Scott B

Continuing our efforts to promote and preserve the boats and history of Donzi Marine, and the other boats and brands from the Thunderboat Row era, The Donzi Marine Restoration Society is happy to announce we will be helping sponsor the Antique and Classic Boat Societies Chesapeake Bay Chapters Annual 26th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Festival June 14-16.


We are looking for a couple boats interested in entering. If you are, please let us know ASAP so we can get you registered! Your entry fee will be covered, you just have to show up and have fun!


More information here...

f_inscreenname

Will be bringing the 19,



and the Biese,



Hope to see some of you there.

Scott B

Quit posting Biese pics dagnabit... Killing me.......

fastdonzi

I would have thought the Bigger Nova would make the trip The Hull (7 meter) was conceived on 188th, But the Nova's where made off of 826 & 103rd (then the building became Waterbed City for 20+ yrs)

f_inscreenname

I did,



It won,



Was wrote up in the local paper,

Tuesday, 17 July 2012 13:00
__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Local Boaters Turn Hobbies
Into Prize-Winning Achievements

While Pasadena plays host to countless boating enthusiasts, few of them hit the water in the unique type of watercraft owned by two local residents. Hydroplane racer Greg Isaac has turned a lifelong passion for speed boats into multiple championships on the national circuit, while Mark Robinson has transformed neglected eyesores into award-winning classic boats.
Over the last 10 years, Robinson estimates he has refurbished 15 boats, restoring them from decades of disrepair and polishing them off to shining symbols of a bygone era. Ever since he was a child, Robinson has tinkered, built, refurbished and tweaked various objects.
"Pretty much everything I've ever owned," Robinson said, "I've made myself."
No project of his required more time than the Super Nova 24, a rare, handmade boat originally built in 1969. Nova Power Boats produced just 124 originals, of which fewer than 10 are still around today. In 2008, when Robinson heard a Nova 24 had been sitting in a nearby carport for the past few decades, he knew he had found his next big project. The boat was basically an empty shell, but the hull was in great shape, and that was all the inspiration he needed.
"With all the boats I restore, I get a vision of what they should look like. I try to get them back to their original form, but within reason," said Robinson. "But with the 24, I really had to stick to the rules - I couldn't put my artistic vision on it. I had to find what few pictures and little information existed on it and try to get it back to what it was 40 years ago."
The restoration process was threefold: Researching the look and design of the Nova 24, finding parts that fit properly, and the actual construction of the boat. Robinson scoured the internet and made countless contacts in search of accurate information, a process which took nearly four years to truly take fruition.
"I spent as much time researching the look as I did actually building the look, but the hardest part was finding the right parts," he noted. Many of the parts, Robinson soon discovered, were no longer in production. "It was a long process, like pulling teeth."
Finally, after four years of feeling both frustrated and devoted, Robinson was confident enough in his work to exhibit the 24 in the Antique & Classic Boat Festival in St. Michael's, Maryland, this past June. Despite Robinson's low expectations for any kind of accolades at the show, the Nova 24 drew huge crowds, critical acclaim and ultimately, the award for Best Race Boat.
"To find out I actually won something, it was one of my prouder moments. It gave me validation for everything I put in," said Robinson. "I had a lot of people coming through saying, `Thanks for keeping the Nova 24 alive.'"
"I get emails from people all the time asking, `What kept you going?' My thing is - You gotta finish it. I'm not going to lie, there were many times that wrenches flew across my garage, but then I'd sit back and think, `Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was this boat,'" he said.
Like Robinson, Greg Isaac has devoted countless hours to building and restoring boats. But while Robinson recreates classics, Isaac builds futuristic-looking inboard hydroplane boats, which he races at contests across the country. The hydroplanes are known for zipping across the water with only the prop and rudder touching the surface.
Isaac, who grew up in Sunset Beach, lived a half-mile from the water and idolized the racers who would blow past at 150mph. By his early 20s, he and his brothers began building their hydroplanes and participating in races. He has been building and, until recently, racing the boats ever since.
In 2009, Isaac won the North American Championship, supplementing his collection of regional championships. He has raced in Michigan, Ohio and all over the East Coast, including Kent Island, where he recently won both days of the "Thunder on the Narrows" annual event. The thrill - and the danger - of the sport come from the inconsistent nature of the surface of the water.
"I've done all different kinds of racing and nothing compares to the boat because you never know the conditions. It changes from lap to lap and you never know what the water is going to be doing," Isaac said.
As owner of the boat, which he also sponsors through his business, GoldFather of Pasadena, Isaac commits enormous amounts of time to off-water issues such as building the engine, preparing the boat for each race, and handling its transportation to nationwide events.
Recently, Isaac brought on national boat racing champion Bobby Kennedy as a driver. Kennedy and Isaac will travel to Waterford, Michigan, on July 21 for the Quake on the Lake Hydroplane Boat Races World Championship. The following weekend, the team will race nearby in Cambridge, Maryland, at an event which often brings out over 100 spectating boats.
For both Isaac and Robinson, living and growing up along Pasadena's shores gave them the opportunity to discover their unique aquatic passions. Whether cruising around in a one-of-a-kind classic gem or blowing by in an ultra-light hydroplane racer, Isaac and Robinson have taken Pasadena's boating culture to unchartered waters.

Just goes to show that anyone can win and I hope that a lot of you folks that thought "why bother" this year will reconsider next.

JAIME

Super Nova looks nice, Inever seen one before. What year is it? More pics? Jaime

f_inscreenname

Thanks Jaime
All you ever want to see, SuperNova24.com