Bump for Winter :party-smiley-004:

Too me, it has to be something not only terrible, but also very expensive. If you pay for crap and get it, good for you. If you pay for state of the art and get crap...well now were on to something.

I could possibly be talked into that, but my original intent was to smoke out just plain junk.

It wasn't mine, but a friend bought a new Bayliner Capri. He was so proud that day thinking he was showing of his new boat. It was a little rough that day, when he came back in the speakers had fallen out, passenger seat fell apart and the dashboard came loose. He loaded it up quick and left.
This was a good thread to revive.

BAyliner ... I forget the name of the performance boat they tried to make...

Cobra

They built an earlier version Arriva with 454 BB before this one came out > http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/1996%20Arriva.jpg

Ding Ding, We have a winner!

Is it just me or does it appear that the Blonde in the back seat of the Bayliner Arriva ad is not enjoying a relaxing day on the water but looks more like she is bracing for something imminent about to happen.

She read the sales brochure and saw the 18* deadrise specification.

Ok.....Darr's 36, I mean 40, nope 44 Skater with polycarbonicUSmilitaryspecialops windshield?

The worst would be the Fountain 38/47 Sport Cruiser.....I can appreciate the concept (head room, larger cabin) but those things looked terrible.

I knew a guy that had the first 100 mph Regal Velocity with OB's in my area.....yes it was fast, owner was nut and even used it as a getaway vehicle after a bar fight (though he got caught pulling out of the ramp, one of only 3 in the area so not a hard catch for the cops). Back then a 100 mph vee bottom was unheard of. Sadly the boat was lost in a seawall vs. boat incident and the boat didn't make it.

Owner was a funny guy to hear the stories about but a crazy guy for sure.....had a girl accidentally commit suicide with a shotgun in his bedroom (she didn't think gun was loaded) so he took her body out on the front lawn and told the cops he didn't know her.....yeah that didn't work. He died a couple years after that incident.

The,Big Chris craft Stinger with the TRS&31 Cigarette towed both in way 2 many times!:eek:

18? Wow. It would have been fast at least.

Stryker....dolled the boats up with arches, graphics, and cheap made to look "offshore cool" accessories.

How about my buddies 1990 I.M.P.(twin 454), first day out from Gateway Marina, Staten Island to Jersey Shore, two grab handles off the front came off the backing plate, next trip out (locally) Navigator seat unscrewed....etc..etc....by second season hull had significant cracks in it that the boat had to be sold for parts.

thats it hahaha

sounds sweet, wanna sell it?

The Bayliner Cobra gets my vote too. One sank in my marina back in the 90s. I showed up one Saturday morning early to head out on my boat and there's the bow of the Cobra sticking straight up out of the water. Nobody had discovered it yet! I remember it had fancy metal flake gelcoat and bright colors.

Arriva = A Bayliner with a slightly more expensive decal job.

Apparently the owner didn't specify the buoyancy option.

Wasn't there a company that built boats with like a U-19 decal on the side or something similar that Power Boat mag and Powerboat Reviews refused to even write an article because it was so dangerous to handle?

There was also another Florida company selling a splashed 21 Skater hull that were layed up in South America and they had them imported to the US in a container for rigging. I heard were really crap.

I heard that those 21 Skater copies were made in Spain Europe ,then transported in container to South Florida ,and then sold to me ..I transported it back in a container to Europe were I live ,once the doors from the container were open ,it look great ,only a few bumps in the deck here and there ,nothing major ,then we looked inside under the deck .................................................. .............. ok I guess we get what we paid for

Marketing told em to get more skin in the shot. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep them off this thread.

The Four Winns Unlimited U-17 and U-19... They look like Donzi Classics with a different deck. Made in 1996 and 1997, they got a bad rap by Powerboat because (depending on the story version) either-
A. The one they tested didn't have a trim limit switch.
B. The one they tested had a duo-prop that was too much for a 17'.
C. Somebody at Powerboat hated somebody at Four Winns.
I've driven one with a single prop Volvo, low/mid 60's boat, didn't feel any less safe than any other similarly sized boat.

Wow, I was expecting this to be another humorous winter thread, which it definitely is, but this turned out to be one of the best and most informative threads yet! This has shed a lot of light on certain boats that I would never have even considered being crap, and definitely makes me appreciate the boat I have so much more! My 89' Formula 242 has never "slid out", or rode bad, or had **** fall off of it, or ANYTHING fall apart what so ever (and it's turnin 25 this year!), and I have put it through some hellacious water... **think LOTO on shootout weekends** I've had it overloaded with too many people, too many coolers, ect, and it has always rode like a dream and preforms like a bran new boat! This has definitely given me some perspective on just what's out there, and what to look for when I upgrade in a year or so, once again, tons of great of information from this site!

funny, same scenario wheni started out with my 242, needless to say im on my third bird!

Some of these test drivers don't know how to drive Donzi Classics or splashes. They are unique driver's boats and that's why they have a cult following.

