Story and select photos by DinaRella/ Additional images courtesy of Donzi (Clint Garant), Donzi registry forum, boats-from-usa & boats.iboats
Part Three:
In it to win it, Donzi fame has been measured in all sizes since the sixties. Designed by Walt Walters and Jim Wynne, the "signature starter Sweet 16" first made a splash moving units to respectables including the Israeli military and President Lyndon Johnson who'd race against his Secret Service. The Donzi 28 and ultimately the Donzi 38 ZRC competitive racing “frontrunners” then came along skyrocketing Aronow’s Vee-bottom venture to greater international victory. Nonetheless, as the name itself dictates… the 22 CLASSIC is the crafty, classy creation which, to this day, continues culling in Donzi diehards.
Maintaining its mesmerizing mark on the boating world and myself, following my face-to-face with last year's edition inside the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, I was eager to eyeball the newest “American Classic” at the 2023 Miami Boat Show. Several unsuccessful laps around the mega-in-size, Magic City spectacle trying to find the display led to a text to Billy Moore. His return call from the factory in North Carolina confirmed the obvious; Donzi wasn't there because the boat wasn't 100 percent done.
Moore’s news might have been disappointing but I bet "The Don" was smiling, knowing his legacy for perfection lives on. The good part of the call was the invite up to the new headquarters. Or maybe it was me inviting myself! Either way, four months later, I was pulling into Donzi Marine off Route 17 where the magic happens... and heading back to 1964 to hone in on the flagship’s latest happenings with the 22 Classic.
On the water, wakes were also being split apart by a new wave of hulls. That year, Donzi Marine opened its doors on Gasoline Alley, and in a recent press release reflected back to the pioneering car craze days for a comparison, "The raw power of the 22 Classic - evolved the boat into hot-rod status, and the impact it has left on speed boating aficionados continues today." With that said... we prepare to welcome the Limited Edition paying homage to 60 years of history from 1964 to 2024.
Cutting an estimated $130,000 to $175,000 slice out of your savings pie depending on setup, director Craig Barrie says, "The made-to-order 64/2, as it’s dubbed, is going to be a special breed, sort of like Harley Davidson. A number of people today have a grandfather or father that had one, and now they want one. We are just making ten."
Powered with a 430-hp Mercury Marine 8.2 motor and available in Marilyn Monroe Red, Atomic Blond Yellow and Dark Knight Black, Billy Moore and Pete Caldwell continued their collaborations conferring on the hull design and the dynamics of the Fluid Diversion Technology twin-step hull. Since adding the V pad and strakes to the once rounded-keel, strake-less speedboat, the hull tracks better, runs faster, and handles with increased stability and sharpness.
Nods to old school styling are visible in the twisted metal elements; interior patterned of European Houndstooth; vintage Donzi 1964 logo; raised engine hatch with metal vents; and twin bucket seats and rear bench with “Z" branding. Modern features adding to the boat’s mystique include the Silent Choice exhaust and dual-ram hydraulic steering; smoked Venturi windshield; next-generation dash dressed with Livorsi shifters, engine controls, and upgraded gauges; PlasDECK cockpit flooring complimented by a custom Donzi inlay; and industry-favorite Isotta steering wheel.
Little in size but larger than life, judging from the preliminary renderings, the 22 Classic is chock full of class. Always the industry innovator, the boat maker also has on the horizon a pair of outboard-powered, closed-deck V-bottom sportboats — the 33 ZR-F and 39 ZR-F1. But until then, RDP awaits Donzi’s return to the Miami Show this coming February.
For inquiring minds...
Part One:
www.riverdavesplace.com
Part Two:
www.riverdavesplace.com
Part Three:
In it to win it, Donzi fame has been measured in all sizes since the sixties. Designed by Walt Walters and Jim Wynne, the "signature starter Sweet 16" first made a splash moving units to respectables including the Israeli military and President Lyndon Johnson who'd race against his Secret Service. The Donzi 28 and ultimately the Donzi 38 ZRC competitive racing “frontrunners” then came along skyrocketing Aronow’s Vee-bottom venture to greater international victory. Nonetheless, as the name itself dictates… the 22 CLASSIC is the crafty, classy creation which, to this day, continues culling in Donzi diehards.
