My first real post here and I'd like to say thanks to the forum
I have been lurking for awhile trying to learn what I could
I just picked up a Donzi Classic 22 and here is my back story
I'm 47
I grew up as a kid working my dads small marina in southern NJ in the summers
Ive been around boats since I can remember and have worked as a dock hand ,boat boy, mate all the way up to running my old mans 40 footers off shore
I've been boating and fishing my whole life
I'm not a stranger to performance boats and have spent time on scarabs , formulas and various ski boats
My dad had one of the faster off shore rigs 35 + years ago
In my youth I would always see those dam Donzis buzzing around the back bays at that magic glassy time at the end of the day
I learned to know the sound of a certain sweet 16 that has hanging on a lift a few coves down
I would hear him coming and just smile as I watched him rip by ....... The boat sounded incredible
The Brooders of MAB Paint fame had another yellow sweet 16 with a Berkley jet drive that would roost by with a rooster tail that seemed like it went forever
Point is as a kid I lusted after a Donzi but it never seemed to happen
My boats always seemed to be the more fishing type
Robala center consoles , Ranger Bass boats for a time when I was into that and even an airboat which I still have for chasing small mouth on the Susquehanna and Delaware
I also had a 31 Contender for the last 12 or so years that I used up and down the North East coast chasing Marlin ,Tuna and Striper
I loved tournament fishing and running to the canyons etc.
The last few years the Contender has sat in a warehouse gathering dust
I just had no time and it was alway easier to jump in a car with a rod and jump on one of my buddies boats that were sitting in the water in different ports up and down the coast
With three daughters that have no real interest in fishing slowly my dreams of chasing Marlin and Tuna with them started to fade
Well two or three years went by not using the Contender except for a shake down run on a local lake a year or so ago and along came a good guy that made me an offer I couldn't refuse on my pristine Contender
There was only one condition to the sale I had to find a replacement boat. I've always had at least two boats around
Something to take my kids and wife out on
The wife has family along the coast in Delaware and they are always bugging me to come down but floating around on a pontoon boat just doesn't agree with me
The Contender was just to big to haul around and pull tubes with and the airboat does not work for pulling anything
So I first turned down the guys offer on the Contender and as I drove away I thought of what boat I would like to take the kids and wife on to explore the back bays pull tubes and do some exploring upstate in The Thousand Islands were I used to fish. I can stick a rod or two up under the bow and when I'm done doing the family thing I can jam out to the rips or rocks and try for a Striper or two
The found memories of my youth watching those Donzis rip around came flooding back and I started to search the Internet and the web looking for a Donzi that would suit my needs
First growing up as a boat boy I am rather picky so I knew it would have to be clean. I wanted something a little hypo in the engine department and being that I wanted to do some exploring on it I wanted a 22 footer.
I wanted a boat from the hand laid hull days
I also wanted a fresh water boat
Growing up in the salt I know how hard on things it is
I stumbled on the boat I bought. It was only listed a few days when I found it
It is a 96 hull
it has a fresh Mercury Blue Motor and was owned and built by Precision Marine Performance in upstate NY
I called the owner who had built the boat for his son. From the impression I got from him it might of turned out a bit to fast and he was concerned
We made a deal. In that deal I asked him what else would he do to the boat. He said that he would add dual ram steering. A quick call to Mayfair and the kit was on its way to him for an install before I picked up the boat
With the the boat there was two props. A Labbed left hand drive 25 pitch prop and a right hand drive 4 blade 26 pitch prop what ch has been sent out already for a lab finish
I called the guy that wanted the Contender and agreed to sell it
Well this all took place recently and I just got the Donzi home and I'm pleased
They say a picture is worth a thousand words so a video has got be a bunch more
I like making videos so I made a mini documentary on the experience
I'm going to miss the Contender but it's time to turn the page and this little classic has made it easier
Please tell me what you think of the boat etc
thanks