"HARPOON" 1971 31 Bertram FBC
Offered at $39,900 USD
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"HARPOON" 1971 31 Bertram FBC
Adam Godfrey
P.O. Box 39, 8384 Water St
Cedar Springs, ON Canada N0P 1E0
Email at agodfrey@mnsi.net
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I purchased the vessel in 1997 and operated her until 2004 – since then, she has been stored inside at my heated shop. She had been engaged as a charter boat on Lake Erie and Lake St Clair since the mid 80’s. I operated her as a charter fishing boat and search and rescue vessel from 97 to 04. I needed a vessel that could safely and comfortably accommodate six anglers and safely handle the sometimes unpredictable and violent Lake Erie water. I wanted a vessel that was efficient to operate and easy to maintain. Harpoon fit the bill.
When I first purchased her, she needed some work. She needed to be reliable, seaworthy, and comfortable to operate in all weather conditions. My search and rescue work for the Canadian Coast Guard required that I be ready to go night or day to assist vessels in distress – many taskings were safely completed in all kinds of weather. For charter fishing, the big aft deck was a great platform to fish from. Primarily we trolled for walleye and steelhead using downriggers, dipseys and planer boards – we could run a spread of up to 14 lines. I wanted a trolling speed of 1.5 to 4 mph. This could be easily accomplished using one engine. When slow trolling she tracked very well with the oversized rudders, the auto pilot held the course even in sloppy weather when other boats were having to fire up both engines to maintain course. Alterations or modifications made to the boat have been with accessibility and ease of maintenance in mind. Only good quality materials have been used. Major work done: replacement of aft deck, bridge enclosure with radar arch, fuel system, steering system, electrical system, and drive train. The engines are merc 350CID, 260hp, age early 90s. Have only been in fresh water, they are raw water cooled. Small blocks are not usual for bertrams but they work fine in my application on the Great Lakes. Engine heads/valves have been done on both within the last 4-500 hrs. The engine hour meters shows 1836 STB and 2218 PRT. Engines were running strong at haulout. Transmissions are Borg Warner 1.51:1. STB has 2 years use since rebuild. PRT side 4 years since rebuilt, both in good shape. The engines were repainted crusader blue to permit easier identification of any leaks - both are tight and do not leak oil. Thunderbolt ignition installed, Rochester 4 bbl carbs. Risers (center dump, new style) and exhaust manifolds are new within the last couple of years of operation. Engines run quite economically and are inexpensive to repair. Remote oil filters. Cruise speed approx 20 mph – loaded Stainless Steel (ss) prop shafts 1.25 inch, 5 years of operation. Props 3 years use, Nibral 17x15 cupped, good shape. Custom built oversized ss rudders – permit great control when trolling on a single engine. Cutlass bearings replaced. All exhaust hoses and fuel lines replaced. Exhaust piping is a combination of wet exhaust hose and copper pipe. Engine beds rebuilt with white oak. Rudder bushings (logs) replaced. Heavy duty ss radar arch and ss tube bridge enclosure frame. Heavy duty canvas and plastic windows. Windows/zippers are in excellent condition. U shaped in-window zip downs allow partial opening of windows during rough weather or night navigation permitting excellent vision without exposure to the elements. Sides of enclosure open up easily. Rear of enclosure can roll right up or just zip down windows. You can stand on bridge with lots of head room and hand holds. Swivel helm seat with jump seat in aft corner. Instrument mounting on platform bolted to forward fly bridge cowling – got the electronics off the dash up where I can see and reach them easily and keep an uncluttered dash, instruments protected by flybridge enclosure. Aft deck rebuilt with 3/4" marine ply epoxy coated on aluminum framing, layer of fiberglass on top of plywood deck surface with non skid paint applied on top. Any deck water is directed to scuppers in transom – cannot get to bilge or engine compartments. Weathertight access hatches in deck to: stuffing boxes, perko raw water strainers, fuel shut offs, aft bilge pump and hydraulic steering cylinder and rudder posts – everything accessible. Aft engine bulkhead extended up to stop water going from deck into engine compartments. Deck sheets can be non-destructively removed if necessary and reinstalled with the re-application of caulking. Side skirts removed, side wall fiberglass painted – looks good and provides more room and storage. Vinyl sunscreen snapped over fwd cabin windows. Original fuel tanks replaced with aluminum (2) tanks, painted half way up with 5 coats of barrier paint. Have extra ports for return fuel lines, conversion to diesel, or to accommodate genset. Total fuel ~210 US gal. 3 bilge pumps, one in each separate compartment: at transom, between engines and in cabin. Limber holes closed to separate compartments. DC electrical panel relocated to port side cabin bulkhead (inside cabin). Sub panel on bridge. Wiring redone with good grade wire and connectors. Battery tray (plywood and epoxy) built outboard of engines. 20 gal plastic holding tank – deck pumpout fitting, head fwd. Head through hull discharge valve removed and hole plugged. Bennett Trim tabs. Hydraulic steering (new hoses, cylinder rebuilt recently). Thru hull transducer port under cabin sole. Interior layout: bench seat to port, counter top to starboard with 8 lockable storage drawers (great for tackle) below counter top. Lower helm station removed. Sliding tinted side windows. Forward vberth used for storage of gear and tackle. Head in fwd cabin between vberths, folding door to fwd cabin. Cabin area has been used for seating and gear/tackle storage. Hull bottom paint, VC 17, has been kept up. The hull gelcoat is original. No sign of any blistering. Please note that the fishing equipment, electronics and the aluminum swim platform have been removed and are not included in selling price. The boat as operated as a commercial fishing charter boat on Lake Erie and was well maintained to meet government regulations. The vessel is stored inside at my shop and can be viewed at any time. I have to sell the vessel because I needed a larger boat to accommodate more passengers – otherwise I would never sell her! Price is $US 39,900 plus any applicable taxes. If you would like to purchase the vessel without engines, that is negotiable. Adam Godfrey Cellular phone: 519-676-7421 Email: agodfrey@mnsi.net
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