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Thread: Thoughts on the Sonic 24 Spitfire Splash

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    Thoughts on the Sonic 24 Spitfire Splash

    anyone have any thoughts about the Sonic 24 built off the Donzi 24 molds? ...this one come with a big block and at least now has a TRS drive.

    sonic24.jpg
    Jay Z.
    '93 White/Teal Classic 22

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    The Sonic is an excellent boat overall. I have driven them with both twin OB's and a single I/O. They are probably one of the roomiest 24 footers you will find but because of the beam they are not terribly fast. Extremely comfortable for the size in rough seas. It all depends on what your use will be.
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

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    I hate to say this but the Sonic Donzi splash has to be better boat than the original Donzi. I have seen to many of Donzi's 24' that have very poor build quality like my Doral. The lack of full stringers is just one of the Donzi's downfalls, & just simply sealing factory drilled hole would have helped keeping the transoms wood dry. If Donzi were built half as good as Bill's restored Spitfire these boats would have some value. Bill's El Pescador is one of very few 24's that is still in good shape from the Donz, but you know he is very, very, very particular about it's up keep. Sonic has also stretched that 24' hull to around 29' & I have not heard much bad news about them. If you have not seen my old transoms pic's before I replaced it here they are. The last pic's are of Bill's Spitfire redone with correct stringers as you can see in that pic of it's new center stringer. Donzi made a crazy wide hollow center stinger, just one more issue. The very last pic is Bill's nice El Pescador..
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Guimond View Post
    The Sonic is an excellent boat overall. I have driven them with both twin OB's and a single I/O. They are probably one of the roomiest 24 footers you will find but because of the beam they are not terribly fast. Extremely comfortable for the size in rough seas. It all depends on what your use will be.
    Greg I take it you have never been in Bill's El Pescador with twin 250hp Merc Io's that stock Donzi runs 66mph very impressive. His restored Spitfire will be running twin black 383cu Tyler Crockett rockets & should fly !!! My Doral was a race boat running in the 1975 APBA P class & it ran 58mph with these 350cu 300hp small blocks it speed was about the same as Volvo 27' Magnums ran back then.
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    I wonder if there are any other Donzi's out there with engines built by Johnson Specialties ?
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    owner claims it rans 70 with 502 and 63 with the 454.

    I've not seen another Sonic 24 like this one on the web or anywhere else. This one looks like a spitfire ...real sleek not like the Sonic 24 with the hull side windows...
    Jay Z.
    '93 White/Teal Classic 22

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    Here is the 24' Sonic story as Bill [redaleart] had this in his archives ..
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    ----Thanks, Mark!!! A good friend of mine in Ft. Liquerdale owned this very boat new. Had it for awhile and then got offered stupid money for it by a couple of shady guys. Two weeks later they came back to him and patch some "bullet holes" as he was and is in the Corvette repair business. He complied and never saw the boat again. He is the one who gave me the mag article......Bill S

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    From the archives of olred.........


    Quote Originally Posted by olredalert View Post
    ------As some of you may recall from former posts of mine the molds for the El Pescador as well as the Spitfire were bought by Sonic around 1978. They are now languishing in mold purgatory behind the Sonic factory!
    ------ Sonic built Spitfires almost exactly like DONZI but called them Super Sports. The very first one out of their mold was powered with healthy twin 454s. Drives were Marine Power System. I have a water-test from "Go Boating" on that boat. The claim was that the boat should have hit 80mph but was propped wrong for the test,and only made it to 75.
    ------There was some sort of front compartment with berths but it was claustrophobic and very hard to get to,as you had to crawl under a deep full width dash,or drop thru one of two front deck hatchs.
    ------Had a 98 gallon tank,although one could extend that quite a bit as my El Pescador has about 120 gallons. I have also talked to a fella down in Ohio that has one with 3 tanks totaling around 200 gallons altogether.
    ------That first SS belonged to a friend of mine when the article was written,and he liked the boat a bunch. Unfortunatly,a while after the test someone offered him way too much money and he sold it. Literally a week later the boat came back to him shot full of bullet-holes(He was in the fiberglass repair business). Hey,he lived in Ft.Laudedale. Bullet holes wernt all that uncommon. He patched it up and never saw it again.
    ------Do I like the 24 hull? OHHHHHHH YEEEESSSSS.It handles the same water a 27 Magnum SS will,and yet you can trailer it with relative ease. Just what the DONZI doctor ordered!......Bill S
    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

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    I think Bill will change his story a bit now about a 24' Donzi vs the 27' Magnum now that he has a Magnum sport. But we all know Bill's Donzi's are a cut above the rest.

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    ----You have that right, wise one! Once I got Short Circuit up to speed I realised what a difference there is between the two. I do still think the 24 Donzi (Sonic, etc) is a great 24 hull. Dry, beamy, and will run fast if set up correctly.......Bill S

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    The owner of this Sonic 24 has done an incredible job with it. He has twin warmed up 250's and it does 80mph on GPS but not an ounce more with the round bottom. You could always find him and chat as I'm sure he knows the boat you are looking at. He tends to know all the I/O's and O/B's out there.
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    1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
    1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"

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    ----Is it just me (I may be biased) or is Sonics deck and windshield design just plain ugly?.......Bill S

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

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    Quote Originally Posted by olredalert View Post
    ----is it just me (i may be biased) or is sonics deck and windshield design just plain ugly?.......bill s

    maybe ....maybe not.

    spitfiresplash.jpg
    Jay Z.
    '93 White/Teal Classic 22

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