Donzi 35 ZR

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I approach performance boats with equal parts of enthusiasm and trepidation. Many boats just get so skittish past the 65 mph mark that the latter feeling comes without shame. But within 10 minutes of listening to handling tips from Donzi performance school instructor Craig Barrie, I was throttling the 35 ZR all the way to redline at 5,000 rpm, and the only concern I had was picking out distant Intracoastal Waterway markers through the wind, tears streaming from beneath my sunglasses.

It ran easy and arrow-straight at just shy of 80 miles per hour, and I throttled down to 60 mph, then slightly more, settling the boat on the three sections of its two-step hull before feeding in port rudder. It carved into the turn, and, thanks to the safe setup by Donzi, the helm held without feedback. Hands off the helm, I fed in throttle, and the boat held its course, hooked up and stayed that way as we crossed back across our own wake. The ZR was just as kind turning to starboard.

If go-fasts were all this easy to handle, and if gas were a buck a gallon, everybody would want one! As it is, everybody can become proficient with them, and there seems little to stem the enthusiasm for those who love this romping sport.