Donzi Doral

[h2oMag]

I found this 24' Doral on craigslist a few years ago thinking I would use her for a parts boat for one of my Magnum projects. This Donzi was ruff, but mabe to cool to scap out as it did race back in the 70's. And was told by the the dealer who sold her new that it may have been the catalog boat. I decided to give a restoation without braking the bank. I had to replace the wood in the transom & the powertrain. In her hayday she ran around 58mph in the APBA P class. Not as fast as a 27' Magnum with the 280 Trs package but it was the only Doral I believe to ever race. Here are a few pic's of the way I found her, & some of the work I did. The last pic's are from last weeks 1st test run. She still needs some of the bugs worked out but by next year she will be done.

[Ratickle]

Now that's cool....


It's a great thing you made the choice you did to save her.......

[Bobcat]

[h2oMag]

Here are a few more pic's of the engines before & after. The engines she came with had oil pans that were rusted out. I picked up these engines from a Magnum owner who was repowering his Mag. The old eng's were 350cu, 300hp Chris Craft, the new are the same typ but Crusaders. I will rebuild the original one's later & reinstall them .

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

In 1976 or 77 the guy across the creek from me in Edgewater MD has one just like it. Same color and everything except it had white windshield frame. . I hadn't ever seen another one.

Very Cool.

[fund razor]

My friend had a 1974 Doral that I would mention on the boards. It had stroker 350s and Volvo 270s. It was legendary in our yacht club. The father left it to the son. It was very light tan hull and deck. The bow flare was amazing. It was my first real go fast ride. I was hooked. Legend has it that he hit a log in the Maumee River and lost a 270 drive in 35 feet of water. The insurance company sent a diver and they put the drive back on the boat. It didn't sink when the drive came off because of the design of the drive. Or so the story goes.

These are such cool boats. It's great that you are saving one. Good luck with it.

[Bobcat]

Typical go fast attitude......no one cares about the log

[h2oMag]

My friend had a 1974 Doral that I would mention on the boards. It had stroker 350s and Volvo 270s. It was legendary in our yacht club. The father left it to the son. It was very light tan hull and deck. The bow flare was amazing. It was my first real go fast ride. I was hooked. Legend has it that he hit a log in the Maumee River and lost a 270 drive in 35 feet of water. The insurance company sent a diver and they put the drive back on the boat. It didn't sink when the drive came off because of the design of the drive. Or so the story goes.

These are such cool boats. It's great that you are saving one. Good luck with it.

There was one for sale in Toledo area a few years ago, & it was a tan or off white color.

[fund razor]

There was one for sale in Toledo area a few years ago, & it was a tan or off white color.

That was the one. My buddy sold it to his brother (from the other side of the family) and I didn't see it for a few years. Then I try to buy it. Even went into the hood knocking on doors and leaving notes.
But by then a third party was brokering it and they were insane on price. It was really rough by then. It was really light tan with dark windows and windshield frame.
I lost track of it.

Sorry for hijack.
Don't see many Dorals and the thread brought back memories.

[Richard Crainium]

The boat was sitting on Laskey Road at the Old Douglas Fence Lot .
I dont know if it is still in there or not. If I recall one of the Heidtmans owned it at one time.

[h2oMag]

.The Dorals as well as the Spitfires & the open El Pescadors used the same hull but different decks. AT that time Donzi was trying something new as far as the way they built them. The stringers stop at the engine bulkhead, kinda like a unibody car with out a full frame. I found much of the wood in the transom was not glass coated. Also they used a lot of filler to bond the deck to the hull. These Dorals just did not hold up very well, thats why there are not many left in good condition.

That was the one. My buddy sold it to his


brother (from the other side of the family) and I didn't see it for a few years. Then I try to buy it. Even went into the hood knocking on doors and leaving notes.
But by then a third party was brokering it and they were insane on price. It was really rough by then. It was really light tan with dark windows and windshield frame.
I lost track of it.

Sorry for hijack.
Don't see many Dorals and the thread brought back memories.

[fund razor]

The boat was sitting on Laskey Road at the Old Douglas Fence Lot .
I dont know if it is still in there or not. If I recall one of the Heidtmans owned it at one time.

Could be. As long as that was 70s-early 80s. Then went to the late "Crazy Fred Armstrong" RIP, at ORYC. Then to his son, who was my sponsor at oryc.
My first ride I was saying: "they let us do this? I mean, this isn't the a military boat or illegal???" I was hooked.

Again, I am sorry to hijack. Certain boats are just special. And to me, Dorals are really cool.

[h2oMag]

Could be. As long as that was 70s-early 80s. Then went to the late "Crazy Fred Armstrong" RIP, at ORYC. Then to his son, who was my sponsor at oryc.
My first ride I was saying: "they let us do this? I mean, this isn't the a military boat or illegal???" I was hooked.

Again, I am sorry to hijack. Certain boats are just special. And to me, Dorals are really cool.

No Hijack ! Some classic Donzi owners dont think much of the Dorals as they dont get much ink. It good to see that others liked them.

[h2oMag]

My friend had a 1974 Doral that I would mention on the boards. It had stroker 350s and Volvo 270s. It was legendary in our yacht club. The father left it to the son. It was very light tan hull and deck. The bow flare was amazing. It was my first real go fast ride. I was hooked. Legend has it that he hit a log in the Maumee River and lost a 270 drive in 35 feet of water. The insurance company sent a diver and they put the drive back on the boat. It didn't sink when the drive came off because of the design of the drive. Or so the story goes.

These are such cool boats. It's great that you are saving one. Good luck with it.

I found these pic's I think it's the Doral from Toledo.

[mattyboy]

unless that boat sold recently it was sitting in a marina in Stony Pt NY

I looked at that 24 on a few ocassions. it was in need of some work.

the 24 was a "monoque" sp hull design by harry schoelle the tub liner was glued to the hull giving it is strength. the hull and the tub liner were the same on all of the 24 models just different modular sections added. so a spitfire had the cuddy cabin underneath the lowered classic style deck with a smaller crawl thru to get up there. the el pesc had a center module and the doral and spirit had slightly different fairings and windshields. the best riding donzi classic ever. the doral were by far the most produced and usually came as twins but there are a few boats that were singles . approx 100 in total of the 24 footers( all 4 models spitfire,doral,spirit and el pescador) were built from 72 to 77

[fund razor]

I found these pic's I think it's the Doral from Toledo.

Not the one I was thinking about. Mattyboy may be right about NY.

The one that I knew of had no bow rail, had red and blue striped hatches and seats, couple of other differences.

[mattyboy]

that doral has been in ny for about 7-8 yrs was purchased from the midwest somewhere possibly ohio. i saw it last spring it was shrink wrapped with a for sale sign on it. price was 12k but that is a bit optimystic.

[mattyboy]

h20 have a hull number?

[h2oMag]

Not the one I was thinking about. Mattyboy may be right about NY.

The one that I knew of had no bow rail, had red and blue striped hatches and seats, couple of other differences.

Found the ad from Aug craigslist. http://toledo.craigslist.org/boa/2522844025.html

[Ratickle]

$4000 is getting in the reasonable range.......