88' Nova Spyder
 

Hi guys,
I just bought a nova Spyder with a single 454 and a bravo. My question is... What makes them so slow? I did a lot of reading and everybody for the most part is saying it takes a lot of HP and torque to get them into the 70 mph range, why is that? Mine does 46mph with 3 adults and 100gal of fuel but it is bottom painted and had very restrictive mufflers on it, which I just removed but haven't had a chance to go out again.

What is your WOT rpm? You should be in the 60's I would think...

I dont see a single 454 pushing well into the 60s.....

That Nova Spyder is probably around 5500lb dry when new. Plus 500lb of people. Plus 800 lb of fuel, and its probably only a 365HP Magnum Merc which is 30 years old and is only making about 320 hp now. With out it dropping off Niagara Falls there is no way in hell that boat would ever see the far side of 55mph even when new. Its just simply too heavy and under powered to push past that.

What size Nova 202, 23,26 ?

Had a 1986 23 Nova with a nicely modified 350 and with 2 adults and two kids and cooler 55 was max and that was on a good day.

They are just built with a lot of glass and old school lay up. Good Luck Also which 4if54 330 hp or 365HP?

They are heavy, solid boats. They rightfully deserve the "Resin Bucket" name. The original 25' Nova was built by Brownie, he is a member here, IIRC the 26' Spyder was still based off his hull design. My 79 250XL with 2 300HP SBCs and Alphas would hit 62 with 100 Gallons of fuel and 2 people on board.

It is a 365 mag 454. Changed exhausts today. It had a Gil silencer system on it. I went straight thru haul and did 51 with a full tank and just me and my dad.... Then hit a vertical bobbing log at 51 mph... Ripped the drive off... And had to be floated by the coast guard. Motor didn't go under, insurance is coming to look Monday. Wish I knew how to upload pics.

Wot is 4700 with a 21p mirage plus

Put the pics on a photo sharing site like photobucket then link them over here.

Ok, I will do that... As soon as I get the kids to bed. When I hit the log It broke the the part that bolts inside the transom assembly, flipped up and took out the swim platform... And was leaking thru the bellows like crazy. I had two bilge pumps running and was barely keeping up... This is after the coast guard had to pump it and float it... Because the engine was about 2 inches from the starter going under. They say "a bad day of boating beats a good day of work"... I don't believe that any more!

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Well that sucks. Everyone safe and ok I presume. Hope you can get it fixed quick. Surprising how strong trim lines are.

Wow that sucks, sorry to hear about the log. I'd echo what others said about it being a heavy hull. My buddy used to have an 88 with twin BB 330hps and bravos and I remember it did right around 70 on the dream-o-meter, probably more like 65 on GPS. I always thought the twin big blocks was a mistake on that hull since it always seemed like it was so ass heavy and just a lot of dead weight. We raced a similar year Spyder once with twin small blocks and they were dead even. For your boat after you get it back in business you're probably losing a good deal of speed with the bottom paint.....I heard it's a pain to take off but that's probably your biggest issue now slowing you down. Also if you're not going for long distances try just keeping it at 1/2 tank at the most so you don't have all that extra fuel weight. Good luck getting it back on the water asap!

Thank you guys for the replys. It appears the insurance is going to replace the drive and gimble assembly. Is there an upgrade I can do that may give me a little more top end? I am planning a 502 build for winter also. Would a bravo upper and -2 imco shortie help at all?

it definitly could depending on how low the drive is now....

Monster sorry to hear about that in your new boat. I know it doesn't help, cause your missing water time. Keep us posted on your progress. Tons of great help on this site.

Thank you very much guys. The insurance adjuster is coming Tuesday to look. The shop i took the boat too said just at first glance, the gimble assembly is broken and the upper unit is junk also. He thinks the lower is OK, but won't know for sure until he digs into it. I will continue to post updates as I get them.
Brian.

Wow. That sucks. We just bought a 92 Nova Spyder, 23 ft, 454 bravo 1. With 20 gallons of fuel and one person I can hit 60mph. sorry can't figure out how to post pics.

Well I went to the shop where the boat is last night and he seems to be Pretty confident that the insurance is going to total the boat. The lower unit and the prop are the only reusable parts. Today he is pulling the engine to look at the transom, so I will know more later today.

Well that's certainly mucked up your boating season, sorry to read your news.

In the U.S. how does your insurance work? Presumably you get paid out a figure, hopefully not too low, then the boat becomes the property of the insurance company. Do they then try to auction or sell it to recoup some of their loss and would you get a shot at buying it from them cheaply? Would you want to buy it back?

That's about what happens where I come from but insurers are different all over the world. I just hope it works out ok for you somehow, best of luck for a speedy resolution.

RR

If they total it, I will have the option to buy it back, and they will pay me the "agreed upon value" I meet the adjuster tomorrow... So I will find out then!

Question for anybody who knows about gimble assembly. Do I HAVE to change the inside plate also when I replace the outside assembly? Can't I just unbolt from the inside and swap outside unit only... So I don't have to pull motor. The inside unit isn't damaged, just the outside

pull the motor. There really isnt that much to pulling it. pulling the motor sounds like a much bigger job than it actually is.

Well, I have decided to fix the boat. The insurance company paid me for repair. I ordered a used gimble assembly from a member on here for $500 complete. The rest of the drive is re usable. Insurance paid for all new parts so I saved a ton there. Now thinking about looking for an HP500 used to swap out the 330 and try and get to high 60's low 70's with the left over money.

Going by your screen name, you should swap in a Cummins B series marine engine��. Rollin coal on the lake!

Good to read insurance has acted quickly, a rare thing with most insurers!

Good luck with your rebuild, I hope you get your 70+ in style.

RR

Hahahaha that would be cool!

Ok, so the new drive is on! And I took it out to day a test run. It runs perfect and is good and dry in the bilge. A couple issues though... When I press the up button to tilt the drive up, it goes down... And down makes it go up. If I remember correctly, aren't they two different size fittings on the lift pump? So they couldn't be backwards could they? also, is there a way to bleed the lift pump? Or does moving it up and down work the air out?

Where did you unhook and reconnect the lines? The little manifold on bottom of gimball housing? The 2 lines on top of it? Or the 4 lines going to the trim cyls? You have to reconnect correctly. It is MUCH higher pressure to lift than lower.

Thank you for the reply, I only unhooked from the pump itself. The new gimble assembly came with lines, which I used rather than using the old lines. I have a good feeling I have them backwards... But I could have sworn they were two different sizes... I will check tomorrow to verify.