The expression 'drivers boat' is taking on a new meaning. Sounds like a 'driver' needs to be skilled with throttle, wheel, tabs, and drive adjustments simultaneously while still having one hand free to scratch his big set of onions!

I bet after a few more outings you'll look back on this thread and laugh. Enjoy your lovely Donzi.

RR

Very much a driver's boat my friend. I cannot let anyone else drive my boat. It likes constant tweaks of trim and tab while underway. And also throttle when running off-shore; Must concentrate and read the water at speed. That's one thing that makes it so fun to drive is because of the skill involved.

The trim tabs are Lenco Edge Mount....I believe they were, and still are standard equipment on the 22. I see Lenco makes a combination switch/indicator for the tabs, but due to the switch location, I don't think you can see the indicator. It sure would be nice to know the position of the tabs, since they seem so critical to the operation of this boat.

Mark

You got that right...
I've got K-Planes and it doesn't take much adjustment to heel the boat over...
Haven't done much research lately if there are indicators that would be easy to add on...

I just received my new prop......Turbo One 25P.
Supposedly this "should" help with some of the erratic handling characteristics I'm experiencing.
I'll report back after I get a chance to test it this weekend, although it's hard to believe a different prop will make that much of a difference in the way the boat handles.

Mark

I added heads up indicators to my lenco;s using trimsticks indicators. I really wasn't that difficult or expensive.

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The turbo creates bow lift, the bravo creates stern lift! You'll need the stern planted at speed in interesting water with that hull! I've had both didn't care for the bravo, seemed a bit unstable, You don't want to bow steer! I think you'll like the turbo, I drive mine like a torpedo now, through almost anything of course nobody goes with me anymore, but it's one fun beast !!!!

The 25p Turbo 1 worked well on my boat when I tested.
Vary similar to my 25p Merc Mirage non-plus that came with the boat; turned a little higher rpm at WOT.

I have a 2001 with a ton of mods, including a 540 Potter motor. The boat can haul the mail, and I don't scare my wife in it, ever.

A couple of thoughts from reading all of this. You are going the right direction for a stock power boat with a three blade. I like the Precsion stuff. If you can find one to test, some like the Hydro Quad 4 for slightly better handling than a three blade. The Hydro does not lift the stern like the Bravo One does in stock form.

Then check some things. Check your gimbal. Check your skeg. Check your steering. Check your motor mounts. Check your stringers around the engine bay. And most important, check the mounting alignment of your drive to the transom, or have someone do it. Believe it or not, some of these boats left the factory with the drive mounted slightly off or crooked to the bottom of the boat. Everything tightened up really helps. And I tend to focus on trim first, tabs second, on this vintage of Classic.

My two cents. These things take some time to master, but are a complete hoot for those with patience.

So I ran the boat all weekend with the Turbo One 25p. Definitely an improvement overall. Performance wise, the boat accelerates to top speed quicker and is a couple MPH faster on top end.
I've found that above 40 MPH I can trim it between a quarter and half way up, and raise the tabs most of the way, while keeping the boat stable and comfortable.......So in this regard I agree with the advice that's been given, that the boat takes time to learn how to drive.
What I'm still uncomfortable with is running wide open when there are any amount of boat wakes present. In order to reach top speed, I need the tabs all the way up, and the trim about half way up. In this configuration, very little of the hull is in the water, and the nose is riding high. As long as I hit wakes perpendicular, the boat "skips" over the wakes, but hitting them at an angle or parallel is downright scary and IMO, dangerous. Most of the time, wakes come out of nowhere, especially at or near top speed. Others have suggested hitting them at a 90, but that's just not possible most of the time. You simply have no control over the contact angle when you have wakes coming in all directions.
My solution is when there's little traffic....Go fast. The rest of the time, just cruise.I really do like the boat, just have to accept it's limitations.
The boat only has 120 hours since new so it's unlikely anything has gotten worn out in the steering system....I will check it out though.

Mark