Maintaining its mesmerizing mark on the boating world and myself, following my face-to-face with last year's edition inside the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, I was eager to eyeball the newest “American Classic” at the 2023 Miami Boat Show. Several unsuccessful laps around the mega-in-size, Magic City spectacle trying to find the display led to a text to Billy Moore. His return call from the factory in North Carolina confirmed the obvious; Donzi wasn't there because the boat wasn't 100 percent done.
Moore’s news might have been disappointing but I bet "The Don" was smiling, knowing his legacy for perfection lives on. The good part of the call was the invite up to the new headquarters. Or maybe it was me inviting myself! Either way, four months later, I was pulling into Donzi Marine off Route 17 where the magic happens... and heading back to 1964 to hone in on the flagship’s latest happenings with the 22 Classic.
64/24 Limited Anniversary Edition 22 Classic
Nineteen sixty-four was the supercalifragilistic year of top grossing "Mary Poppins" and The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" hitting No. 1 in the USA. It was also a memorable year "full of momentum" in the speed-orientated world. Streets were smokin’ hot with ground-breaking four-wheeled hardware. At home, we witnessed the launch of the American muscle car revolution with the DeLorean-transformed, 389-cid V-8 Tempest turned Pontiac GTO, and the Ford Mustang made first tracks at the New York World Fair. And, across the pond, the Porsche 911 and Pininfarina Ferrari 500 Superfast pulled at the hearts of European evangelists. James Bond even did his part swaggering around on the big screen in his super-spy spec'd Aston Martin DB5 equipped with revolving license plate and twin 303-caliber Browning machine guns in "Goldfinger."
On the water, wakes were also being split apart by a new wave of hulls. That year, Donzi Marine opened its doors on Gasoline Alley, and in a recent press release reflected back to the pioneering car craze days for a comparison, "The raw power of the 22 Classic - evolved the boat into hot-rod status, and the impact it has left on speed boating aficionados continues today." With that said... we prepare to welcome the Limited Edition paying homage to 60 years of history from 1964 to 2024.
Cutting an estimated $130,000 to $175,000 slice out of your savings pie depending on setup, director Craig Barrie says, "The made-to-order 64/2, as it’s dubbed, is going to be a special breed, sort of like Harley Davidson. A number of people today have a grandfather or father that had one, and now they want one. We are just making ten."
Powered with a 430-hp Mercury Marine 8.2 motor and available in Marilyn Monroe Red, Atomic Blond Yellow and Dark Knight Black, Billy Moore and Pete Caldwell continued their collaborations conferring on the hull design and the dynamics of the Fluid Diversion Technology twin-step hull. Since adding the V pad and strakes to the once rounded-keel, strake-less speedboat, the hull tracks better, runs faster, and handles with increased stability and sharpness.
Nods to old school styling are visible in the twisted metal elements; interior patterned of European Houndstooth; vintage Donzi 1964 logo; raised engine hatch with metal vents; and twin bucket seats and rear bench with “Z" branding. Modern features adding to the boat’s mystique include the Silent Choice exhaust and dual-ram hydraulic steering; smoked Venturi windshield; next-generation dash dressed with Livorsi shifters, engine controls, and upgraded gauges; PlasDECK cockpit flooring complimented by a custom Donzi inlay; and industry-favorite Isotta steering wheel.
Little in size but larger than life, judging from the preliminary renderings, the 22 Classic is chock full of class. Always the industry innovator, the boat maker also has on the horizon a pair of outboard-powered, closed-deck V-bottom sportboats — the 33 ZR-F and 39 ZR-F1. But until then, RDP awaits Donzi’s return to the Miami Show this coming February.
For inquiring minds...
Part One:
On the Right Track: Donzi Differentiates with Move to Caldwell Marine Designs
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional images courtesy of, Donzi, Online Registry & Tales of Thunderboat Row Part One: Donzi — the brand bearing the endearing nickname that company founder and King of Offshore Don Aronow's secretary...
www.riverdavesplace.com
Part Two:
Hot Hues and Raceboat Cues Make New Z Series Donzi 39 VRZ Center Console an Instant Hit
Story by DinaRella / Images courtesy of Donzi (Clint Garant) & STAX Performance Marine Part Two: In the swarming sea of performance-orientated center consoles, Donzi Marine delivered the unimaginable, crafting a discernibly different vessel from...
www.riverdavesplace.com
