late 70's Nova 250
 

Hello all!

I am new to the Forum and this is my first post. I have been freshwater boating since i was a kid. I have found a late 70's Wellcraft Nova 250 w/ twin 350's that i am interested in purchasing. I don't know a whole lot about this type of boat as far as what problem areas to look for.

Any suggestions aside from the typical inspection items (Stringers, transom, engine leaks, etc.)?

The guy is asking $6k. Should i be even considering this?

I am pretty sure the boat has been freshwater its entire life, but i dont know how big of a deal that is.

Any help would be much appreciated. I am going to see the boat tomorrow and i would like to be somewhat prepared.

Thanks!
Tom

great boats but make sure to check the transom and stringers thoroughly!!! Wellcraft used this fiberglass engine tub thats prown to rot and crack too so check that as well. Check the bellows and find out when the shift cables were last done. As the lower shift cables on the alpha setups get old they get sticky and it will cause stalling as you shift fwd/rvr around the docks.

First off - Welcome to the forum!

I personally like the lines of the ol' Nova's especially if they have a good, beefy exhaust sound! They have some great classic lines. Do your due diligence. At a 6 grand purchase (which does not seem over inflated) you need to have a comfort level with the condition. If you have to replace a drive, stringer, transom, motor, etc... you will probably not ever get your investment back.

Good Luck!

As the lower shift cables on the alpha setups get old they get sticky and it will cause stalling as you shift fwd/rvr around the docks.http://www.odauto.com/song9-4.jpghttp://www.hgniw.info/a125.jpghttp://www.odauto.com/15.jpghttp://www.odauto.com/16.jpghttp://www.odauto.com/17.jpghttp://www.hgniw.info/uk.jpg

In older Wellcrafts, make sure to have a Surveyor look the boat over for you. We've seen lots of rotted floors, stringers and transoms in them. Hopefully you have a well cared for one there.

Great, classic boat. Listen to the advice above as most of us have done it the hard way and learned the hard way. A 25' Nova was an icon for rough water capabilities and sporting lines in a boat that size.

And, welcome aboard.
Gary

Wow! thank you guys very much for the info. I have a local marina that has said they would do a "pre-buy" inspection for me for about $500. Because we are already in winter up here in MN they would need to fire it up, check the outdrives, check the cables (like others have suggested) and leak check the engine/exhaust, then re-winterize it. So, i figure that seems reasonable.

Yeah i don't think i have ever gotten my money back on a boat, I just don't want to buy it for $6k then sink $4k into it before she even sees the water. Your comments are very helpful and i will let you know how it goes!

Thanks,
Tom

Again.........
 

welcome aboard and get ready to start adding zero's to your numbers :helmet:

My Nova Spyder is a little newer than yours but Ive got to say that they are great boats! Without a doubt the smoothest rough water boat I have ever ridden in. No doubt that you will enjoy it. $6k is a decent price for a twin engine boat that is running.

A few pics of mine:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...P1040482-L.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...1020676-XL.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...1030068-XL.jpg

That is a sick boat!

Well i had her checked out, after some price checking and soul searching i bit the bullet. Was able to get a little bit better price and the "pre-buy" was worth every penny.

Now i just have to wait 5 months to drive it :cartman:

Thanks to all who gave some feedback, i appreciate it!

Tom

Tom good luck. If she turned out to be solid, you have a pretty nice boat. The lines are more classic and while not as "sleek" as some of the newer hardware, the old Nova's have some good freeboard and lots of room to move around for a 25ft offshore!! Look at the cockpit of a 25ft checkmate and compare it to yours, you'll laugh out loud. Twin stock small blocks are a nice package and those alpha drives will last unless you hammer them out of the hole. Even then they are cheap to replace. If you are a DIY guy, you just scored a nice summer toy!

Thanks! I'm more excited now then i was 2 days ago. The more i read about the boat the more I am just falling in love with it. It is a 1979 Nova 250 model but was built in '78. It has twin V8 350 Chevys and the revious owner had the 3 blade Cleaver props put on.

I checked out a Checkmate Convincor before i bought my boat and part of the reason i turned it down was the size of the cockpit. But it did seem like a really nice boat!

I talked to a mechanic that said if the transom was rotted then it would be $6,000 to replace correctly. Is he High? or Low? or dead on?

When summer rolls around i will get some pictures posted up, i have some buffing to do and some decals to replace before i can start bragging.

Thanks, Tom

The transom is $500 in materials and a couple weekends of work if you like to get itchy scratchy....