bertram31.com

Lars

A beauty!!
Are the covering boards teak or Flexiteek?

Lars

Didn’t feel good about forcing the shafts in, so ended up buying new 1 1/8 bearings, and machining down the outer diameter to fit the 40mm struts. Bit cumbersome, but they fit beautifully now, and feels good to have done it “right”.

Big thanks to Carl for insights!

Lars

Thanks for the insights. You - and the forum - rock!

Lars

You are right, those are the two struts. Looks like you are onto the issue with the mm dimensions, because the outside is 40mm; likely that the inside is 28. Still, that makes for a pretty odd dimension of 28 x 40 x 101 mm. (Or 50 long for the short strut) OD 1 5/8 would be about 41mm I guess - woul...

Lars

Thanks Carl - very helpful!

Sounds like you do this for a living? Quite possible that the dimensions are mm. Lengths are 50 and 101 mm, but unsure about outside. I don’t have them available right now, but will check.

Lars

Thanks, you are confirming what I expected. Both shafts and bearings were supplied by the Riva parts dealer, and he insists that they will be fine if forced on with some silicon spray or similar. They have not been damaged or contaminated. I’d try alternatives but they are hard to find. 1 1/8 inside...

Lars

I just received new cutless bearings from Italy for the Riva B25. Unusual dimensions, so I had to get them from the Riva parts distributor. However, they are very tight and must be forced onto the shaft - leaving no play whatsoever. I believe there should be a minor clearance even when new, but the ...

Lars

That’s awesome! I have followed you all the way from the old 25-board. Looking forward to cheering the last sprint! Go Cam!

Lars

They are quite popular in parts of Europe. Light, efficient and reliable. Good engines.
It boils down to whether you have a mechanic who knows them near you.

Lars

Sounds great! Pics please!..

I was considering a 28 Baron which frequently comes back to haunt me for letting it go. Gorgeous boat.

Lars

..which brings me to the "making the best of it"-bit. I have tinkered with whatever I could detach from the boat, so at least the brightwork is nice and shiny with three new layers of epoxy and four-five layers of varnish. All railings have been tightened up, and I glassed in new anchor points for t...

Lars

Beautiful, flat hot day. Grrr... I feel your pain Dug... My 25 is just back from the hull repairs, ready to install two brand new Crusader 350's - just in time for the yard to take off for summer vacation. Idiots. Engines will go in when they're back on August 6th. No boat for what so far has been ...

Lars

Amazing! In the thread he says they added 14" of sheer and flair to the boat. That explains it! I was looking at the pictures and couldn’t reconcile the Hull with a 31.. Really well done - you can’t tell that it’s been added. Great skill. ..and Cam just thought “perhaps some extra sheer would be ni...

Lars

Varnished/epoxy-sealed bulkheads can be gorgeous on the B28. I’d do it.
Check out “Little Buddy”:
https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-fo ... refit.html

Lars

Aluminum is challenging.. You say «bring back to life»; while there are various temporary fixes of dubious quality, the only way to really bring it back to life is to disassemble, machine polish off the anodized layer and all blemishes and have it re-anodized. I’ve done it. It is a monster job (I’m ...

Lars

You’re right Tony - you’re thinking of the Volvo QL interceptor tabs.
http://www.foreandaftmarine.com/VO-QL3841717.htm

They work brilliantly; I’ve always wondered why they haven’t caught on wider. Easy to maintain, nothing protruding, quick acting.

Lars

Interior looks great.
Must be a pretty good feeling to see it coming together now!..

Lars

Old Chinese proverbs are Greek to me...

Lars

Ouch! That’s a proper all-the-way-through damage. It should ideally be repaired from both sides, but I guess it’s impossible for you to access the inside. I am a bit concerned that much of the hull integrity will be carried by the inside strake cover patches rather than the continuously molded hull/...

Lars

Ooohh, that’s nice!..

Lars

They look like standard run-of-the-mill seats with a teak ladder added to the backs at a later stage?

Lars

..enter into a crowded port in the summer where everyone is on top of each other, and have to moor at an angle next to a monster yacht AND next to the rocks (that nobody wanted to go next to, until you arrived last, so you're the one!) and suddenly during the night the wind picks up and every sailo...

Lars

That’s right, Cam. It’s a 1972 Riva Bertram 25 Sportfisherman. They were built in Sarnico Italy, in Bertram hull molds and to Bertram specs. I wouldn’t be surprised though, if the Riva build is more Howdy, and less Sportfish. But she is about to get solid again, and fresh engines are on their way. F...

Lars

A picture of the repaired area from the inside. Access hole cut through the bottom of the galley module. As you see, nothing much on the inside of the strakes on mine. Then you can visualise the inside of the ones that have a glass covering "lid". https://farm1.staticflickr.com/939/39862671350_4ee90...

