DownByTheRiver
Cadet
- Joined
- May 23, 2016
- Messages
- 11
My best friend called me the other day, telling me about this old Donzi I needed to see. I currently have a 275lxc that I'm on the fence about keeping, and I've wanted a classic Donzi for years, so I decided to go check it out. I'm in the middle of finishing a 1968 c10 pickup with a turbo LS setup, so what better time to buy this, you know?
From the information I received on her, she's supposedly a 1969 18. She very obviously needs a full resto, but there's very little rot. From my little research, it appears to have a jacuzzi WJ jet drive. I've read these are reliable units but am prepared to rebuild if necessary. The motor that comes with the boat is a 350, which is good for me. I did entertain the idea of an LS swap because of my familiarity with the platform. I looked through the 1969 brochure, and didn't even see an option for a jet drive, so I'm assuming this was added later.
I've noticed some things are not the way they were when they left the factory (the GAS PEDAL for instance), and someone cut the inner shell out of the boat. The other weird parts are the hatch cover (opens differently than others I've seen...sideways with pins), and the seating arrangements, namely the panel that separates the engine hatch from the cockpit. I wish I had a better picture, but it does not appear that there's a way for there to be 3 seats back there. Looks more like 2 really small seats with a large center divider "box" between them. I was wondering if this was original. I'm also somewhat frightened of the cost of a full interior. Are these seats as scarce as I think they may be?
So with all that being said, unless there's some glaringly obvious reason not to buy this boat, I'll probably pick it up. I'm not scared of the work, as I've done plenty of auto restoration and hot rodding. The boat needs a full repaint, so I could have something very unique, and I love the idea of rescuing this boat from impending doom underneath these trees. When all is said and done, I'm basically buying this boat for the cost of the trailer it's sitting on. It was parked in 2006, and I know she's dirty, but if there's anyone can see the real beauty, it's you guys. The people I've showed these pictures to think I'm crazy, but nothing I'm not already used to honestly.
Any advice on the above would be much appreciated!
From the information I received on her, she's supposedly a 1969 18. She very obviously needs a full resto, but there's very little rot. From my little research, it appears to have a jacuzzi WJ jet drive. I've read these are reliable units but am prepared to rebuild if necessary. The motor that comes with the boat is a 350, which is good for me. I did entertain the idea of an LS swap because of my familiarity with the platform. I looked through the 1969 brochure, and didn't even see an option for a jet drive, so I'm assuming this was added later.
I've noticed some things are not the way they were when they left the factory (the GAS PEDAL for instance), and someone cut the inner shell out of the boat. The other weird parts are the hatch cover (opens differently than others I've seen...sideways with pins), and the seating arrangements, namely the panel that separates the engine hatch from the cockpit. I wish I had a better picture, but it does not appear that there's a way for there to be 3 seats back there. Looks more like 2 really small seats with a large center divider "box" between them. I was wondering if this was original. I'm also somewhat frightened of the cost of a full interior. Are these seats as scarce as I think they may be?
So with all that being said, unless there's some glaringly obvious reason not to buy this boat, I'll probably pick it up. I'm not scared of the work, as I've done plenty of auto restoration and hot rodding. The boat needs a full repaint, so I could have something very unique, and I love the idea of rescuing this boat from impending doom underneath these trees. When all is said and done, I'm basically buying this boat for the cost of the trailer it's sitting on. It was parked in 2006, and I know she's dirty, but if there's anyone can see the real beauty, it's you guys. The people I've showed these pictures to think I'm crazy, but nothing I'm not already used to honestly.
Any advice on the above would be much appreciated!