help me out here- opinions for a friends boat choice
 

My good friends father is looking to get back into boating this summer, and I'm trying to help him make an educated decision on his purchace. He has found a really nice 1988 24' nova, it has twin 350's and alpha 2 drives, 500 hours showing on it. It has been kept in a heated garage all year round and is in great shape, this guy is the original owner, and he is now 72 years old and not into boats anymore. Anyway I think the price is $13,000 with a trailer. This is all second hand info from his son which is my good friend over way too many beers last night, but what are your opinions of this boat, drive & motor combo, the hours on it, and what is comperable or better in this price range out there? Thanks in advance, Rob:p

Hey Rob, I know where you could get a similar craft for that kind of money! :D

Twin small blocks and Alphas isnt a bad package,,, friend of ours had a 28' Baja same years/ same package, runs about 58-60,,, very reliable, no drive issues and its a heavy boat,,, plus he can get closer to the beach when the waters cold,, the alphas trim up farther the the bravo on my 272 !!!!! Can't help you on the Nova,,, but seems to me,, anything in as good of shape as he says with twins would be worth that money, if not even a little more.

Hey Rob.........If it's in that good of shape and he is into that style....then it's a good deal..........that's about all I can afford really and I have looked at plenty of them.........

From stripped ones for 6K.....all there but bare ready for paint and assembly..........To ones with a bit of abuse for 10K

I think really it's a touch high on the money for the 24FT...but if the shape of it warrants the money....then it's probably a good deal......

A pair of small blocks in a 24 would probably move pretty good.....that's all I have ever seen in them......although I think they are rather heavy boats......;)

Rob that isn't a bad package but I would have it surveyed. My father-in-law has had 2 or 3 Nova's all older than that. I think all his were 70's models. His current one is a 79 25' with the same power package. He almost keeps up to me! :D

Sparky is working on an 85 Nova right now. The floor was nailed into the boat, not screwed. I would want to look around it pretty good to make sure Wellcraft didn't continue this practice!

I just tried to run a Nada value check,,, assuming its a 88 wellcraft nova to have twins, it has to be a 27'......it showed as 14,700 average retail, and a low retail of 11k,,,, they had a 23' that year but with a single engine,,, you need more info,,, hope this helps.

obnoxus, Nada isn't always right. They don't list my boat as having twins either. It's a 1986 Four Winns Liberator 241 and it has the same engine package as the Nova in question yet Nada only lists it with a single.

Nova
 

I had a 79 nova 25 ft twin 305 ran 52mph ride was good the boat was solid I gave 6500 for it and that was 8 or nine years ago. cleaned it put in new interior and it looked new good lines for and older boat.

Hey thanks for the quick responces, I could have been told wrong info on some of the details, but thats what I was told (I think). I'm just trying to help him do his homework here, and print this out for him to read, and let him make his own decisions. I wasn't sure what was out there comperable in price, size, styling, ect. Seems to be good bang for the buck, and what are you opinions on 500 hours? This is why I think oso is such a great place, and it's getting close to boating season again, we'll all have so many boat questions, there wont be any time for the b.s. we had going on in the recent past.

Rob could it be a Nova II that would make it a 26 foot boat. I have seen the 23 with twin v-6s in them with alphas. But you never know. Forrest