rjcardinal

Thanks for the encouragement 32Fever. However the used Scorpion boats are out of our price range so a new one will be out also.

Kentz, the Scorpion runs out to 5200 rpm so low 70's is possible with a Scorpion boat with 25" props. I doubt it will ever hit 78GPS in stock trim.

We were looking at slightly used 28ZX's with 5.7 Mags. I was just trying to get a believable answer as to how fast they were. I have a 22 Scarab with a 502/502 in it now that does 78GPS and let me tell you thats moving. Before the 502 it would run 69GPS and you should have seen how many 75mph boats I would blow away.

So now I am thinking that a twin 5.7 Mag 28ZX will do mid 60's and because its a twin to make it go 70 will be cost prohibitive because the boat is already at the upper limits of my price range. In all the test and information that I have found the boat will spin 23" props 5000rpm and 25" props 4500rpm which both calculate to mid 60's. If the boat was really capable of producing slip ratios less than 2% it would be a major breakthrough in marine technology and everyone would know about it. It would be revolutionary and promoted as so.

I am exploring other options now but have not ruled out the 28ZX if the right deal comes along.

32 Fever, watch the Fountain forum, soon I will be picking the brains of Fountain owners next. We are looking at 27 to 29 Fevers now.

Thanks for all the help.

Ron

pstorti

Ron,

why is it you have such a hard time believing a 28ZX with twin 350 mags will do 70mph on gps? I have seen 3 seperate magazine tests and they all get the boat to go 70. I think you are a little to hung up on slip factors. Go to www.go-fast.com and click on knowledge base and you will find all kinds of calculators. As for the boat with scorpions here is a quote from powerboat magazines 2001 performance tests,

"If the hull design of the 28 ZXO seemed complex, its performance was anything but. It was simply outstanding. Top speed for the 28-footer in 3- to 4-foot junk was 74.4 mph at 5100 rpm. So nasty were the conditions that our test team members were relatively sure the boat had another 2 or 3 miles per hour in it—they just couldn't keep the propellers in the water long enough to find out.

Those props, lab-finished Mirage Plus 14 1/2" x 25" three-blade stainless-steel models, were on the spindles of Bravo XR drives with 1.5:1 ratios. The three-blade wheels provided enough bite to get the boat on plane in 5.49 seconds with the 280S K-planes engaged. From a standing start, the boat hit 53 mph in 10 seconds and 64 mph in 20 seconds."

rjcardinal

pstorti, I have been lied to in the past and I guess I have my guard up now that I am buying another boat. I dont mean to slam the boats. They are beautiful in my opinion and Donzi has a great reputation. If you read my original post what I am looking for is the top speed with a normal pleasure boat load. I want to be able to put the hammer down and break 70GPS with a normal load of people and fuel. In my quest to find out this number for a 350 Mag boat I have run across numbers that dont make sense. I have a hard time believing the boat runs 71mph at 5000rpm with 23" props as Hotboat Mag says. I also have a hard time believing that it will run 70mph with 25" props at 4500rpm. The fact that in two test the boat pulled a 23" to 5000rpm and a 25" to 4500 rpm leads me to believe that its top speed is between 65mph and 68mph. I have no doubt that the Scorpion boat will do 70+GPS and have stated that its my dream boat. However we are looking at used boats and the 350 Mag boats are at the upper limits of our price range.

At this piont the only way to convince myself is to take a ride in one. There is a 1999 28ZX with 350 Mags for sale about 60 miles from my house. I am trying to arange a test drive now.

Thanks for the reply

Ron

Out There

Ron, I hope you can get out in one of these boats soon.
You will be pleasantly surprised. I can understand why you are skeptical of the manufacturers rated top speeds. Donzis rated the 28ZX at 75mph with 350 mags. The magazines also are not totally independent as they are rating advertisers boats. However, they do not make up the performance #s.
I also understand why you would question the numbers of a boat that is for sale.
My boat is not for sale.
Good luck with your boat search.

rjcardinal

Hey bently,

Went to test drive one this afternoon. A 1999 28ZX 350 Mags with 38 hours on it. The dealer (not a Donzi dealer) was supposed to be ready but when I got there both batteries were dead and the boat was filthly. I said I could wait while they changed them (I just drove 70 miles). Then they started all the talk (BS). They said the only way I could test drive the boat was to make a deal and put a downpayment in. I told them they were crazy if they thought I would make an offer without a sea trial. Things just went downhill from there. I looked the boat over hard then walked away. On my way out someone ran into the parking lot to catch me. He said that the reason why I was told I could not test drive the boat without a downpayment was because they have had the boat sold three times before but the buyers credit would not go through. I told him that was a terrible way to treat a customer and that I would probably not do business with a dealer who treated me this way. I told him that I would not need financing (the truth) and could write a check for the boat today and walked away. He has left me two messages since.

Anyway the boat had 24" Bravo One four bladed props which further bolsters my hope for a true 70mph boat.

