Though the Donzi 38 ZRC was far from the first sit-down V-bottom sportboat when it was introduced in 2002, it was groundbreaking. Almost all V-bottoms at the time were of the stand-up cockpit variety—most still are—and thanks to superb performance and aggressive styling the 38-footer was an instant hit. Driven by Donzi’s in-house high-performance man Steve Simon and supported by then chief executive officer Lee Kimmell, the 38 ZRC brought the sit-down V-bottom configuration into the high-performance pleasure boat mainstream.
The Donzi brand was born in Miami, so it was only fitting that the new 38 ZRC return to the company’s original home waters for its first action-photo shoot (click image to enlarge). Photo courtesy/copyright Iconic Marine Group.
The boat also proved immediately dominant in Factory 2 class under the APBA Offshore LLC umbrella.
Notable figures in the industry, Simon and Kimmel are no longer with us. But thanks to its recent reintroduction by parent company Iconic Marine Group, the 38 ZRC is. The new-for-2020 model was unveiled in late October at the Fort Lauderdale International Show, where it was displayed on a trailer. The boat had been run for all of 10 minutes at the Iconic facility in Washington, N.C., before it has hauled to South Florida for the event.
Last week during its debut photo shoot on the water in Miami, the Iconic crew finally got a chance to spend serious time running the boat. And everyone involved, by all accounts, was impressed. Right of the box with twin Mercury Racing 860 engines providing the power, the new 38 ZRC ran 118 mph, and the Iconic team members are expecting it to reach 120 mph by the time they’re done dialing it in.
Editor’s Note: Look for a feature on the new 38 ZRC on speedonthewater.com next month.
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