1966 19 ft. St Tropez
07-06-2018, 01:27 PM
#31
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I like to think of it as an old boat not just being usable but still desirable !
Personally I hate this new characterless stuff with no colorful history behind it. I'll be the first to admit though that a lot of this new stuff in general is far better built .
As far as getting more out of your engine goes, I'm no engine guru but there's plenty of threads here on that subject .
I'd first suggest running it and making sure it's in best possible shape and tune . Plugs, leads , distributor , clean carb , belts , oils and filters . Maybe do a compression test at least.
I never played with my old 351W other than top maintenance and I was always pleased with it . The quest for more never ends though . Once you do 'x' you soon outgrow it and want more.
Tell you the truth . I have no idea how fast mine is yet but I think that I kind of liked it when it's top end was 50 . Now it's a handful but I still like how it runs under 40 the best .
Personally I hate this new characterless stuff with no colorful history behind it. I'll be the first to admit though that a lot of this new stuff in general is far better built .
As far as getting more out of your engine goes, I'm no engine guru but there's plenty of threads here on that subject .
I'd first suggest running it and making sure it's in best possible shape and tune . Plugs, leads , distributor , clean carb , belts , oils and filters . Maybe do a compression test at least.
I never played with my old 351W other than top maintenance and I was always pleased with it . The quest for more never ends though . Once you do 'x' you soon outgrow it and want more.
Tell you the truth . I have no idea how fast mine is yet but I think that I kind of liked it when it's top end was 50 . Now it's a handful but I still like how it runs under 40 the best .
07-06-2018, 02:10 PM
#32
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Yup your rite it's way more than useable thats why I jumped in my truck and drove 6 hours to get tje min the guy posted it lol . and as fas as x goes yup you can go crazy getting to x but then you always want more I'm real good at that unfortunately my wife doesn't like x never will lol but I think for now I'll be happy as he'll just painting her and and redoing the cushions . there solid color blue but I saw the original ones in a photo I think they were blue and white pleated
07-06-2018, 04:37 PM
#33
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Yep , you don't have to spend much time around here to read stories of guys who took a 65mph boat and got it to a 70mph boat then that wasn't enough and they wanted more and more .. lol
When I finally did the big 5 year re-do on mine I treated myself to two things that I couldn't do myself and upholstery was one of them . In '87 I had new basic white with blue piping
cushions made but after the resto I had super old vintage blue and white striped cushions made like you would see on the period Donzis ,Magnums and Cigs. It's really stunning and still a bit cooler to sit on in the glaring sun than a pure dark color . It's really like a retro candy cane look .
You're now past 10 posts so you're able to put up pics at any time ! (hint , hint)
When I finally did the big 5 year re-do on mine I treated myself to two things that I couldn't do myself and upholstery was one of them . In '87 I had new basic white with blue piping
cushions made but after the resto I had super old vintage blue and white striped cushions made like you would see on the period Donzis ,Magnums and Cigs. It's really stunning and still a bit cooler to sit on in the glaring sun than a pure dark color . It's really like a retro candy cane look .
You're now past 10 posts so you're able to put up pics at any time ! (hint , hint)
07-06-2018, 06:46 PM
#34
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I tried to save the pics from the add to my ph but I guess because he posted it as sold now it won't allow me to bummer , but hey I'll be up there by tomorrow night and Sunday morning that'll be the first thing I do . ya I dig the blue and white stripes on the Tropez the guy has posted from Lake george I beleive also I love the way the white comes up on the front of his instead of being even with the water line . I have to tell ya I can't express how grateful I am for all the time youve spent giving an education on my boat id have been lost with out it big time thanks Madbouyz
07-07-2018, 07:54 AM
#35
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No problem !
It's very rare to find someone who knows what a St Tropez is much less talk to someone who has one .
It's a pity that all of the pics that were up of my resto vanished in that computer problem . They would have answered any questions you might have had about what's under there , or behind here or how is such and such put together/built .
Looking forward to seeing some pictures .
It's very rare to find someone who knows what a St Tropez is much less talk to someone who has one .
It's a pity that all of the pics that were up of my resto vanished in that computer problem . They would have answered any questions you might have had about what's under there , or behind here or how is such and such put together/built .
