William paul jones

High I'm new to this site and a new donzi owner . I just got a 1966 st. Tropez and want to know more about the boat ie how many were made in 66 and I have the 302 holmanmoody with the Volvo 270 out drive it runs good but needs a throttle and steering cable every thing else is original the gauges need some help though . and info would be greatly appreciated

F-2 Speedy

iTrader: (6)

Are you the guy with the HM Boss 9 engines ??

William paul jones

No I'm not sorry

madbouyz

Small world. I have one too . The guy I bought it from in 1987 said it was a '66 but it could even be a 65 . I did a complete resto in 2006 that involved taking the boat down to its component pieces . New everything , tanks , wiring , gauges , power the whole lot .
If you go over to the Donzi.net and do some searching you'll find plenty on the St Tropez . If my memory serves me right there was a long break when they didn't make any at all and then they did one as a special order in 1972 or thereabouts .. I'm not positive on that though . I believe that the entire run was something like 117 of them .
In 1966 Donzi was trying to keep up with the production orders of the 16 but they were also building the 19 Hornet (decked St T hull) and the 28 sport . The 28 was built at a different location though than the smaller boats.
If that boat is original as you say then you're way past on borrowed time with the fuel tank/s . My original front tank was toast in 1987 and the rear tank under the console had been replaced shortly before then .
How many tanks do you have ? My 2 tank layout was factory but it seems that no-one else has one . They all have a single .
They are remarkably cool and practical little boats that aren't afraid of some big water but I just wish they had the 24deg hull like the other classics.

William paul jones

yes my tank was replaced by the last owner , mine only has one tank under the console . do you happen to know how many were made in 66 this one still has the bronze transducer and bronze trim tabs . I do need to put a new steering cable on it , and a new throttle cable . some one was telling me that these are very rare at this year . I want to return it to its original color if its not that now ? I did go on the donzi registry and tried to register for an account but it said at the end of the process that it's under construction lol . any help you can assist me with I deeply apprecate . thanks for responding I'm psyched about this boat it's so cool .

madbouyz

I've always found the tank issue of interest because everyone except me seems to have a single tank model. You are sure that there is not an old unused one up at the very front that runs from just under the cockpit sole to the V of the bow area ? I don't know how they were able to spec them out at 42 gallons with only one tank that goes under the console without encroaching on the space of the lazarette under the sole in front of the console .
I have no idea how many were built in '66 or any other year for that matter but with an approx total of 117 they aren't exactly common by today's standards and no doubt very few are left.
What color is yours presently ? Mine was it's original dark blue gelcoat when I got it but it was so burnt out that it more resembled faded denim . I think that at that time , besides white , a sky blue was also made as there's a guy who showed up on the Donzi.net a few years ago who was in England who had found an original from '66 or thereabouts that had a little 4 banger in it and it was completely sky blue . Deck , hull and tub.
It should be relatively easy to determine if yours was ever re-painted as any paint job is going to be completely different than 1966 gelcoat . Maybe peeling a bit of the rub rail off of the transom will reveal the original finish if they didn't completely strip the boat for re-finishing.
The big question is , is there a hull number anywhere ?
Mine had absolutely none and I've been over every square inch of the interior hull , deck , console and liner .
I have seen a Benchset Hornet 19 , which is a VERY rare model and I know where the hull number was on that one and what to look for in that vintage but there is no equivalent place on ours .
If you know how to do it you have to get up to 10 posts before you can put up pics !
(Incidentally there was a software/hardware problem over at the Donzi.net a short time back and loads of pictures attached to threads vanished. I had a thread about my resto and as far as I can tell the pics are all gone now)

madbouyz

That's a Hornet 19 .
St Tropez is same hull but a center console .

StewLow

William paul jones

I'm not sure about the other tank there is a clear glass check gauge in the floor just above the live well in front of the cc so it may have a tank in front I'll take a look and let you know . also the color of the boat is a dark blue , and funny thing I read the thread about the guy in england with the 6 cyl st Tropez. Also the donzi reg. Did finally get me squared away I email the harbor master and he got it done . the previous owner told me he remembers the hin# being on the inside of transom were the vent plate ot intake plate is . it does totally make sense that there would be another tank because there's a fuel fill port on the front deck . when I get back up to my other place were I put the boat at I'll look into it. Ive veiwed all the pics and floor plans for that year and they all match what I have . do I can't wait to get her in the water and see how she does .do you think the new owners of donzi would have any of the old records ?

madbouyz

Yep , it does sound like there might still be a tank under the front deck. Unfortunately the only way to get it out neatly is to completely take the boat apart like I did but you're probably not in that frame of mind yet !
The old (original) way of putting hull numbers on these things was using a black wax pen , writing the number and then putting a layer of glass cloth over it . Then they started using these small stick on aluminum looking tags . Of course ,mine had neither . And no , not back by the rear vent either .
If you can find (unlikely) a hull number it would look something like C19-** . The benchseat Hornet that I mentioned earlier had a hull number of C19-39B , that translates to
C-Chisholm ownership/19-19 foot hull/39- 39th one made/B-benchseat model.
If you could find a legitimate number you could maybe get Matty to see if he has a build sheet on it. He has many of them and often references old builds for people. I can assure you that anyone at Donzi today would probably laugh if you gave them a number and asked them what it means . Since ours were built Donzi has changed ownership about 5 times.
While I'm at it , those hulls are prone to serious stress cracking in the area of the full length strakes about 3 feet forward of he transom. Have you seen any of them yet ?