1990 Sport Nautique Good Starter Boat?

Is it reliable.  Well, any boat can have issues, but as far as a starting point, yes, it could/should be reliable.  The 351s (P=Pleasurecraft, not Performance) are pretty much bullet proof if cared for.  You normally dont hear about 1000 hours on a rebuild, you usually hear about 1000+ hours on a first engine.  If yours is truly a 1000 hour boat and a rebuild, it should have a lot of life left in it.  The boat was built with wood stringers.  If he is claiming "fiberglass" (unusual for a rebuild) I would want proof of the rebuild, receipts, photos... If he says it came with them, he is blowing smoke up your butt.  The sport is a good family boat, will do all things well, should be reliable, price is not bad considering today's market if the condition is what you say it is.

I have a stainless 4 blade OJ from 20 years ago.  Just reinstalled it on my buddy's 89 last week because his original was beyond repair.  Not the best but moves the boat.  Looks super cool though!

Thousand hours on an engine to me is like 60,000 miles on a new car. Still plenty of life left.  

Thanks so much everyone for your words of wisdom and help.  This community is amazing.

That one has the extra covid tax on it,it is after all a quarter of a century old boat. I paid that for a v drive boat that was 18 at the time with a brand new tandem trailer. One of the big concerns on any of these is the interior look for hard vinyl separating seams etc. Interior work is expensive. Boats get cheaper as the season wears on covid value tax won't last forever

NADA is not a good guide for boat. JMO. 

New can sometimes be better. CorrectCraft changed things up in the Sport beginning in '99, with some other changes in 2000. Those changes are a rounded-back rear end, with a large storage locker behind the rear bench, a "traditional" walk-through to the bow with seating, and less than desirable electronic keypads and gauges. Key pads are available and some folks have converted back to traditional gauges. If I go back to a Sport, I'll do a '99 or later. 

I have a 93 sport with about 1500 hours on the original hardware (minus the protec). Still pulls hard out of the hole and gets 46mph wide open with me and three kids in it... it has a carburetor and the protec was replaced with mechanical distribution which may not start as nice cold as fuel injection but works perfectly when warmed up. Some might say the carb models are easier to maintain and troubleshoot... depends on your perspective.

My cousins have a 90 sport with less hours on it but it also runs great and has the original stringers.

I guess what I'm saying is if you can verify the stringers are good, there's no reason to believe a well kept and protected (from excess water) 90 sport won't last and be reliable. If you can find a composite hull at a reasonable price it might be good for peace of mind long term... but good luck finding one at a reasonable price these days.

In 2019 we paid $10k for the 93 with an original trailer... which sounds like a steal now. The trailer needed work but we weren't going far. The interior was in good shape. Speedos didn't work. Had to replace some of the other gauges because the plastic fatigued and they fell out of the holes.

Did replace the fuel pump which finally failed last year and just did exhaust hoses because they started leaking.

So some age related wear and tear but the big ticket items are still very solid.

1450 and change.

I purchased a 99 Sport in April and I searched for 4 plus months to find one that I wanted with a reasonable price. It has a GT 40 with 500 hours and a 2004 Trailer that was in good condition.  All the seat bottoms needed to be recovered as well as the rear trunk lid.  I was able to find a local shop to me that completed that work for $1200.  I also found a used tower for it that I paid $1000 for and so now I have the boat set up the way I want.  I paid $12000 for the boat and based on the current market feel like I got a great deal.  I had to drive 11 hours one way to get it but it was worth it as the boat was in great shape except for the seat bottoms.

Keep in mind on your search that year does not automatically mean fuel injected. Carb'ed engines are out there- fuel injected was just on the upgraded engines,usually the GT 40 Ford. Chevy's were available as well but for additional cost.

Yes, it was exactly what I wanted and expected.  Be patient and keep looking that the right boat will come along for the right price.  I have been around boats my entire life and Correct Crafts since I was a teenager working at a summer camp on the ski staff (we had a 86 Ski Nautique 2001).  They are awesome boats and will last you a lifetime.

Would you recommend I pursue that one Gary? Thanks for sharing by the way!!

I don't want to tell anyone how to spend their money but I wouldn't even think about buying a boat right now with these inflated prices.