Doh! Knew something was up......

My pics were taken from the "side" entrance. If you look at Premier's pic #2, the building on the far right is the tan building my boat was next to. In my 3rd and 4th pic in the background are the production buildings shown in Premier's pics. Hope that helps.

Thanks! That looked like it was a pretty big complex. Have a great New Year!

A little background:

7110 21st Street East (the complex with the gray buildings) was a Chris Craft facility for many years. Lots of Stingers and Scorpions were built there in the 1980s. During that time, Donzi was located about a mile down the road on 15th Street East, in a new production facility & office complex they'd built. After OMC acquired Donzi, Chris Craft was moved to Donzi's much newer facility, where it remains today, and Donzi was moved to the older Chris Craft facility.

When AMH took over and resumed Donzi production in 1993, they acquired the rights, some molds, and the old Chris Craft facility. This is where all Donzi manufacturing took place during the AMH years (with the exception of early ZF center consoles built by Pro-Line in Crystal River). The west building housed lamination, and the larger building to the east housed assembly, upholstery, mill shop, wiring, sub-assembly, paint, etc. Offices were scattered about, with a double-wide portable building serving as the corporate office.

The beige buildings on Limbus Ave were acquired later...2006 or thereabouts, and housed CNC, mill shop, prototype and plug shop, warranty repair, and the race shop. Plans were drawn up to turn the east building into office space that would bring all the office and support staff under one roof. This idea obviously never came to fruition, and that building was used largely as storage for boat show fixtures.

We've got some production photos from inside the Sarasota facility, 2002-2010, here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...6328588&type=3

While it is true that the Washington, NC facility is far superior from a manufacturing standpoint - it's located directly on the water, after all - some great boats were built in Sarasota!

I really enjoyed those pictures. Thanks for posting!!!!

If you have any more I for one would love to see them!

Just to think thats how Thunder Row Alley looked like before the high risers went up

Many thanx for the pics and history!!! I'm tempted to take you out for beers and hear more.

tom

Very cool pics and history!

Not sure if you guys have seen this. Someone posted a tour of the factory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWmh1vsjyiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9RdJJBaeNc

Neat!
Thanks