eliminat0r85

Hey guys been lurking this site for a long time finally joined. Anyways looking to purchase my first boat this spring. I have been looking at quite a few boats and have found a couple late 80's to early 90's Donzis that I really like. Also a couple smaller sea-rays but those are for another forum I'm sure.

I do most of my boating on Lake St. Clair, although this is my first boat I have been boating all my life, mostly in cruisers and runabouts though. Just had a couple questions about Donzi boats so I can figure out in approximate cost vs a cheaper runabout. I would like to keep the boat for a few seasons before I sell it if I spend almost 20k on one, if I'm only throwing out like 10k on a small 22 ft' sea-ray or something like that I could def. justify selling it the season after to upgrade.

Questions about the Donzi: I'm currently looking at a Z25. It's been rack stored all it's life so I'm assuming that means its the original gel-coat. How does the gel-coat hold up if you leave the boat in the water. I might prefer to just dock the boat in a well all season because it is a little bit cheaper than rack storage, plus I'm not a fan of some of the rules of rack storage, I have a feeling with some of the rules regarding storage, it would be sitting in water over night many many many times anyways. Although it would be sitting in a well all season I will be out there almost every day taking it out on the lake and having some fun, and plan to wash the thing regularly. I know there are a bunch of issues with letting a boat sit in the water all season, such as discoloration, barnacle and sea creature build up etc. Would this be a problem even if I take it out everyday and clean it really well once a week? I know bottom paint solves most of these concerns but thats for runabouts and cruisers so I would be going that route. If the buildup each season would be a concern I would most likely just offset the higher cost of rack storage with the added benefits of higher re-sale value.

What is the ride quality like in these things? lake st. Clair can get a bit choppy when everyone is on the water, so looking for a boat that has a bit of a smooth ride. I have nothing against crashing over a few ways, but I don't want a rough ride every time I head out on the weekend.

How is the learning curve? This would be a significant upswing in speed in the boat I currently use, I'd say the sea-ray I usually drive tops out at about 45. I most likely wouldn't be doing top speed runs in the boat all the time, but it is def. something I will do.

Also any other tips you can throw my way about these boats. My friends dad had one when I was little and I've always loved the sound of 'em plus they're just a nice classic solid boat. I def plan on having a marine surveyor take a look at anything before I buy it. Right now I'm leaning more toward a smaller donzi and other smaller powerboats as well lets face it I like my toys to be a little bit fast.

Put this in the donzi section because as I said I'm mostly looking at Donzi's and looking for opinions from owners and previous owners alike as they are smaller and in my price range. Def. don't wanna start out with like a 30ft fountain or something like that.

mattyboy

the z25 will be no real speed demon they were donz's first foray into boats larger than 24 feet since the mid 70s.
z-25 z-29 z-33

the z25 goes at around 3800lbs they were powered with anything from a 260 hp small block to a 370 hp big block

these boats were known to have some stringer transom issues but this one if it lived on a lift should be ok but it needs to be checked

they will ride very nice they are a true deep veeand will handle chop and rougher water well . the learning curve will be much shorter than the smaller donzi classic which take some time to get use to.

gel will hold up better than paint if left submerged for longer periods of time. blisters will also an issue. i wouldn't worry about 2-4 day dunks but if left in the water for months. it will need to be cleaned.

eliminat0r85

Solid thanks for the reply man. I like that it is a deeper V also I know it isn't gonna be the fastest thing on the water I'm completely fine with that. When i got into cars i didn't start with an 8 second car so I don't plan on starting with a boat that I can't control. Plus i don't have that much money 30 ft plus boats are pretty expensive. Maybe after I get a promotion or something.

Alright so it can hold up well to being docked if its taken care of. I was thinking if I dock it i'd wash it in the water out on the cove once a week and every 2 months I would take it out of the water and get it put on a rack so i could spray the whole thing down and use some special cleaner to take away the discoloration, and then wax it..if i can even do that, gotta talk to the marinas. Plus i'll get some answers on the rack storage, like leaving in in a well over the wknd etc. If i can do that and actually call ahead before I head out and have no issues getting it in the water everyday i'll probably opt for the rack storage.

ZXXX Donzi

There is a dang nice 27ZX for sale in your area. It is a clean boat with a fuel injected 509. The engine is fresh.

This is way more boat than a Z 25 for 24,000. You want a solid ride, this is it. I owned this boat years ago.

thirdchildhood

Those guys know what they are talking about so you can take their advice for word. I and several others regularly run 22 Classics on the Great Lakes and St. Clair. Of course there are limits with a 22' boat with little freeboard but 2-3 footers are no problem. Four footers can be run with care and 5 footers send me into the rivers! If you don't need the cabin look into a 22 Classic for Lake St. Clair. The 22 is a true 22' 6" hull. No beak; No bustle . They can run safely well into the 80s.

eliminat0r85

You got a link to that one. Just wanna compare it with the couple i'm looking at so I can get a good idea on what I can get and feel comfortable with for the money I will be spending.

eliminat0r85

So when every ones leaving the party spots you might be in for it. I'm sure it would be fun though. I don't know if I'm open to a 22', I'm sure they're fantastic boats and I love the look they just seem a bit small for what I would use it for. I'm 6'7" and I won't be strictly just cruising in the boat, plan on doing some fishing and some other things so I'd like a little bit of a bigger boat, although I read the 25' boat is only just over 24' so I'll have to check it out to get a feel for it. I know the 27' we have now can get a bit cramped when there are 5+ people so Def. gonna take that into consideration. Not sure on the cabin situation I'm sure sometimes it'd be a good thing to have and other times I could probably care less. I guess that's something I would learn after actually using my own boat all year. I'd say I've slept in the cabin of the current boat quite a bit though.

You run your 22' a lot on st. clair on the busy wknds? Whatd you have before the 22'

ZXXX Donzi

Look on Donzi.net under for sale. It is a green 27 ZX. The guy selling it is named CJ Mike.

You should look there anyway as well as Donzi.org. Lots of ideas and good advice there.