Donzi

RARE FIND!! 1966 Donzi Ski Sporter "Sweet 16." This is head turner, and people approach us everywhere we go. This boat is fast, and powerful. Link at the end of the description to hear this boat's distinctive sound.

On smooth water, the boat will do a scary 60-70mph. This is a great watersports boat with enough power to quickly pull multiple skiers out of the water.

The original Ski Sporter was built for high-speed performance, and the company brochure promised the softest-riding, driest high-speed sports boat ever built. The 1,500-pound (gross weight) runabout was based on an all-fiberglass deep-vee hull with 24 degrees of transom deadrise and a pair of lifting strakes on each side of centerline. The boats underwater shape contributes to its stability, as does the ample beam (7 feet) and wide transom.

The Ski Sporter has a distinct reverse sheer, unusual in its day but commonplace in todays performance boats. The foredeck is nearly half the length of the boat, decorated with the signature stripe down the middle. The large cockpit has a port-side steering station and an unusual seating arrangement: an L-shaped lounge to starboard and aft that easily allows the spotter to keep an eye on water skiers.

The Donzi Ski Sporter was born on Miamis Thunderboat Row in 1964, during those wild and wooly days when the pioneers of performance were turning out revolutionary fiberglass boats. The 16-footer with the racy lines and bold stripe was designed by Jim Wynne, and it was raced by no less a personage than Don Aronow.

This boat has been in our family for over 25 years. I rode in it and skied behind it as a child, but now that I have 3 children under 4 years of age we decided this spring to let this boat go. The plan was to take the boat out for a few last rides this spring and list the boat.

The good news:

- I pulled the boat out of the barn this past weekend, replaced the raw water impeller and the boat started beautifully as it does every spring. The tires on the trailer are getting older, and I ordered new tires/rims that should arrive in a few days.

The bad news:

- I towed the boat down to the gas station to fill the fuel tank with fresh fuel, and continued home. At home I noticed a strong smell of gasoline, and found fuel in the bilge. It would appear the fuel tank has a leak. The aluminum tank was new when our family acquired the boat 25+ years ago.

The options:

1. Replace the fuel tank.

2. There is ample unused space under the bow, install a new fuel tank there over the old one.

The history (as much as I know):

The boat has lifting eyes forward and rear of the cockpit, so I imagine this boat was once the toy on a much larger yacht. The person our family purchased the boat from found it in the junk area of a Marina, where they were told the boat had been used for racing and had a blown engine. They had replaced the fuel tank, installed a new engine, and installed a brand new Volvo-Penta outdrive. I believe they had also replaced the interior at that point, and kept it on a lake in Maine, but rarely used it.

Our family used to to water ski on freshwater lakes, and usually took it once a year or so out on the Connecticut River. This lasted around 10 years, the boat was always garaged, and winterized in the fall. When my niece was born, the boat fell into disuse - but it was prepared for storage and slept for almost another 10 years. In 2011, or 2012 I pulled the boat out and went through all the fluids, hoses, belts, bellows, fuel system, rotor/cap/wires/plugs etc and put the boat back on the water. The first year back in service the started was stuck engaged and damaged the ring gear - the engine was pulled out of the boat, ring gear on the flywheel replaced along with the starter, and the bottom end given a quick inspection before being by Midway Marina in Haddam, CT. We have been enjoying the boat every summer since then without any issues for the last 6 or so years.

This is a really wonderful boat, the "sweet 16" is famous and has a strong following of collectors with these older boats generally fetching more than the newer models. If you search the web for this boat you will find most selling for $10-20k, Donzi is still selling a 16' model and calling it the "classic" for $60k.

Once you see and hear this boat, I have no doubt you will fall in love.

https://youtu.be/QppspRV7r1A