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Relics of the past; the boating bug...

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by SplashFl, Mar 16, 2023.

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  1. SplashFl, Mar 16, 2023
    #1
    SplashFl

    SplashFl Active Member

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    The posts in this thread were split from another discussion to maintain continuity.​

    I posted this one on another board a couple years ago and no one knew what it was. Emailed neighbor in the boat business and he immediately knew.

    Yellow Boat 2.jpg

    Yellow Boat 3.jpg
  2. classic, Mar 16, 2023
    #2
    classic

    classic Member

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    Someone had a fast boat in a younger life.

    ha ha
  3. YachtForums, Mar 16, 2023
    #3
    YachtForums

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    North American S-18
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  4. Capt Ralph, Mar 16, 2023
    #4
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    The North American plaque was the icon of the time.
    My bud Johnny fished a S-22 during the 70s. Pretty solid boat despite the OMC stern drive.
    My father & I fished an open Thompson 22 with VP 270 during our neighborly fishing feuds.
    Either the S-22 was a better ride or Johnny's back bones were tougher. Flat water we were together, ugly water, he would pull ahead.
  5. SplashFl, Mar 17, 2023
    #5
    SplashFl

    SplashFl Active Member

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    In those good ole days the one in my photo showed up one summer in NJ. In flat water it beat the fastest Donzi but when the wind blew up the Donzi ran away. Been a deep V fan ever since.
  6. Capt Ralph, Mar 17, 2023
    #6
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Would that have been the lil Donzi 16?
  7. SplashFl, Mar 17, 2023
    #7
    SplashFl

    SplashFl Active Member

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    Buddy of mine who came down with Leukemia in his early teens was given 6 months so his dad went into "hock," & bought him a new Shelby GT-500 KR & the first 18 Donzi in the area even though he was too young for a driver license. Wasn't too long he jumped a large spt. fish wake and ran into a strapped together group of channel pilings he didn't see. Lots of injuries but the boat didn't sink & Don Aronow built him a new 18; the new one with a larger engine. The kid in the S-18 photo was a neighbor and they were always in the "my boat's faster" competition. Later one of the girls in our then world turned 16 and her dad bought her a 16' Donzi she still owns and is now down here in Florida but her original motor was only a 165hp so even the 15' Traveler with the 110 Merc I had then was faster in the calm waters. Mike's disease went into remission and he lived into his 30's; helped raise $$$ for the American Cancer Society & loved to come down here and fish with me in the Bahamas. The girl with the Donzi still owns the boat and landed on the cover of a boating magazine 20 years ago with an article on people that have owned their boats "forever." Another in our group later got 19' Donzi Hornet but was underpowered and the new motor they bought eventually wound up in the red 16' Donzi I later bought as they bought one of those 90 plus MPH Aronow's.

    MarceyDonzi1.jpg

    Mike Finamore Ad.jpg
    Wylie-Damit.jpg

    Ron-Wylie (1970's).jpg
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  8. JWY, Mar 17, 2023
    #8
    JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    SplashFl - thanks for a great post!
  9. cleanslate, Mar 19, 2023
    #9
    cleanslate

    cleanslate Senior Member

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    Thanks for the great post!
    I loved the 16’ Donzi as a kid.
    That same blue colored one was in my parents boat yard in Bayhead New Jersey ( Johnson Brothers) called Moody Blue . I sure thought it was a cool boat!
  10. Ken Bracewell, Mar 20, 2023
    #10
    Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    This picture is me enjoying Florida's west coast on my Dad's 1969 Donzi St Tropez, probably taken around 1993?

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  11. Jeff Kelly74, Mar 20, 2023
    #11
    Jeff Kelly74

    Jeff Kelly74 New Member

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    Great post... Mike's story was inspirational

    And that boat looked like a lot of fun!
  12. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #12
    YachtForums

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    In the mid-70s I had an 18' Donzi with a Holman Moody outdrive. Went thru a box of old pics but unable to locate however I did find an album with a few of my boats from the early 80s and 90s. I'm an old go-fast guy. Thank God a man's testosterone level decreases with age, otherwise we'd never live to be old enough to tell lies about how fast we were!

