2001 Donzi 38 ZX

Testers Notebook: Donzi 38 ZX Location: Lake Simcoe, Ontario Test load: Safety gear, No water, No waste, Half fuel. Driver only. Test day conditions: Wind 20-25 knots, Waves three feet, choppy conditions. Synopsis: With twin Mercury HP 500 sterndrives and a Z-Tech hull, the Donzi ZX proves itself a true performance boat with top speed of 73 mph; belowdecks, its broad beam makes room for comfortable accommodations.

By: Mark Rotharmel   
     Donzi's enticingly beautiful 38 ZX is both wide and deep, boasting over six feet of headroom in the cabin. But size alone does not luxury high performance make. This beamy offshore boat is fast!
     Tied to the pier, the 38 ZX looks like a performance yacht. Make no mistake about it, Donzi is proud of this machine –  and its logo is well-known in yachting circles.
     With a 9'3" beam, the 38 ZX is approximately nine inches wider than most boats in its class. I consider it to be a performance boat that makes sense, since you can eat, sleep, entertain and walk around in the cabin. Try doing that with other 38-foot offshore boats.
     Luxuries include white upholstery, large storage compartments located below the seats, a hanging clothes-locker, stand-up private head with shower, convertible salon/dining area and a seven-foot-long V-berth. The galley comes with stove, microwave, sink and refrigerator.
     The cabin is bright too, with two translucent deck hatches that let light in whether open or closed. Too hot? The air conditioner will cool you down fast.
     The cockpit also benefits by the extra girth. The aft bench seats four rather than the usual three passengers. Driver and companion are treated to adjustable electric bolster seats and power footrests. Aft standing passengers have stainless steel grab-bars securely fastened to the bolsters, and the aft bench has headrests for upper-back support.
     Coolers have been installed under the bench and port-side console, but functional stowage is limited in the cockpit. The dash, however, is very well-engineered, with Gaffrig instrumentation grouped by engine, spanning the tachometers and speedometer.
     Under the soft yet supportive sunpad/engine hatch lie twin HP 500 EFI's with Bravo performance drives from Mercury Racing, considered the standard these days for reliable offshore power. Gusty winds had whipped up the waves on Lake Simcoe, ideal conditions for this 11,500-pound boat, so I estimated speeds in the high 60s.
     In fact, the Donzi 38 ZX pulled out a top-end speed of 73 mph at 5,100 rpm. The twin step, aft-ventilated Z-Tech hull has a 22-degree deadrise at the transom. Wide chines, strakes and eight-inch running pad help balance the boat when trimmed high, and helps it track with accuracy through the turns.
     Accelerating to plane in 5.8 seconds with tabs level, not completely down, the boat keeps its bow low, yet the depth of the cockpit and height of the deck requires the driver to maintain good posture for optimum visibility. The 500 EFIs have great midrange power and the Donzi would pull from 0 to 50 mph in 12 seconds, approximately the same time it took to accelerate from 40 to 70 mph.
     Running 60 mph at 4,300 rpm seemed effortless. With tab adjustments, the hull ran straight as a die.
     The 38 ZX slaloms nicely at cruising speeds and completes wide-radius turns without difficulty, with drives trimmed level or slightly negative.
     Construction highlights include Plexus bonded hull and deck joints, vacuum-bagged balsa core in the hull topsides, a cockpit liner and Divinycell closed-cell foam coring in bulkheads, stringers and the transom. Donzi's 38 ZX is built tough – to be driven hard.

Specs:

For the dealer nearest you contact:

Team Hot Knots,
R.R#1, Forest Home Industrial Park,
Orillia, Ont., Canada L3V 6H7
(705) 327-9741 Fax: (705) 327-5625

Or for a dealer near you contact:
Donzi Marine,
PO Box 987,
Tallevast, Florida, U.S.A. 34270-0987
(941) 727-0662