Repower Project Follow-Up: Donzi 38 ZFX Gains 17 MPH with Verado 400R Outboards

In January, I wrote about the repower/restoration of a Donzi 38 ZFX center console that Dave Govatos at MDG Performance Marine in Edgewater, Md., was working on. Part of the project was swapping out the triple Mercury 250-hp Verado outboard engines for a trio of Mercury Racing Verado 400Rs.

“The new motors really woke it up,” said Govatos, who has seen a top speed of 79 mph since repowering the boat, which topped out at 62 mph with the 250-hp engines. He has even participated in a couple of poker runs this year on Chesapeake Bay.

Thanks to 1,200-hp worth of Verado 400R outboards from Mercury Racing, this Donzi 38 ZFX runs nearly 80 mph.