new donzi classic 22 owner , same story
08-30-2016, 08:53 PM
#31
22 actually easier than the U19. As said, take your time, get the feel of the boat. IMO, tabs up, take the fuse out until you get the hang of running without them, and you will. Once past that, the tabs can be your friend for cross chop, occasional low sped porpoising etc, otherwise you will find you don't use them very much at all. If your looking for some help in MI, I know a few people up there that have extensive seat time in 22's of all flavors..
08-30-2016, 09:00 PM
#32
I took my new to me 2007 22 classic 496 Mag HO out to a local pond for some test runs . This is the only boat I have been in that actually scares me a bit with its handling characteristics . I read all about how this would be the case and how they are drivers boats , so I expected it to some degree. I figured meh , it can't be that edgy . Wrong . Everything I read here and all over the net is true . Its going to take some dedicated practice and learning on my part. And I'm looking forward to it , Its putting some excitement back into running a boat. Its really just the trim and turning at just on planing speeds ( where it wants to lay over ) . Its really sensitive to weight distribution also .
I know its just a stock 22' river /lake boat to most guys here , but it feels like a rocket to me . Made the lake feel tiny today. I could have looked at a nordic 22 sprint or checkmate zt230br , but have always wanted a 22 Classic for its timeless style . I hope I can get it together because I don't want to go scaring the s**t out of my passengers ( wife and kids especially).
I know its just a stock 22' river /lake boat to most guys here , but it feels like a rocket to me . Made the lake feel tiny today. I could have looked at a nordic 22 sprint or checkmate zt230br , but have always wanted a 22 Classic for its timeless style . I hope I can get it together because I don't want to go scaring the s**t out of my passengers ( wife and kids especially).
Also, is your boat yellow?
08-31-2016, 11:29 AM
#34
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There were three main changes through the years, the switch to a reverse chine, re-spacing of the stringers and inner lifting strakes, & X-Dimensions moving down then back up.
Most of the changes happened during the era when AMH owned Donzi but I don't recall when the reverse chine change actually happened. The stringer/inner strake move seems to have happened around the time when Donzi and Merc switched to the 496 engines but we never really figured out why since a BBC is a BBC. As far as X-Dim's, the X's were quite a bit higher before AMH then AMH dropped it down to a fairly low standard dimension for years. It wasn't really until around 2002 that they seemed to entertain the idea of moving the X back up for performance. Once the 22-Shelby boats came out in 2006 Donzi seemed to be comfortable with putting a 22 on the market with a 2" raised X-dim.
At one point I asked one of the Donzi factory guys why the 22 handles like it does. His response was that it's just a big rocker hull & does what it does at slower speeds.
08-31-2016, 05:13 PM
#36
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Thanks for the education. Is a 2007 a good year as far as hull design elements and quality? I read some where that quality suffered for a brief period , not sure when or if it was even true. I followed the market for a while and bought mine because it appeared to be a fair deal . I really didn't educate myself as much as usual ( or I should have) on the specifics of manufacture. I actually just wanted to stay away from the omc era stuff for ease of parts sourcing and resale . Also what entity owned donzi in 07 ? Thanks
09-02-2016, 08:46 AM
#38
Took the time to read the posts, and I agree seat time and prop testing will get you there. The 22 has a "flighty" bow and there is a fine line between fast and launching the bow.
My Pantera 24 was the same way, and a Rev4 prop handled much better than a Mirage and Mirage+. I also had a Turbo lightning that handled well for a 3 blade and was almost as fast as my Mirage.
My Pantera 24 was the same way, and a Rev4 prop handled much better than a Mirage and Mirage+. I also had a Turbo lightning that handled well for a 3 blade and was almost as fast as my Mirage.
09-04-2016, 03:20 PM
#39
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Got out today , det river from wyandotte to lake st clair . Played on the lake for a bit then headed back to wyandotte. Water was kinda snotty on the lake. I spent a good deal of time running without the tabs , and some time with. The boat is happy running with little or no tab (over 35 ish) especially over 50mph. It feels great at speeds of 60-65 in the garbage I was running in. The bow is certainly happy to launch like others have said. I am coming to realize that the boat will probably act fine in most cases , I just don't have the seat time to know for sure yet. So I get an uncertain feeling here and there. I'm sure it will go away with more time. As for the slow speed rolling, I am confident it's because I wasn't feeding in enough throttle mid turn . I'd loose speed and start to fall off plane. If I drove into the turns the boat just carved away . Alot like riding a sport bike in away.
09-05-2016, 06:10 AM
#40
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I have an 18. All the stock props I tried out had bad handling. I would consider giving Brett at B-Blades a call. I got a pair of props from him for my old Formula. When I sold that boat myself and my friend both tried them on our Donzi's. Not only did he gain 5MPH at top end (I don't know what I gained because my tach is currently flakey so I am not pushing it) but we also are both amazed at how all the bad behavior of the boat is gone. They both run much flatter and ZERO chine walk. Props are amazing things and can completely change the way the boat works.
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Last edited by Audiofn; 09-06-2016 at 06:12 AM.
