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Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami

All-carbon sport cat with quad Mercury Racing 400R outboards aims to break 120 mph.
Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami
Target top speed is 120 mph with quad Mercury Racing 400R outboards. Courtesy Iconic Marine

One go-fast star of the Miami International Boat Show was the all-new Donzi ICON 44 from Iconic Marine. Billed as the first all-carbon fiber sport cat, and the first catamaran to carry the Donzi brand, the new boat is 44 feet long with a 12-foot beam, and was powered at Miami by four Mercury Racing 400R outboards. The boat was designed and built in collaboration with Wilson Composites of Fort Pierce, Fla.

Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami
Complex windshield shape wraps over and around the helm seating positions. Charles Plueddeman

The 44-foot cat is constructed with advanced composites including carbon, infused epoxy resin and a new foam coring that forms a honeycomb pattern. According to Craig Wilson the core is 10 percent stronger and 40 percent lighter than the cores most manufacturers are currently using. The boat is said to weight only 8,300 pounds, although an official weight has not been published. Because the boat was designed specifically for outboard power, its cockpit has been configured to utilize all of the space that would otherwise be devoted to inboard power, with aft lounge seats port and starboard and a swim step on center that descends to the water. The boat has also been engineered to be easily converted to sterndrive power in the future if there’s demand for that configuration.

Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami
Complete glass helm display is tucked below a canopy-style windscreen. Courtesy Iconic Marine
Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami
A section of the composite material used to create the Donzi ICON 44, with a foam-filled honeycomb covered with epoxy and carbon fiber. Charles Plueddeman

The most intriguing feature of the cockpit, however, is the forward location of the helm and the double-curve shape of the windshield. This gives the driver (the wheel is to port with throttles on center) and co-pilot positions a raceboat feeling, as both are behind a bubble-shaped windscreen that wraps around and over the outboard shoulder. Getting into the forward buckets seats requires quick a bit of athletic flexibility. Abaft the forward seats the windshield curves abruptly outboard and then tapers down toward the stern. There are four bucket seats in a row amidships, and the facing lounge seats aft and lots of space for socializing.

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Donzi ICON 44 Breaks Cover at Miami
Outboard power and forward helm location leaves plenty of cockpit space for seating and lounging. Courtesy Iconic Marine

We were told at Miami that “out of the box” the ICON 44 ran about 115 mph, but Iconic Marine is aiming for at least 120 mph top speed when the boat is fully fettled. Boat price as rigged at Miami is $949,000.

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