bertram31.com

In Memory of Vicroy

Anodize it...with proper prep, it's 10 times better than powder or paint. Been there both ways....paint will not stick real good to aluminum unless you do about a 12 step process like Boeing does on their airplanes. Powder coating is good until you chip the coating (which you will) and water gets un...

In Memory of Vicroy

Well, all that is good to hear....now about the UVI "winning" vessel out of Texas, that's a stretch, altho your Hyena Boat did vie for second one time. LDS, you and your Pop are sure welcome to come, we will find a good boat for ya'll. With this show of support for a Venice UVI, I'll put the wheels ...

In Memory of Vicroy

I put up the post about the window a/c units figuring Pep Boys was closing out stock, at least here in the South and might be a good time to snatch a good unit for next to nothing. The vermiculite (Capt. Patrick's Trail Mix) will last since vermiculite is "pop corn" mica mineral that is puffed in hi...

In Memory of Vicroy

Gerry - super work, we are all proud for you....and she'll keep going strong with all that CX on board!

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

I have one of these on AJ that drives the large digit dash dispay, and recently it won't turn off when you push and hold the power button...it beeps like its gonna turn off but won't. I have to unplug the power cable to get it to quit. When I plug the power cable back in it won't come on until I hit...

In Memory of Vicroy

Just went to my local Pep Boy's for some motor oil and they had a display (unused, but no box) 8,000 btu window unit on sale for $34 after the $30 mail in rebate....wireless remote to boot. The 5,000 btu in my shop struggles in the summer and is only kept alive with generous applications of CX.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Doug, he's Terry's son Chris, a young buck he brought to Panama last year - UVI 6 -....nice big kid, in college, struggling to find his place in life. Anyway, I like him, get him on my boat at TSL one day, we fishing circle hooks.....you know, let them swallow the live bait, then reel up slow and se...

In Memory of Vicroy

Well, thanks guys for the confidence in my leadership......May is too early, water is too cold, we need to follow Kipp's advice and do it in July or early Aug....Andre' you nervous about everything, remember? If a hurricane is coming, we do something else, all haul ass somewhere. I think it's gonna ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Spend $500 or so and get a good local mechanic to go check them out...you might have a deal on your hands or a dog.....

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Sounds good to me. Yeah, the diesels make it a whole new ball game. The Lump outta turn on about the first of the year and you can get all the cat food you want.... UV don't wind no tuna fish no mo'.

I'll look at a calendar bye & bye....you guys got any preference on dates?

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Looks like the first good blow will trash that new sucker....

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Fight it Dave....you got a lot of guys pulling for you.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

DQ - on reflection, what you got in mind? We are going to Panama in mid-June. Venice Marina can handle us, got plenty of FEMA trailers to stay in for 150 a nite for 6 guys a trailer, 4 works better, maybe 3 a trailer is comfy. Can get dock space if we work around some of the tourneys, I can probably...

In Memory of Vicroy

We ought to be able to put something together maybe in late July.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Two happiest days of my life were 35 years ago when I handled my last divorce case and 15 years ago when I sold my lawnmower. You guys save some nickels, we gotta do the FLL bost show next year.....I missed seeing all ya'll at the Flophouse. Let's see a show of hands and I'll try to lock up the plac...

In Memory of Vicroy

Yeah, I do indeed own a B31.....glad we could help you on your Hyena Boat deck.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Smoothest engines I ever had were a pair of Chrysler straight 8 flathead WW2 army tank engines in a Hickock 45 that was built in 1947. They are still running today in the hands of the guy I sold the boat to some 25 years ago. I think there would be a market for 800 hp engines in that configuration, ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Thanks for your service, Amigo.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Doug - the 6BTAs in the B31 boxes without Soundown lining the boxes are pretty loud both on the clatter and mostly the turbo whine. Another advantage of the Soundown is it keeps the engine heat from coming thru the boxes and burning your butt while sitting on the boxes. The electronic QSBs are real ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Mike - thanks for that info......I'm assuming your engine is 4 cycle, and what are you doing about the inherient harmonic vibration on a 4 stroke, 4 cylinder diesel?

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

The "new" - last few years - electronic controlled common rail Cummins - the QSB 5.9s (same block as the 6BTAs) and the QSC 8.3s (bigger block, won't fit in a B31) are very quiet and near smoke free. I priced the QSB 5.9 rated at 305 hp a year or so ago and bobtail the dealer quoted me 24k a side. I...

In Memory of Vicroy

I guess it depends on how thick the skin is. On my deck hatches the skin was plenty thick and the balsa core was mostly a filler. I had some areas that were more than 20" around the edges of the hatches. If you are concerned about the strength of the skin, just lay in a few layers of glass then fill...

In Memory of Vicroy

I repaired the rotted out core of my deck hatches per Capt. Patrick's instructions using a mix of Vermiculite and epoxy and it worked great. Use the top skin as a mold and just fill in the void with the vermiculite/epoxy mix. Mix your epoxy, then add vermiculite and stir it in until you get a thick ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Walter, a few of them were huge, like pushing 2#. Caught them in that same spot you & the Porf fly fished for bream one time at the camp, right across the canal from AJs berth. Hubris - the little flash heater I have is all stainless and would be perfect for a small boat water heater. My guess is it...

In Memory of Vicroy

When we bought our current house about 20 years ago there was a constant demand electric water heater in the kitchen to supply instant hot water to the kitchen sink because the run from the water heater serving that end of the house was pretty long. Had a separate faucet, and the heater was stainles...

In Memory of Vicroy

Timmy, it's sort of natural selection with the UVI. I have a plan to have it back down at Port Eads one day, but it will involve renting a big quarter barge that would sleep about 35 guys, a commercail kitchen, a coonass chef. It can be done, but the chip-in will be pretty stout, probably TSL range....