I need your opinion on something. They are asking 69K for the boat but I am sure they will take less. They have had the boat for over a year. The boat was sold new in 1999 and has had one owner (a doctor they say). I believe the boat to be near perfect mechanically. However the boat has obviously been out in the weather since 1999 with only the leaky cockpit cover on it. The cover was full of water and sagging down when they brought me to the boat today. The cockpit and cabin are mildewed and smelly. The gelcoat on the deck is white but not shiny (almost chalky). The hull sides look great. No structural cracks. The vinyl in the cockpit and cabin is mildewed and the panels are pulled away from their mountings. Not a pretty sight. In this kind of condition whats the boat worth? We really have been looking at low hour boats and are ready to spend the money on a nearly new boat but this one is a little further gone than I'd like. My 1995 Scarab's interior is in much better shape than this boats. Unless I can steal this boat I dont think I will buy it. What do you think? Owning this boat yourself what would you offer for it?

Ron

Out There

Ron, Sounds like your experience yesterday was not a good one. Unbelievable how they handled the test ride. I would think they are close or right at retail on that boat.
If you think it could be cleaned up that might be a good boat with the low hours. Its appearance might give you some serious negotiating power.
The cockpit panels do not have any wood in their construction so they may just be loose. They are attached from the back and are not difficult to tighten. Mine were loose.
The entire boat down to the waterline has Sikens Clearcoat.
You can probably bring it back with some light buffing.
The passport warranty that is on the boat is only on the engine and drives but it is a good one. It is the same company that Searay uses. I used my warranty for a new shift cable and an outdrive gasket that was leaking.
I bought my boat just over a year ago and it was a similar situation.
Later today I was going by the library to get a value on an old corvette I am going to sell. The ABOS and NADA Marine appriasal guides are available and I will get you the #s.
Off the top of my head I would think $60K. Maybe a bit more depending how comfortable you are with the boat.
This dealership sounds like one that you take everthing they say with a grain of salt. If the boat does not have hour meters you may want to have that checked or have them show you the actual hours on the engine computers.

rjcardinal

Thanks for the info bentley. It would be great to have the NADA book value on the boat.

So the deck is clearcoated. In my experience it is easier to bring back gelcoat with buffing because it is so much thicker. The condition this deck is in would probably require a buffing that would go through the clearcoat. I have brought a gelcoated deck back to life before but is was a constant struggle to keep it up. It required a rebuff once a year and a couple of waxings between and really only looked right for about 60 days after the buffing.

The boat did have hour meters on it. One engine was at 38.5 the other at 38.7.

I'm not sure if I will even make an offer on this boat. To put it back into acceptable condition would take more time than I have right now. We have an 19 month old boy. If I did make an offer I would probably make a ridiculisly low one just to see what they would counter at. I dont mind wasting some of this guys time after what he did to me yesterday.

I still cant get the image of the mildewed interior out of my head. I even woke up last night thinking about it. I guess that just shows you how nerve racking buying a boat can be. One other thing, the stereo and vhf radio has been stolen while the boat was on their yard. The stereo was installed in the cabin and they just ripped the whole interior panel out. That just adds to the overall theme of the boat, neglect.

Thanks in advance for the NADA #s. I will keep you updated.

Ron

Out There

Ron, Got you the #s

ABOS- This is the dealer "Blue Book" they use for taking a boat in on trade.

Low Trade-$48,800 High Trade$54,900 Retail $67,000
Tandem Trailer $3,000 to $4,000

NADA-They only listed the boat with 2 250hp engines except on the Daytona. So you will have to add atleast several thousand.

Low Retail $46,350 Average $57,950 High$65,550
Trailer $3-4,000

Time for the low ball offer. You could easily justify an offer in the low to mid 50s. Depending also on the trailer and equipment. Just the stereo, VHF and interior problems could easily be worth a several thousand $ deduction.

Oh, I did not add for any extras like covers or equipment. All is standard anyway on this boat and most things are not worth much anyway as additions.

Good luck!

rjcardinal

Thanks for the numbers bently. We are currently looking at other boats.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Ron

BryanTuvell

RJCARDINAL, here is what I know for fact, I am on my 2nd ZX DONZI. ('99 and now 2001)
- the 28 is 14 inches longer, identical to a 26ZX from the helm aft.
You gain a few inches in the cuddy, that is all.
- 26ZX single 502, 70.4 GPS top speed so far, the norm 67mph GPS.
- 28ZX T350 mags 75GPS, the norm 73 mph GPS.

Pricing: a couple good 28 buys left if you buy a new 2001.
I saw a 2nd owner 60 hour 28ZX T377 Scorps for high 80's in VA. Easy high 70 mph boat.
2001 26ZX single 502 or 496MAG HO are easily gotten for very low 60's $$$. That is before you haggle, Fla is flooded with new leftovers. I bought mine in PA, base on price and dealer rep, the guy in North PA has an outstanding reputation for service.

These boats rock... their key in my eyes is the weight and how it is distributed in the dual step hull. When I do get air I am always flat, she is a tank, slow out of the hole but when most throttle back for BIG water or wakes you can keep on a rock'n, dead ahead!
NO FEAR! Name of my first
FEARLESS! Name of my 2nd DONZI.

Donzi has a couple minor things I don't like but they are small stuff and do not effect performance.
I run a 24P Merc Bravo I and K&N, without it the boat would not rev past 4600... she is a tank, like I said...

Good luck, keep us posted and ask any other questions you have!
Bryan