performancems

I found a 1989 donzi z22 nearby for sale and I was wondering what kind of boat they were and if it's worth my time. do they take chop well? Im looking for something that will be a fun icw cruiser that can handle hitting all the other boats wake without me having to slow down with an occasional trip out in the ocean for some scuba diving.
It's got a 454 and a bravo out drive, would 55 be a reasonable top speed assumption? also, what kind of trouble areas should I check for? are they known for bad stringers/transom?

Johnaut46

Have you posted on Donzi.org?

As far as chop… IMHO i just depends on the size of the chop. 1 to 2' it should eat it up. 2'+ I would go a bigger boat.

Same for the wake. You hit one off a 70' Sportfisher going 20 knots and making a 5' wake you will launch yourself pretty good.

I think with a 454 would run in the 70's if set up right.

performancems

posted on donzi.org...waiting for response. as far as chop i'm just concerned about the average 2ft wake from the 25ft and under boats. Is this a hull that can handle getting air or should I not beat it.
The price seems pretty good at 4k on a trailer so it seems like a good price for a fun toy this summer. if it can get close to 70 that would just be awesome.

performancems

well I think I might pass on this one.
After a lot of googling I really can't find much info on this model at all, which leads me to believe it's most likely a low quality boat and the only thing really keeping its value is the name donzi on the side. Also means I'll probably have a hard time selling it when I'm done having my fun

Johnaut46

As was stated I don't think because you don't find much on the boat it is not worth much. Donzi owners don't write about their boats much… Hence the Name says it all. Like I said I have 1986 model… I will not sell it for a long time. No need to… The hull and stringers are good and I don't beat the hell out of it… 50 to 70 mph is god for me. I don't need to go 85+ but that is me.

Have someone look at the stingers and go from there. As for the 2' chop… that boat and hull will eat that stuff up...

cig20

iTrader: (1)

89 is omc era look for one from 86 or 87 they are a great little boat a little on the heavy side, check stringers, I had a 1986 with 454 alpha was a great boat rode nice and could handle a 2ft chop with no problem and ran in the low 60s z21

Scott B

I beg to differ. I will put the build quality of my OMC era 1992 22 Classic up against ANY year Donzi ever built. They were building good quality boats in that timeframe, some of which were actually built by Chris Craft.

Otherwise, as many have mentioned either check the hull carefully if you are experienced enough, or get a surveyor to look at it for you. Any and all older boats can have issues, so it can payoff to do so. Do the mechanical checks, and if the boat meets your requirements and passes the inspections, go for it.

boomer

I used to own a Z-21 same boat just a name change use dto take it form CT ot Long Island great ride in the morning but when the chop picked up the boat was just to small to span the waves.