Wellcraft 23 Nova Spyder
08-09-2002, 03:03 AM
#1
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Wellcraft 23 Nova Spyder
Hi got my first (off shore) boat a 1995 Wellcraft 23 Nova Spyder.
It runs a sold 60 GPS and was wondering if any one has had or none one of these mid 90's Nova's and how they liked it or what they thought about it.
The only thing I know is it needs to go faster and it is to small . Realy Id like to here any coments specialy with the crap going on at the Wellcraft plant.
It runs a sold 60 GPS and was wondering if any one has had or none one of these mid 90's Nova's and how they liked it or what they thought about it. The only thing I know is it needs to go faster and it is to small . Realy Id like to here any coments specialy with the crap going on at the Wellcraft plant.
another shot
08-09-2002, 06:39 AM
#3
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Nice looking boat. What do you have for power? I'm running an 1986 26' Nova II. I like the boat but its heavy. I have new power (twin 409's @ 425 HP). Right now its running mid 60's with a full tank, but I have yet to dial it in and redo the bottom, it has bottom paint that was rolled. It kinda like pushing a non-skid surface through the water. What I have found with the mid 80's Nova, is that they are built tough, are heavy in the ass with twins in a 26 foot boat. They can handle pretty good sized waves without pounding too bad.
In the late 80's the quality of the Nova kinda went to hell. There were problems with stringers rotting out and overall quality problems. They got their act together later on in the 90's. Overall the quality of the workmanship and materials isn't what alot of the boats that the guys are running here, but for the money you can't beat it.
Overall I like my boat. I'll probably like it better when I get it dialed in. But it handles well, has enough room for the family, and didn't cost as much as my house.
Jeff
In the late 80's the quality of the Nova kinda went to hell. There were problems with stringers rotting out and overall quality problems. They got their act together later on in the 90's. Overall the quality of the workmanship and materials isn't what alot of the boats that the guys are running here, but for the money you can't beat it.
Overall I like my boat. I'll probably like it better when I get it dialed in. But it handles well, has enough room for the family, and didn't cost as much as my house.
Jeff
08-09-2002, 08:42 AM
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a good friend of mine has a 91 nova with a 450hp crate motor....we cant get it to go over 63mph.....but it takes the chop better than my other buddies 93 spyder with stock 454/385hp. They both run the same speed, the newer novas were built lighter, but came better equipped, with morse throttles and stand up bolsters like yours........the 93 also has a problem with rotted stringers around the motor mounts.......the boat has a total of 175 hours on it. your boat looks clean and i am sure sounds great!!!! just take it easy in the real rough stuff, as the boat tends to hit hard sometimes coming off the bigger waves. enjoy the boat while you have it......you will always want something bigger and faster.....its a disease that is uncurable!!!!!!!
08-09-2002, 10:59 AM
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Jr
I have a '92 26' Wellcraft Nova ST that I took the bottom paint off of earlier this year. I did make a difference, 1 mph on the midrange (45 mph) and 2-3mph on the top end (75 mph) as indicated on the speedo with 3/4 fuel. Mine was as yours painted on with a roller and was very rough. It took alot of work, but was well worth the effort in the end.
Ray
I have a '92 26' Wellcraft Nova ST that I took the bottom paint off of earlier this year. I did make a difference, 1 mph on the midrange (45 mph) and 2-3mph on the top end (75 mph) as indicated on the speedo with 3/4 fuel. Mine was as yours painted on with a roller and was very rough. It took alot of work, but was well worth the effort in the end.
Ray
08-09-2002, 01:31 PM
#7
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I bought a 95 nova new and I loved it. They have a huge cabin and a wide beam. I had mine custom painted then sold it to a friend who put a zz502 aluminum head crate engine in it with gil dry exhaust. It ran 74 on gps with three guys on board. He is now having the engine freshend up and putting a bigger roller cam and porting and polishing the heads.
08-09-2002, 01:45 PM
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Ike
Thats what I like to here mine has that black bottom paint on it also but it looks like they put it on with a brush, very ruf
did not find any wrotin stingers It has a 454 mag with through hull on it.
08-09-2002, 04:30 PM
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I've got a 94 with the 330 hp in it, running with a 23 mirage plus, like it better then the mirage, love the boat. The speedo has hit 65 at best, has silent choice exhaust. Stays dry in rougher stuff and decent gas mileage. It's alot bigger than any other 23 I've seen of the same style. I have 267 hours on the boat and haven't noticed any rot problems yet. The floor in the boat still feels very solid like a concrete slab foundation, maybe that's why it's so heavy. The folks at wellcraft are worthless.
08-09-2002, 07:35 PM
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I have an 89' Nova XL with 330 HP, it runs 58 on GPS with thru-hull exhaust. I was interested to hear about the stringer rot. I just crawed in the bilge and poked around with an ice pick...no worries. I am running a 13-3/4" x 23" Mirage and I am turning 5000 to 5200 RPM. Need some advice on props. I understand 4 blades do not do well on Novas because of the rounded keel. Other than proping and landing on the tail after launching I am pleased with the boat. What is the deal with Wellcrafts factory? Are they having problems? I was thinking of moving up to the 29' Scarab with a single.
