Re: What Price Should I List my Nova Spyder at?
I had a 1985 23 Nova XL for 18 years. Good solid boats- with conditions...(see below). After all those years I sold mine for only $500 less then I originally bought it for.
The links in the post above are showing different kinds of Novas, not all like yours. Now, value all depends on condition. If the boat's been well cared for since new and not abused, it could be worth a surprising amount- to the right buyer. "Classic Muscleboats" are becoming collectable.
Clearing that hurdle, I see 1 BIG problem with your boat. Almost all Wellcrafts built between 1988-1991 have a reputation for stringer and transom rot (some call that Wellcraft era the "red-letter" years). If the boat was kept dry- and I mean D R Y - it's entire life then it'll be A-OK. Otherwise you'll have some damage. Back then the factory didn't properly seal the "limber holes" between the bilges and moisture could easily penetrate into the encapsulated stringers and transom. Same issue if the transom plate wasn't sealed tight to the hull. A marine survey will catch the problem and the value will go down drastically because a proper repair is very time-consuming and expensive, often exceeding the value of the boat.
If you honestly feel your boat is good, I might suggest you hire a marine surveyor to perform a valuation survey to determine it's fair market value. Until then you'll never really know. Any savvy buyer will spend his money for a pre-purchase survey anyway, so you'll be better prepared with your own.
Just my opinion, having owned boats for 36 years now.......