In Memory of Vicroy

Last Thursday me & the Bride were on a Jet Blue (the new super regional E190 from Brazil, looks like a baby 737 - nice plane) and had a big tail wind from New Orleans to JFK....the moving map on the tv screen on the back of the seat in front of me said we were doing 615 mph....then we started down o...

In Memory of Vicroy

I'd have put him on my spam list and played possum. There are too many nice people in this world to waste 5 seconds on the assholes.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

The 3126 has a steel plate at the bottom of the block to stiffen it, sort of a spacer between the block and the oil pan. I'm told this makes it work vs. the high hp 3116s that broke stuff internally. At the risk of offending some of my Faithful friends, it is hard for me to think that anything other...

In Memory of Vicroy

You can get all those thrills for $6 in a NYC taxicab.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Well, the Max Wax gets some mixed reviews so far on the running gear....remember, it was formulated for above-the-water HD metal protection, like cast iron flange bearings, shaft couplers and the like. The buzz that it worked on underwater stuff came thru CX's New Zealand customer, the Port of Auckl...

In Memory of Vicroy

Well on a SSB ground, yes, you use a lot of bronze screen (inside the boat) to increase the ground plane area....not the same issue as the bonding inside the boat where we are tying the underwater metal to the boat ground. The SSB ground is "pushing off" (like a diving board) about 150 watts of radi...

In Memory of Vicroy

I saw some video on TV today of the big surf in FLL and the wind blowing sand a foot deep across A1A in front of our beloved Flophouse. The Bambooshka's coke machine in the parking lot appeared intact. I'm planning to be there next year, let's get the gang together again, good times.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Michael - most of us have Bertram 31s, thus the name of this site. The 31 was the original Bertam, first introduced in 1961 and in production until 1983. In 1986 Bertram made 23 Silver Anniversay B31s....they had planned to make 25, but only could get orders for 23. In total we think about 1,860 of ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Have your own cut at a sheet metal shop. When I installed the SSB ground system on AJ I did that per advice from Mike Ohlstein. Get the copper cut to one inch strips. The shop I used cut me four foot stips. Get some copper pop rivets from the same shop and make a simple jig out of two peices of thin...

In Memory of Vicroy

You right about the bang.....the monster is about the same size as the 6BTA so would appear to fit a B31, and only about 200# heavier than my old 250s.....but the sucker is rated at 3400 rpm vs. my 2600 and cranks out 940 ft-lbs of torque at 2200.....burns 26.1 GPH WOT at 3400 and a pretty modest 13...

In Memory of Vicroy

Saw on the boatdiesel site a report from the FLL show that Cummins has goosed the QSB 5.9 (same block as the 6BTA) up to 480 hp.....might put a pair in AJ for sport....

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Vince - the alarms won't shut the engine down.....the 12v + goes thru the ignition switch then back thru the harness to the "run" solenoid. You have a fault in the ignition switch or maybe one of the plugs in the harness under the panel. I have had both ignition switches go out after getting wet. Ta...

In Memory of Vicroy

The Cummins 330 remans thru Tony are the deal of the century, actually new engines under the EPA guise of remans. Will push that Bahia real fast and burn little. Plus dealing with Tony is fail-safe.

Welcome aboard!

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Probably infringes my patent on the Grosbeak Propulsion System...

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

The technical answer is that most all VHF antennas are quarter wave.....in simple language for you Hatt owners, the antenna length is one quarter of the wave length of the radio wave, in meters....since VHF operates on 158-161 mega hertz, the wave length is pretty short. The trick is to get the SWR ...

In Memory of Vicroy

Mike - the stubby stainless base loaded antennas (the original was the Metz Six) are a sho-nuff 6 db gain antenna and work real well as long as you seal the PL 259 connector on the bottom to keep water out of them. Since VHF radio waves are line-of-sight, the higher the better. I use the 21' Shakesp...

In Memory of Vicroy

900s should do fine.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Tropic Star is unique, not cheap, but a special place. The overall level of service is over the top, a 6 star place from top to bottom. Making my 3d trip in June, 08 and plan to go at least once a year till I assume room temp.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Harv, give us the story how you and your uncle got kicked out of the motel....gotta be a better story than stealing bait..or is it?

Most of us have been kicked out of somewhere, or gone upside down in an airplane, or whatever, but we are B31 people, the Few, the Proud, the Bertam 31.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

Used to go out in South Pass to the anchored Viet boats at night in the nasty winter weather and bang my 18 foot Coonass Cabin Cruiser (Alum. flat with a wood house on the back) against the stern of a big trawler a couple of times...always had my big 12" spotlite on the roof on, my Redhawk .44 mag o...

In Memory of Vicroy

Doug - a half gallon bottle of Takka vodka ($12 here) will get you two or three bushels in the winter at PE, but bring big guns for the trade and dispaly them.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy

DQ, glad it missed you....I saw it winding up on the radar this morning, it all came from a tropical wave that never got a name that formed up in the NW Gulf and came right over us and the mouth of the Miss. River headed your way last nite....skeetobiteweather.com had 5 tracks on it, all close to ea...

In Memory of Vicroy

Jimmy - you probably have Sherwood 17XXX raw water pumps and they have a pipe plug on the output side you can easy plumb to - just use small pipe fittings to reduce the flow to what you need, or even a samll ball valve to throttle it. Use clear hose and it will double as an air bubble detector so se...

In Memory of Vicroy

Doug - yeah, the CPL # seems to be in no particular sequence - anytime a part changed they changed the CPL....for example, my CPL showed a Sherwood 15000 raw water pump with an inch and a quarter intake and output, but the ones on the motors are inch and a half, which is a different CPL....I guess t...

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