Looking forward to seeing some pictures .
07-07-2018, 07:59 AM
#36
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I'll be on my way up to my other place just need to load up some tool and the 4 wheelers . hey I remembered we spoke about the hin# and you were saying that it wouldn't be were the owner said it would be . do were is it supposed to be I'd like to see if it was one so maybe the guy you know with the build sheets can look her up
07-07-2018, 08:20 AM
#37
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The problem is , because these things are so rare even on the Donzi.net , I've never heard of anyone discussing where they found a HIN on a St Tropez . Never !
I'm not sure if the foil tags started when the Chisholms bought Donzi but in a lot of instances they fell off or became unreadable after a decade or two.
On the other classics they were most often behind the dash near to the instruments but we have no equivalent place on ours and normally the number written in black pen and under a layer of glass is about a foot long .
I can assure you there were no number anywhere on mine . I've been over every inch of the boat inside and out . Was there a possibility that it had a foil tag ? Maybe , but that would have long been gone and would indicate that the boat was built under the Chisholms watch and wasn't a '66
I think that Teleflex owned Donzi in '66 and they were still doing the hull numbers the same way as when DA owned the place.
I believe that back then a number would look like (a C16 example) 16-376 , lacking the letter 'C' designating Chisholm built . (16 footer number 376 in the run)
If you find a number I'll be amazed .
I'm not sure if the foil tags started when the Chisholms bought Donzi but in a lot of instances they fell off or became unreadable after a decade or two.
On the other classics they were most often behind the dash near to the instruments but we have no equivalent place on ours and normally the number written in black pen and under a layer of glass is about a foot long .
I can assure you there were no number anywhere on mine . I've been over every inch of the boat inside and out . Was there a possibility that it had a foil tag ? Maybe , but that would have long been gone and would indicate that the boat was built under the Chisholms watch and wasn't a '66
I think that Teleflex owned Donzi in '66 and they were still doing the hull numbers the same way as when DA owned the place.
I believe that back then a number would look like (a C16 example) 16-376 , lacking the letter 'C' designating Chisholm built . (16 footer number 376 in the run)
If you find a number I'll be amazed .
07-07-2018, 02:02 PM
#38
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Well it's probably not there but I'll poke arround tomorrow and give her a look I'll be doing a lot of photographing any way
either way I'm just happy its rare and I got lucky enough to get one . honestly I had no idea how rare this boat was when I bought it . I just never saw a donzi open fish with an inboard so I had to have it lol
either way I'm just happy its rare and I got lucky enough to get one . honestly I had no idea how rare this boat was when I bought it . I just never saw a donzi open fish with an inboard so I had to have it lol
07-07-2018, 02:34 PM
#39
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I'm pretty certain that I've read somewhere that the St Tropez was the industry's first 19' centre console . Bertram was making the 20 Sportsman during the same time frame and I guess that very shortly after that the Makos and Aquasports came out . I remember the early Makos and Aquasports arriving out here sometime around the later '60s.
If there is a number on the transom near that vent it'll be easier to see if you open the rear deck hatches and lift out the fish box inserts . On my boat that entire area still had the factory grey finish on it so there wouldn't have been a number written under the glass work there . Also the under deck area of the forward storage locker was all the same grey so there wasn't any numbers there either .
I was thinking about your earlier comment about the holes on the console and a possible windscreen . It's a chance that they could be from the factory installed grab handles. They were short chromed bronze pieces big enough for only one hand to hold that had a teardrop shaped base on each end utilizing three screws , two screw groupings per side. Maybe that's what they were ?
Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your discoveries.
If there is a number on the transom near that vent it'll be easier to see if you open the rear deck hatches and lift out the fish box inserts . On my boat that entire area still had the factory grey finish on it so there wouldn't have been a number written under the glass work there . Also the under deck area of the forward storage locker was all the same grey so there wasn't any numbers there either .
I was thinking about your earlier comment about the holes on the console and a possible windscreen . It's a chance that they could be from the factory installed grab handles. They were short chromed bronze pieces big enough for only one hand to hold that had a teardrop shaped base on each end utilizing three screws , two screw groupings per side. Maybe that's what they were ?
Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your discoveries.
