Sean
Well-Known Member
Well,
I know it`s not the right time.... (when is) but...
I have wanted a plastic (fiberglass) hull boat that I can leave in the water without worry. My final goal is to have a 21 - 25 footer that can handle the bigger water and still provide some fun in style.
I would like to find a old Cassic 22 Donzi, or maybe a Donzi Z25 hull however, they are not the only hulls I`d consider. A 24 Pantera, a 25 Monza, even a 20 Cigarette (just because they are so cool).... basically a larger than my 18 Greavette but in a go fast hull.
The plan would be to install a mahogany wood deck and stuff it with a modern single engine power and a Bravo III drive. Add some comfey seats and lux-o ammeneties and be right where I want to be.
But building this when I have never done it before (and VERY few others have) will be a learning experience and I don`t want to make mistakes and throw $$$ away. so I`m considering a trial run.....
I have found a derilict Donzi Classic X18 that has a rusted , seized POS under the hatch. The foredeck has rotted out the balsa core and collapsed under a load of snow at some point. The Volvo drive looks salvageable and there are a few hardware items to salvage. The hull is in decent shape with strong transom and stringers. I don`t know how people let boats get into this kind of shape!!!
Anyways, I can get this project for a couple hundred dollars and a trip to new Jersey (from Toronto). I have found an economical solution to storage and a shop to work in. As the investment is low, I can clean up the hull with just my labour, pitch out the decking which is garbage already and experiment with how to attach (and build) a wooden deck. If it goes well I can move on to the next steps like sourcing power while watching the investment to the point where it either can either be scrapped or completely finished... aka decision time.
I think this could be a cheap education in either case but, it could also yeild a cool boat that I would sell to jump start the big boat.
Any thoughts on this from the crew here would be appreciated.
So, whaddyathink...
I know it`s not the right time.... (when is) but...
I have wanted a plastic (fiberglass) hull boat that I can leave in the water without worry. My final goal is to have a 21 - 25 footer that can handle the bigger water and still provide some fun in style.
I would like to find a old Cassic 22 Donzi, or maybe a Donzi Z25 hull however, they are not the only hulls I`d consider. A 24 Pantera, a 25 Monza, even a 20 Cigarette (just because they are so cool).... basically a larger than my 18 Greavette but in a go fast hull.
The plan would be to install a mahogany wood deck and stuff it with a modern single engine power and a Bravo III drive. Add some comfey seats and lux-o ammeneties and be right where I want to be.
But building this when I have never done it before (and VERY few others have) will be a learning experience and I don`t want to make mistakes and throw $$$ away. so I`m considering a trial run.....
I have found a derilict Donzi Classic X18 that has a rusted , seized POS under the hatch. The foredeck has rotted out the balsa core and collapsed under a load of snow at some point. The Volvo drive looks salvageable and there are a few hardware items to salvage. The hull is in decent shape with strong transom and stringers. I don`t know how people let boats get into this kind of shape!!!
Anyways, I can get this project for a couple hundred dollars and a trip to new Jersey (from Toronto). I have found an economical solution to storage and a shop to work in. As the investment is low, I can clean up the hull with just my labour, pitch out the decking which is garbage already and experiment with how to attach (and build) a wooden deck. If it goes well I can move on to the next steps like sourcing power while watching the investment to the point where it either can either be scrapped or completely finished... aka decision time.
I think this could be a cheap education in either case but, it could also yeild a cool boat that I would sell to jump start the big boat.
Any thoughts on this from the crew here would be appreciated.
So, whaddyathink...