I never forgot the Powerboat article about the Four Winns U19. They said the boat was totally unsafe

i had to throw this one in the mix it was my first boat drag racer all my life whick was when i was 25 years old (so i do some research)i read that Donzi claimed to have the strongest hulls,fist mistake(bought the boat at NYC boat show(not the display had to order with 460 me like fast!!!,didnt know/stupid that it was omc/ford 460,when (drag racing/money racer)I were running SBC all my life wasnt aware of the owner /company was changed, in 89 it was ofter with the 460 largest for the boat,things were going good till took a trip to family party in sandy hook NJ, boat was keep in a marina in brick,me and wife go sandy hook enjoy party then decide to take my nieces and niephews back to marine, on my way home on the ocean wasnt that bad at all so i drive like i was told Best and strongest hull ( 5 total on boat) everything was fine till we got inlet when we decided to turn down radio when the wife went to open the cabin she looks at me and said we have a problem, the cabin full of water as we were cruising home when the come out the water it would drain but as soon as we slowed down the water just filled cabin i was able to just make the first dock i saw at that point the engine was running more water than fuel, sea tow arrived pumped boat so it wouldnt sink after they wrapped it,Donzi said i must have hit something told them bull****,sure enought when boat was pulled Donzi took boat back to factory,and to there dissatisfaction didnt hit **** ,split the hull down the middle,Donzi gives me a new 25' 1990 model then shifting nightmares begun in service more using it..is was a 1989 25' Donzi Regazzi that split the hull(Donzi would fix the shifting problem just to last about 25-30 shifts then would bind after doing this all summer and towed every weekend ,sold the boat for like nothin just to get out....when back to drag racing,,now done with that going back to boating..after all that and with new owners still like the Donzi but they dont make the size i want 26-28 with single..looking at Hustler or Sonic really like the Sonic and with my race motor 615 w/big chiefs...need to sell race car 1990 Corvette....with that said i put the Donzi Ragzzi with the 460 omc on top of the list........

Crawled around on one of these at a boat show and thought what a piece of crap. I had a white t shirt on. My wife says to me a couple boats over, what is on your shirt I was covered in red just from call crawling around on the boat. the damn dye came out of the vinyl and covered the entire front of me couldn't believe it what a piece of crap.

Regazzas were built when OMC owned Donzi. Most were bow-riders. They were entry level boats and built accordingly. Still, they were Donzis and your complaint is legit. They did offer a cool 26 ZR but everything with Donzi is up in the air right now.

The Stryker hull is faster than the Sleekcraft hull that it and theNordic 28 were spalshed off, Stryker took other hull designs and modified them with pad bottoms. My 28 which is approaching 25 years old still outruns any similar size boat with similar power, has no bad handling charecteristics either. Always a pleasure to drive. The rigging was typical of the time better thn many not as good as the best by any means.

Thunderusone's 38 runs over 100.

the 21's are known for being extremly fast and safe river boats.

Whats more interesting is how many of them are still out there, there were only 6 of the 38's built and most of those are still on the water.

Having seen some of the crap rigging and construction that other boats of the era were subject too, not to mention handling problems, I can hardly see the justification for adding to this list.

They have not built one since 96 yet you see them out there all the time.

Obviously your knowledge of them is limited, search them on OSO you will be suprised. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...earchid=663202

Obsession and checkmate. Both delaminated bad

If delamination is the barometer, better add Hydrostream to the list.

Now I'm just depressed! LOL.......


Funny thing is I looked at quite a few Baja's before I bought mine. Just happened to get a much better deal on the Vindicator. Hindsight 20/20 neither one would be in my driveway.

I'm gonna go with Predator or Awesome (the Michigan builds) on this one, due simply to the fact that hotjava66 is from Michigan, and this would have been about the period where Jim Klym was fleecing locals. I'd add Aero to the list, but the few I've seen we're built solid, just needed to be repowered.
Honestly I can't believe this thread has went 16 pages without mentioning Klym, as his name was synonymous with crap... Guess only people on the Great Lakes got exposed to it.

It was the no trim limit switch. They went into a corner with the drive tucked under in negative position and put the boat up on it's side. 4 winns offered to put limit switches on it(or another boat, I can't remember) and they refused. So...it could be answer C also. LOL

It's too bad cause they were bad azz little boats. Accerated like a slingshot and handled rough water great for their size.

Uhm, wouldn't that prove any driver on this site a dumb ass?

I remember them well. Never picked through one or drove one but knew what they were and where they came from.
Awesome idea and w/current power and rigging would a great toy for any one w/any gray matter at all.

The Donzi Classic 22 will roll onto it's side too. When you drive your first Classic you can throw most of what you know about driving a boat out the window! A limit switch is not the answer; Experience is. I rolled mine onto it's side twice before mastering tight high banked turns. Now I know when it's about to do it and I straighten the boat and raise the drive a little. These boats have a lot of quirks like that. When you master them they are a blast to drive. They are very sensitive to trim and tabs and I'm constantly making small adjustments to both. I love driving my little Donzi and I think the little u boats were very similar.