    Following the Donzi (circa 1975) I bought my first 21' Shadow built by Image Boat Company in 1981. The Shadow's were a splash from the original George Linder designed Challengers that utilized a 22 degree deadrise hull with 4 lifting strakes. Other comparable hulls were Rally Sports, Superboats and such. Today that legacy has been continued with the "Tuff" line of boats being built in Canada. These hulls are great for honing a driver's skill and very rewarding to drive. You could hang these hulls on the step even in the sloppiest of conditions. A good driver could manage to keep it running flat and level. I had a 200 Merc on the back which was good for about 62-63 mph. Maybe 65 light on fuel, minus a meal.

    ***​

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  13. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #13
    YachtForums

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    My next boat was a big step-up in speed! Went from 60mph in the Shadow to over 100mph in a 24' Skater. This boat was hull #6 from Peter Hledin, the brains behind Skater Powerboats. I had the good fortune of working with Don Schwebe who ran Mercury's Lake-X facility. We met in the early 80's while I was working on a project for Lockheed Marine. When I purchased this Skater, Don set me up on Merc's race/test program and he supplied me with new blocks and updated components as the 2.4 Bridgeport motor was evolving. I held the lake's top speed record (for a 24 Skater) one year at 103.5 mph. 24 Skaters were the rage in offshore racing in the late 80's, paving the way for much larger, much faster catamarans... but not before a few of us rolled, stuffed and grew accustomed to the taste of hospital food. Ahh... the good old days! Back before my "No Fear" sticker expired.

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  14. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #14
    YachtForums

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    Couple more pics...

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  15. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #15
    YachtForums

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    In the early 90's a took a step back in time and decided to re-live my youth when I came across another Shadow located up in Luddington, MI. Dragged the boat back to Florida with a layover in mid-Ohio for a seized bearing. Spent a few weeks restoring the boat, used it once and it sat inside my warehouse for years. Garage art, I guess?

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  16. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #16
    YachtForums

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    In the mid-90's I stepped up to a 28' Skater after Don Smith (Don Smith powerboats) took a hiatus from racing. Don had just made the cover of Powerboat magazine as throttleman of the year running a 28' Skater that he built and dialed in for Rich Ginsberg, who was sponsored by 7-UP. With Don stepping back, Rich was looking for a throttleman and Don recommended ME??? Unfortunately I don't have any pics of that boat.

    Some years later, I bought a 1991 25’ Powerplay Sportdeck from the original owner. It had 200 hours on the hull and motors and had been stored inside a hi & dry marina. I had the factory completely re-rig the boat with a new instrument panel, Gaffrig gauges, stereo system and Merc 200 Opti's. Later, I installed Mercury's new hi-perf steering system. The little needle on the fun-meter pointed to 77 mph.

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  17. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #17
    YachtForums

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    Some updated pics after hanging new Optis and updating the graphics...

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  18. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #18
    YachtForums

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    My last Powerplay was the last 33' Center Console ever built. Danny's company went into receivership and this was one of the hulls that was partially finished. I used the boat to promote YF for a couple of years, including cruises with our editors called "Boat Bashes" where we trash-talked yachts. Unfortunately I sold the boat to keep YF afloat... :(

    https://www.yachtforums.com/threads...nsole-w-merc-250-efis-sold.18411/#post-148508

    YF Editorial Crew; Boat Bash...
    https://www.yachtforums.com/threads...f-2011-yf-crew-banter-bash.17762/#post-142404

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  19. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #19
    YachtForums

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    Somewhere in between these testaments to testosterone were a couple of big boats. This was our 1982 72' Broward.

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  20. YachtForums, Mar 20, 2023
    #20
    YachtForums

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    The girl that got ALL my attention was in the background...!

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