Lars

Strakes are fun... You may remember my previous post about finding old poorly repaired damage in the hull of my 25. Well, more coming up.. It appears that the boat had a number of quite bad rock encounters, penetrating the laminate. So also on the strakes at a couple of places. Patchup removed, reve...

Lars

"Make a hole and call it a hatch".. I'll remember that!..

Nice fish!

Lars

Yannis: Yes, it's the Riva.. Whaler: Yes, right at the centerline. The crack is below the waterline, just ahead of the bit where the red antifouling turns to white. It's hard to access that spot from the inside, so I haven't been able to check it yet. Looks pretty nasty though. I am afraid it's just...

Lars

Yannis wrote:Are you sure its not done during transportation?

Yeah, that was my first thought as well. But no, unfortunately I cannot pin it on the transporter and his insurance.. This is an older damage. Not quite as huge as the pic suggests though; the crack is about 30 cm long.

Yannis wrote:Good luck!

Thanks!

Lars

Unpleasant surprise on the B25.. The boat is up, and being prepared for shaft work. Got the chance to inspect the bottom, and a big fat hull fracture is apparent. Looks like an old damage, with shoddy previous repair and antifouling paintover. So much for survey and previous owners' "no damage"-assu...

Lars

Happy New Year all!

Spent the holidays in New England, and am looking forward to heading back to the warm country up north...

Lars

Thanks Marlin and Tony.
I am comfortable with the maths and will make certain that the sizing is ample when replacing. I was just surprised when I saw the light main leads and curious whether this is a chronic issue on old Berts - or just mine.

Lars

Going through the wiring on the 25, I notice that much of the wiring is of an uncomfortably light gauge. Especially the battery and main distribution leads. Without having done the maths, my inclination would be to use much heavier gauge. Is this a general issue on the older Bertram installations, o...

Lars

Carl wrote: Think best to call it a rope as the line thing could make for trouble.

Ha. Took me a while, but I see what you did there... Yes, better stick to rope...

Lars

Carl wrote:..handy if I found myself in a circumstance without salt and having only a bottle of Tequila and Limes. Hmmm, does sound like a good party...pass the rope

Let us know next time you throw a party! And invite a photographer..

Lars

Dug, It all depends on rope quality and type of wear. I have twenty year old lines that are fine, and two year old ones that are worn out. Replace whenever they start to look worn and strands start fraying. Putting worn lines aside in the boat for backup is not a good idea though - you never know wh...

Lars

Cam goes punk!
Guess we are the same age.

Lars

Rewiring is on my project list as well - will get at it this spring. Everything is working and in reasonably good condition, but good luck trying to track a problem the day something acts up. A lot of stuff has been added on, overcrowding the original layout. Time to redo. https://farm5.staticflickr...

Lars

Or use Flickr. I do; works well for me. Others are using Imgur and are happy with that too.

Lars

Dash looks great!

Yannis: PB pics don't embed in the post, but you can still see them on the PB site if you just click on the (missing) pictures.

Lars

Yeah, I was waiting for you, Yannis.. That looks fabulous - I am properly jealous!

Lars

Carl wrote:No snow...but took a couple hours for the ice on motor boxs to defrost.

That's seriously determined Carl...

Lars

That's a great pic Brian! Envy achieved!

Lars

Guess season's over. Woke up this morning to the surprise of a white blanket. A month earlier than usual, so it will melt - but I'm happy the boat is safely stowed away for the winter. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4523/26638683429_1679025ee7_c.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/38359288116_2d...

Lars

These are the original tooth pick rudders. Work well at speed, rubbish below 5 knots.
But as you have pointed out, it steers fine on engines - as long as you have both..

Lars

Joseph Fikentscher wrote:In my 25 I have Paragon drives.

OK. So the Riva Bertram is not using the same setup as regular B25. Oh well..

Lars

Mark, Thanks, yes I did. That was the manual which confused me. If you compare to my pictures, you'll see that the V-section of my drive is quite different - even if the plate says 71C. The V-drive tranny in the manual only has one oil fill, and no internal cooler. I am wondering if it's only the ba...

Lars

I've had a range of boats of various configurations over the last forty years - but this is my first experience with V-drives. The Velvet drives in the Riva Bertram 25 are unlike any I have seen, and I cannot find manuals or references. They are supposedly 71C's, but don't match Velvet drive service...

Lars

Thanks for your inputs guys - that turned into an interesting discussion!
I'll keep steering with the throttles for now, but would be interested to hear more experiences with welding on additional material to the rudders. Keep them coming!..

Lars

Right. I have the engines and shafts out for some work and tidying up now, so was considering a rudder upgrade. However, I think I will leave it alone for fear of doing something that ends up being worse. As you say, it does respond well to engine steering.

Lars

Thanks Tony!

Joe: Have you done anything to address the steering, or did you just learn to live with it?

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