1996,97 vs. 2000,01 Vintage Hulls
10-17-2012 | 03:38 PM
#1
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From: Ivoryton, CT
1996,97 vs. 2000,01 Vintage Hulls
As most of you have probably seen in a previous post, I'm looking for a 22' Donzi Classic.
The mid to late 90s vintage seem to be more in my price range than the early 2000s.
Is there any difference in the quality of the hulls Donzi produced in the 1996 to 2001 era?
Are there years I should stay away from?
The question I'm struggling with is; should I try to spring for the newer boat?
Is the 15% or so increase in price worth buying 4-5 year newer boat? I'm thinking no, if the quality is the same.
Thanks for the help.
The mid to late 90s vintage seem to be more in my price range than the early 2000s.
Is there any difference in the quality of the hulls Donzi produced in the 1996 to 2001 era?
Are there years I should stay away from?
The question I'm struggling with is; should I try to spring for the newer boat?
Is the 15% or so increase in price worth buying 4-5 year newer boat? I'm thinking no, if the quality is the same.
Thanks for the help.
__________________
Patrick
Patrick
10-18-2012 | 03:11 PM
#2
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,826
Likes: 85
From: Tallahassee, FL
I don't think it matters. My guess is the price has more to do with how nice the boats are and # of hours on the engines.
I'd check out Donzi.net for more info too. There were some hull issues with a factory fix on the newer ones that you should be aware of. They changed the stringers at some point.
Even the older boats, if properly maintained and kept, are perfectly fine. There are a few issues here and there but all are fixable and you might find a boat that's already fixed.
1987 for example has a raised X dimension like the Shelby boats and are faster than the regular 22's.
My only advice from a cost/benefit perspective is to get one 'done' that you don't need to put a bunch of money in.
I'd check out Donzi.net for more info too. There were some hull issues with a factory fix on the newer ones that you should be aware of. They changed the stringers at some point.
Even the older boats, if properly maintained and kept, are perfectly fine. There are a few issues here and there but all are fixable and you might find a boat that's already fixed.
1987 for example has a raised X dimension like the Shelby boats and are faster than the regular 22's.
My only advice from a cost/benefit perspective is to get one 'done' that you don't need to put a bunch of money in.
10-19-2012 | 10:08 AM
#3
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 57
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From: Flagstaff, AZ
AMH took over Donzi in 1993 from OMC. The OMC & AMH boats do have their differences.
I can't confirm but I believe the AMH boats are heavier then the OMC boats.
The X-Dim did go down at some point with AMH; in my opioion too far down.
At some point the chines were reversed possibly by AMH.
AMH moved the stringers and inner lifting strakes outwards at some point.
AMH added the stainless steel framed windshield that lasted until 2003 when it went back to a frameless plexi windshield.
I'd say the primary area of concern on all of these boats is under the motor where the stringers nest into the inner lifting strake pockets. AMH had known problems with stress cracking in their big motor 22's in this area up until about 2006. So much so that a factory repair was specified to fix the problem and strengthen the hulls in this area. I originally thought this was an AMH only problem and was related to the movement of the stringers and inner strakes but I recently looked under an OMC 22 that had the same problems. My suggestion would be you take a bright flashlight when you look at any of these boats and look in detail under the hull where the inner lifting strake terminates, look for hairlines fanning out from the termination of the strake especially on the port side of the boat. It's not the end of the world if you find a boat like this but certainly something to consider. To me the best solution would be to find an AMH boat that has the latest rev. repair already done. The repair consisted of fillets at the base of the stringers, minni stringers added to the floor pan between the stringers and additional layup in the floor pan.
One other item to look for are hairline cracks in the cockpit floor, usually in the rear of the cockpit. Donzi never did a good job of supporting the cockpit floor so on a lot of these boats the floor will flex and have a hard spot where it rests on the stringers. this usually causes hairlines to form in this area.
I can't confirm but I believe the AMH boats are heavier then the OMC boats.
The X-Dim did go down at some point with AMH; in my opioion too far down.
At some point the chines were reversed possibly by AMH.
AMH moved the stringers and inner lifting strakes outwards at some point.
AMH added the stainless steel framed windshield that lasted until 2003 when it went back to a frameless plexi windshield.
I'd say the primary area of concern on all of these boats is under the motor where the stringers nest into the inner lifting strake pockets. AMH had known problems with stress cracking in their big motor 22's in this area up until about 2006. So much so that a factory repair was specified to fix the problem and strengthen the hulls in this area. I originally thought this was an AMH only problem and was related to the movement of the stringers and inner strakes but I recently looked under an OMC 22 that had the same problems. My suggestion would be you take a bright flashlight when you look at any of these boats and look in detail under the hull where the inner lifting strake terminates, look for hairlines fanning out from the termination of the strake especially on the port side of the boat. It's not the end of the world if you find a boat like this but certainly something to consider. To me the best solution would be to find an AMH boat that has the latest rev. repair already done. The repair consisted of fillets at the base of the stringers, minni stringers added to the floor pan between the stringers and additional layup in the floor pan.
