hull for promo success. The Shepherd records should add light to that.

[woobs]

Twin Webers is just motor porn!

[Greg Guimond]

Twin Webers is just motor porn!

Evidently according to the note below these Race Volvo 4 bangers left an impression with all age groups ..............

"Our motor and out drive. I remember, at 4 years old or so, my dad always stuffing the carbs with tennis balls to keep the salt air out. And tennis balls were always rolling around the bilge. We still have the motor and outdrive."

[Greg Guimond]

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To continue to square away the final pieces of the Timeline I reached out to the only person still alive on the NY Show and got this response ...............

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From: Allan Brown
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 4:36 PM
To: 'Greg Guimond'
Subject: RE: January 1965 NYC Boat Show

One or two. Been a long time.

From: Greg Guimond
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 12:42 PM
To: 'Captblah'
Subject: January 1965 NYC Boat Show

I’m still putting some 1964 Ski Sporter info together and ran across the attached news article about the National Powerboat Show on January 14, 1965 during the blizzard where you introduced the 16’ Ski Sporters.

Quick question ….. where there two 16’s in the booth or were there three? I know that there was just the one green 19 Hornet but was hoping you could clear up how many Ski Sporter’s you guys brought to NYC to unveil?

Thanks very much

[Greg Guimond]

I'm now thinking that when you review Scott Boldt's comment about two 16's being at the boat show, and Brownie saying one or two boats were at the show (one of which had a blue stripe) I'm thinking two 16' boats were there on January 14th, 1965. Donzi had fantastic PR momentum going into the show from there race success. They had the 19 there and why not have two 16's to "book end" that Hornet? There was no lack of money, it was the biggest show in the country by far, and this was the introduction of the 16 Ski Sporter to the world.

I also think that neither of these two boats got re-shipped up to Shepherd Canada as that boat is now shown as probably being solid yellow. I think that the Shepherd hull was shipped directly from Miami for the TIBS show as a separate event. The Donzi factory gave birth to the two 16's and the 19 Hornet in late 1964 and hustled there arses off to get all three rigged, ready, and on the road in time to be in NYC on January 13, 1965.

Also, I change my earlier opinion and now believe that both NYC 16's were 1964's.

[Greg Guimond]

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As I continue to poke around a bit more for the history, I found out today that the 1965 National Powerboat Show in New York was actually a much bigger production that I had originally thought. It was four full floors and the doors opened to the venue on Monday January 11th instead of the 13th. That means that Donzi would have needed to be "in the house" at least a full day earlier than I had originally thought. That along with the bad weather cements the fact that the boats Donzi had at the New York Show were certainly 1964's as there were just not enough days to work with to completion if the hulls had popped out of the mold on January 2, 1965.

Ironically, one boat that had to wait for the doors to open was a big 'ol Shepherd from Canada as shown in the article below. Plenty of time at the show for Aronow and Shepherd to discuss there future biz relationship.
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[Greg Guimond]

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The New York Show also ran much longer than I had thought at the start of the thread. It went right to Sunday January 24, 1965 so an absolute ton of exposure for Donzi and the Ski Sporter 16's that were in the booth..

[Rob M]

How so? It neither confirms nor denies the possibility.
What is the date of the first known use of the grab rail?

This quote from Brownie's Bites on Powerboat nation.com may help shed a little light on the likely engine/drive and grab rail configuration of the earliest boats...

"Our demo 16’s had “Phony Cobras”, a 289 cu. In. Ford Interceptor of supposed 271 HP on Eaton “C” drives. That drive had a good idea, bad idea feature. It had an aluminum pin (should have been stainless steel) that allowed the drive to be turned down vertically to run, or up, to get the prop out of the water. Unfortunately, if you yanked the steering wheel hard enough at speed, it sheared the pin, the drive fell out, the boat ‘swapped ends’ immediately, and threw your ass out if you were not driving, then started to sink with a big hole where the drive had been. Everyone in the water donated clothes to stuff the hole. I got thrown out twice in one day. If you look at the picture of an early 16, it does not have a hand rail around the cockpit. After my second swim, they all had rails. We started winning one race after another, and unlike today’s races, they generated press all over the world."

http://www.powerboatnation.com/brown...underboat-row/

Not sure if the above info is already all factored in...I didn't wade through al 34 pages of the thread.

[Greg Guimond]

This quote from Brownie's Bites on Powerboat nation.com may help shed a little light on the likely engine/drive and grab rail configuration of the earliest boats...

Interesting. Not sure what woobs has on the deck grab rails. Also pretty interesting that Allan Brown says that 289's were in the first demo boats.

[Greg Guimond]

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Uncovered another bit of info about the 1965 National Powerboat Show in NYC on Jan 14th. It looks like Donzi had two booths (205 and 212) which is a lot of Coliseum space. Need to check out Shongut Marine in Westchester County as the only Donzi dealer in late 1964 as Bill Wishnik lived in Scarsdale and was a major business player at the time.
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[olredalert]

----Love that add!!!!!......Bill S

[Greg Guimond]

----Love that add!!!!!......Bill S

Yep very cool for sure Bill and never before found! The photo of the 19' Hornet they used was taken on November 7, 1964 during the Miami to Key West Race. That is Allan Brown (now 82 years old) driving the #69 "Donzi Daddy" in the photo. That specific race put Donzi on the map like no other as it was there first time competing as a "new company" but you would know that as I believe you were a dealer back in the day. Another tidbit is that in addition to (5) brand new inboard hulls in the race piloted by employees of Donzi, a privateer entered an Outboard powered 19 Donzi as well in the race. My little 16 O/B feels vindicated lol but I digress

Here is the race entrant list from 1964 ......... four 28's and two 19's

[Greg Guimond]

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And here is the outboard powered Donzi 19' Hornet in a shot also taken in that same November 7, 1964 race. Davey Wilson shown running triple OMC 75hp wackers on the back, proving that Donzi did build OB's in 1964.

I wonder if they built any 16 OB's in 1964?