iliveonanisland

U ever run across a baby blue and white x18 with a teak floor? We lived in anapolis at the time we had the donzi so it still very well may be in md. Thx, rm

f_inscreenname

Once you start stroking any motor it adds up. I started with small blocks and learned that I would rather have a mild BBC then a wild SBC. Wild small blocks are on the verge of exploding but mild BBC’s are ready to made into something very wild or just leave like it is.
The balance is fine. Most think that a BBC weighs a ton more but by the time you use an aluminum intake, exhaust manifolds, etc, etc you are only talking about 100 to 150 lbs at most. The boat sits fine and with a Volvo 280T it’s easy to “trim out” anything that would be different from a SBC.



Sorry, no.

iliveonanisland

can u post up some pics of the engine?

Is it original gel coat?

Whats in the bbc, what heads, carb, steél crank etc?

what kind of hours? Thx, rm

iliveonanisland

A 383 or 388 sbc, isnt a wild combination at all, flat tops. They sell rotating assm Kits cheap for em everywhere. Decent set of heads and hyd roller, its bullet proof! 150 lbs is about the diff unless you paid the coin to have the block cnc lightened a bunch. 150 lbs isnt much but it feels like a lot more back against the transom than Say midship, so that weight is there but at least its a volvo and not the trs which adds a bunch more weight with the tranny and the heavy azz drive unit. Over on donzi .net i read a post with a Few guys talking about how tail heavy the bbc trs donzis are in the 21 and 22 footers so i figured it would be even more pronounced in the lighter 18. Have u driven a sbc donzi 18? Thx, rm

iliveonanisland

Is that the engine cover stock or has it been modified with the scoop like deal?

Was it originally a bb boat from the factory? Thx again, rm

f_inscreenname

I hear what you are saying about small blocks. My favorite boat in my fleet is a SuperNova 19. Basically a Donzi on steroids. Smoked so many insane small blocks in that boat I was going to put little pictures of motors with red lines through them on the side of the boat like fighter pilots would for their kills there was so many. They (small blocks) were cheap to fix but it got old fixing them all the time. BBC Chevy is only second to the small block when it comes to economics so it was a no brainer for me. Then you add in that a simple stroker kit you can have a 496 with 10 to 1 in a couple hours don’t hurt either.
Sorry folks don’t mean to keep posting this video everywhere but I think it will answer a lot of iliveonanisland’s questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV5nLGD5kMs The Gen V 454 was used as a backup generator for a AM radio station and had something like 60 hours on it (mostly maintenance running over the years) all on Nat gas and nothing over 1800 rpms. Totally rebuilt the motor because it sat so much it needed new gaskets and seals anyway. Bottom end is still pretty stock except with better bearings and rings. Did a little cam upgrade, double roller timing chain, roller rockers, etc, etc. Nothing major but it pushes the boat around pretty good and there is still a lot left on the table for future upgrades. There may be another 30 hours on the motor since built ... maybe.

fastdonzi

Cool Video Mark, I had no idea you took it that far down.. Impressive. Even more impressive is the Escalation of your skills over the years Having followed several of your resurections, You're getting good at it... Nice Job....

f_inscreenname

Thanks Fast. This one was ... (wont say easy) not as hard as the others. The one part I hate the most though was that you have to remove the deck to get the gas tank out. First time I have ever had to do that. Sad part was the tank in it was only a couple years old (they cut the cockpit up to replace it) and it was trashed from them installing it with open cell foam. Wont happen ever again with my install. Should be good for another 40+ years if not more. Another sad thing is as many Donzi 16's and 18's as there is you still have to have the tanks custom made.
Iliveonanisland, all kidding aside, knowing what I know about these boats (small Donzi's) I wouldn't be to worried about what side the steering is on, the tank would be the first thing I would look at. My Nova takes 8 screws to pull up a deck plate to remove the gas tank. A Donzi .... well you saw.

fastdonzi

What Bridge is that in the background?? Kent Narrows??

f_inscreenname

Francis Scott Key = the gateway to riot-ville