One other item to look for are hairline cracks in the cockpit floor, usually in the rear of the cockpit. Donzi never did a good job of supporting the cockpit floor so on a lot of these boats the floor will flex and have a hard spot where it rests on the stringers. this usually causes hairlines to form in this area.
10-21-2012 | 05:33 AM
#4
Thread Starter
VIP Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,246
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From: Ivoryton, CT
Vary Helpful...
AMH took over Donzi in 1993 from OMC. The OMC & AMH boats do have their differences.
I can't confirm but I believe the AMH boats are heavier then the OMC boats.
The X-Dim did go down at some point with AMH; in my opioion too far down.
At some point the chines were reversed possibly by AMH.
AMH moved the stringers and inner lifting strakes outwards at some point.
AMH added the stainless steel framed windshield that lasted until 2003 when it went back to a frameless plexi windshield.
I'd say the primary area of concern on all of these boats is under the motor where the stringers nest into the inner lifting strake pockets. AMH had known problems with stress cracking in their big motor 22's in this area up until about 2006. So much so that a factory repair was specified to fix the problem and strengthen the hulls in this area. I originally thought this was an AMH only problem and was related to the movement of the stringers and inner strakes but I recently looked under an OMC 22 that had the same problems. My suggestion would be you take a bright flashlight when you look at any of these boats and look in detail under the hull where the inner lifting strake terminates, look for hairlines fanning out from the termination of the strake especially on the port side of the boat. It's not the end of the world if you find a boat like this but certainly something to consider. To me the best solution would be to find an AMH boat that has the latest rev. repair already done. The repair consisted of fillets at the base of the stringers, minni stringers added to the floor pan between the stringers and additional layup in the floor pan.
One other item to look for are hairline cracks in the cockpit floor, usually in the rear of the cockpit. Donzi never did a good job of supporting the cockpit floor so on a lot of these boats the floor will flex and have a hard spot where it rests on the stringers. this usually causes hairlines to form in this area.
I can't confirm but I believe the AMH boats are heavier then the OMC boats.
The X-Dim did go down at some point with AMH; in my opioion too far down.
At some point the chines were reversed possibly by AMH.
AMH moved the stringers and inner lifting strakes outwards at some point.
AMH added the stainless steel framed windshield that lasted until 2003 when it went back to a frameless plexi windshield.
I'd say the primary area of concern on all of these boats is under the motor where the stringers nest into the inner lifting strake pockets. AMH had known problems with stress cracking in their big motor 22's in this area up until about 2006. So much so that a factory repair was specified to fix the problem and strengthen the hulls in this area. I originally thought this was an AMH only problem and was related to the movement of the stringers and inner strakes but I recently looked under an OMC 22 that had the same problems. My suggestion would be you take a bright flashlight when you look at any of these boats and look in detail under the hull where the inner lifting strake terminates, look for hairlines fanning out from the termination of the strake especially on the port side of the boat. It's not the end of the world if you find a boat like this but certainly something to consider. To me the best solution would be to find an AMH boat that has the latest rev. repair already done. The repair consisted of fillets at the base of the stringers, minni stringers added to the floor pan between the stringers and additional layup in the floor pan.
One other item to look for are hairline cracks in the cockpit floor, usually in the rear of the cockpit. Donzi never did a good job of supporting the cockpit floor so on a lot of these boats the floor will flex and have a hard spot where it rests on the stringers. this usually causes hairlines to form in this area.
Thank you for the reply!
__________________
Patrick
Patrick
10-21-2012 | 08:59 AM
#5
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 582
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From: greenwood lake USA
Rick pretty much summed it up very well
some other considerations the 87 -88 vintage 22 were made to do 60 with a small block this was the wish of mgmt. to accomplish this the boat lay up was lightened up and the weight fell to 2700lbs that and the X gave them the performance they wished for.
in 89 or 90 OMC moved production to Indiana to the chris craft factory Chris craft re did the chine of the 22 ti incorporate a reversed chine. the CC classics were laid up very well and solid.
the stringer move happened when the 502 was dropped and the 496 became the power plant .
any 22 ran hard will have some issues under the motor. unless that area is beefed up face it most 22 have had their power boosted and spend most of their time at cruise or higher speeds.
any vintage boat can be a pearl or a POS reflected by how they are cared for and maintained.
good luck in your search
a 460 omc boat was posted on donzi.net looks to be a decent boat and ata decent price
some other considerations the 87 -88 vintage 22 were made to do 60 with a small block this was the wish of mgmt. to accomplish this the boat lay up was lightened up and the weight fell to 2700lbs that and the X gave them the performance they wished for.
in 89 or 90 OMC moved production to Indiana to the chris craft factory Chris craft re did the chine of the 22 ti incorporate a reversed chine. the CC classics were laid up very well and solid.
the stringer move happened when the 502 was dropped and the 496 became the power plant .
any 22 ran hard will have some issues under the motor. unless that area is beefed up face it most 22 have had their power boosted and spend most of their time at cruise or higher speeds.
any vintage boat can be a pearl or a POS reflected by how they are cared for and maintained.
good luck in your search
a 460 omc boat was posted on donzi.net looks to be a decent boat and ata decent price
