bertram31.com

No offense taken whatsoever. THAT is one of the reasons I am here. I know there are limits to what I can and should do, but it does take the experienced to point it out to me sometimes because what may appear to be a simple task will quickly turn into a true fiasco. I've been there and done that mor...

On the use of the acid. Will it harm the exhaust hoses, fiberglass couplings,muffler, or cooling hoses that run from the water pump to the motor? Capt. Pat said it won't harm the impeller which is rubber, so I assume that it won't harm rubber components like the hoses, but I have to ask. Secondly, i...

I thought it was a great idea too! I'm not sure about your strainers, but mine open when I loosen two wing nuts. Shouldn't be much more work or complication than throwing tabs in a a pool system. Wait...as easy a time as I've had on everything else on the beast...I suspect they don't make a tab that...

Thanks Capt. I thought about the idea of using a measured dilution system. Like what you would use for spraying fertililzer or weed killer on your lawn. Would that be the best means to introduce the chemical if I modified the "sprayer" to work in line as I suppose I'd need to start the motor to inco...

Is there any chemical that is Coast Guard, I mean eco friendly that can be run through a raw water cooled engine to clean scale, rust, and all the other nastys that like to call themselves home in the cooling system? I flush with fresh water each time I run them, but from the looks of the risers I j...

Much thanks to you guys for helping!!!

Thanks for the info. There is a cork gasket there, is that something that is fairly easy to find or should I go to one of the online retail outlets for the hard to find parts?

Hopefully this is an easy answer. I have a B28 with a single fiberglass tank. At the fuel pick up point in the tank, is there any tipe of debris filter? I am troubleshooting a fuel problem and don't want to pull it if it is an unfiltered hose in order to check it. Thanks.

I have 350 gassers in my 28. We never melted a battery, but the primaries from the battery to the starter and to the DC distribution points were undersized and had corroded connections to the point that the battery and cables were too hot to touch when starting and running. Replaced cables and conne...

That's a great source GP. Those prices are great compared to what I have paid.

Dug,

email sent.

Mickey

Thanks guys. I'll give it a shot.

Since we're on the subject of outriggers, how much is too much? My 28 had a set of 32' Rupp double spreaders when I bought it and it kind of looked like a shrimp boat to me. I've debated selling and downsizing but considering there wasn't too much interest by buyers I've debated just putting them ba...

Is there any testing tool or means to determine if a guage (water temp, Oil Pressure, Volt, etc.) is actually working other than installing it? I am rewiring the dash panel and would really like to make sure that the guages are good before I finish the task and install. Some were and some weren't wo...

Valuable lesson learned. Just because it is new, it doesn't mean it works! The final straw I had to pull was to check the "new" ignition coil. Guess what? It was bad. Another new coil and she starts like a champ. Lot's of hours wasted good lesson learned. Thanks for the input. I feel alot more comfo...

Terry, I think I identified the breaker you are talking about. Mine is located on a bracket with the slave solenoid, ignition coil, and ECM. It is a 50amp. If this is the same one, I tested it and it is good too, thanks for pointing out that it is there. For some reason it didn't even catch my atten...

Good info guys! Thanks, it gives me some more ideas to work with. I'm afraid I'm about to have to go through the trouble of finding an acceptable harness replacement for these bastardized motors. At what point does it stop being a diving platform for the kids and a vessel to fish on???

Does anyone know anyone that has alot of knowledge about the 5.7L Vortec Marine Power ignition systems? I have switched, replaced, and checked everything I can think of including checking every wire in the harness. I also went through the diagnosis portions of the manual without any success. Just fo...

Great info! I am FINALLY about to tackle a very similar project and have/had some of the very same questions.

Thanks Capt. Pat.

I'm going to be in the Miami and Orlando areas during the New Year's time frame and want to try to finagle a fishing trip while I'm there. Can anyone recommend a good guide? Thanks! Mickey

Bruce...If no one else would, I'd appreciate the brutal honesty of not providing a "ballpark" estimate. My most recent experience with ballpark estimates is that it was a foul ball. But of course, I can't afford (in time and safety) to take my boat from the house to the haul out, much less from the ...

I don't know the name of the product so hopefully someone has a clue to what I am looking for here. I am looking for a fiberglass sheet that has a gelcoat finish. I want to use something like this to replace the rotting, swelling, festering panels around the lower decks, bridge, and interior walls o...

Thanks for the feedback and ideas. I got a chance to go down and try to put them to use this weekend. The final on this. Go back to the basics and make sure that the last guy who worked on the boat installed everything the right way. In this instance, hoses installed incorrectly. On the bright side,...

THanks! I'll give it a shot.

My B28 is powered by 2001 Marine Power 350 Vortecs. They are raw water cooled. I noticed this weekend when doing some work that the Starboard motor is not drawing water. I checked and it appears that the raw water intake is partially clogged, so I hooked it up to the freshwater flush and it still is...

And yes...I apologize in advance for beating the otherwise already dead horse, but I'm in the process of rewiring and replacing the battery banks. Here's something to further support what IRguy was told by Optima. Were you speaking to Bridget? Here is the response I got via email. "There is no diffe...

Since we are on the subject of batterires. I have a B28 with 350's. I intend to build a starting bank of two "red top" Optimas for each motor for starting, a bank of three "yellow top" Optimas for the house, and a single "yellow top" as a backup on the bridge in the case of catastrophic failure so w...

I just wanted to thank the members of the board for all the help they have offered to a couple of greenhorns! You guys are a plethora of knowledge and sage advise. Special thanks go to Phil for helping with our haul out so we could do a much needed repair.

Does anyone have any suggestions for reliable outlets for purchasing a trailor for a B28? I need to rent one for a temporary haul out on North Padre Island, Texas, but would really like to purchase one for future work and the inevitable Tropical Storm/Hurricane that we're bound to get one day. I've ...

Thank You. email sent!

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't real clear about the batteries. There are a total of 3. 2 on starboard and 1 on port. There is an on/off switch connected to the starboard batteries. These are supposedly new batteries, but I guess they could be shot already. I'll get them tested. Thanks

I recently purchased a 1980 Bertram 28 and I'm in need of a wiring diagram for this boat. It was repowered in 01 with 2 350 V8 motors. Unfortunately the party who repowered the unit is no longer with us so I can't use hiim to reference the work that he did. When it was repowered they didn't replace ...