bertram31.com

Pete Fallon

Steve,
Moller is the name of the tank maker that I was trying to come up with last night. Thanks L113
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Steve, There is a company that is now building poly plastic tanks in large sizes. I was at the Back Cove plant this spring and they are using a 250 gallon roto molded tank that was really slick looking. I am pretty sure that the new 35 is using the poly plastic tank from the same company, I can't th...

Pete Fallon

FrankV,
Sounds like a bad injector, fuel smell in exhaust, did you have any water in your Racors or get fuel from a unfamiliar marina.
Just saw Bruce's reply after writing this.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Navatech, I got rid of the I phone after it dumped my entire contact info twice, the first time it happened was during one of Apple's suggested down loads to improve the performance the second time it dumped everything on its own. I had the I phone 4s , now have an Android Samsung that never had any...

Pete Fallon

John Nardi,
Marlin is either fishing in the Abacos or up in Jamestown NY at this time of year. I have his cell, if you PM me I will contact him for you.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Moguls2go, Speed, speed, speed, the faster the boat goes the flatter the running angle, at high speeds the boat is running on the lifting strakes, like Carl said. Also some of the 31's had lower profile struts 9" to the center of the strut barrel and the bottom of the hull, they had intermediate str...

Pete Fallon

Tony.
I just couldn't remember the supplier that Lavorisi was using, that info was in my phone that took a dump last year with a lot of valuable Bertram 31 info and numbers in it. Thanks for getting the name for one of the newest faithful.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Steve,
Call me at 561-310-7179 any time after 3:00 pm tomorrow. I have the contact info on the oversized stainless steel rudders.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Bob(Ranjr13,) The original fiberglass tanks in the 1961 to 1969 Bertram's were all the same 172 gallons, no matter what the model of the boat, after 1969 they increased the size to 223 gallons. If you have a manual fuel gauge on the top of the tank it is a magnetic readout/ manual unit that rides on...

Pete Fallon

Frank V & Bob Norton, The 31 Bertram is the best riding and most fishable boat for it's size, it will take you home when other boats have left hours before and you don't have to worry about following seas, the 31 might be a little moist when going into a head sea, but that's why they make foul weath...

Pete Fallon

Amberjack, The soda blasting is less abrasive than regular sand blasting and it is less messy. I have had clients with blister problems on their boats and only had one boat get gel coat peeled, it's like a electric planner that takes off a little at a time. The 1973-74 Bertram's had the most problem...

Pete Fallon

Carl, They were cored with some kind of cardboard or homasote material that held water. I opened them up and removed the old wet coring and installed PVC foam core cell and re-glassed and epoxied the bottoms and had them shot with Awlgrip and non skid.They are almost perfect condition, if you or any...

Pete Fallon

Bruce, Few people know how close you were to Patrick, whether it was delivering boats for ungrateful owners in the old days or building then riding your Harley's to a rain soaked bike week in Daytona( hiding under overpasses between downpours). I spent many hours talking to him and you about Bertram...

Pete Fallon

Carl, The boat looks great, What year is she?. I sold my 1961 express 2 years ago after 37 years of stewardship. She is now in the Vigin Islands and the new owner repowered her with diesels. As far as I am concerned the Express is the easiest 31 model to handle by yourself or having a gang of 15 peo...

Pete Fallon

Scott, Do a pressure test. Check your exhaust risers and the exhaust riser gaskets, then the heat exchanger, could be a bad tube inside exchanger , finally oil cooler. Sea Water has to be getting inside the engine thru either a gasket or O ring, maybe in the fuel cooler near the bottom inboard side ...

Pete Fallon

Moguls2go, I have drilled holes in the bulkheads in front of each engine for access to the front of the motors. make sure that they are at least 6" to 8" around to allow your hands and tools enough room to work. I used large white Pie Hi screw in fittings to close off the holes so that noise, heat, ...

Pete Fallon

Nav, The sun does a number on the VHF antennas after about 10 to 15 years. I have had high end Shakespeare 9 db antennas do the shedding process and the low end ones from Boat/US do the same thing just a little faster. I have tried sanding then coating them with clear polyurethane or painting them w...

Pete Fallon

Nav,
My 1961 Express had foam backed cloth wall paper with lots of glue left in the woven rove mat underneath. Worst job I had to do on my restoration I kept putting it off for years finally did it after owning her for 35 years.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Capt. Patrick, Having met you 18 years ago I consider you one of the very few people that has had profound affect on the lives of anyone that came into contact with you. From the old days of the Coastal Conservation meetings to countless hours discussing 31 Bertram's, their flaws and their dedicated...

Pete Fallon

Faithful, I did mine 4 years ago after being in the boat for 48 years. A lot came off with the foam backed material, but a lot was left in the woven rove weaving. I found that a large white bath towel soaked in Acetone then laid against the hull side held in place with shower curtain hooks from abov...

Pete Fallon

Mark, Your so called knees are actually 3/4" plywood that are tabbed into the hull sides, these were for attaching the motor boxes, inner trim panels and at the stern there are 2 about 10" apart that were used for attaching the stern cleats, they were made from 1" oak uprights with a piece of 2" oak...

Pete Fallon

Mark, I wouldn't worry about the hull sides being out a 1/4" , I 've seen boats that were off a good 1". As for the "knees" they look like the were tabbed in for attaching the engine boxes in place. Just re-tab them and on the deck supports glassed to the hull sides re-glass them where they are. The...

Pete Fallon

John,
I am in also, after owning a 20' for 10 and a 31' for 37 years. I also ran a 35' & 46-6' plus surveying a bunch of Bertram's over the past 15 years I have a bunch of stories. 561-310-7179
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Dug, I installed a Galley Maid with a built-in macerator easy install, 3/4'' Hose in for sea water 3/4" out for waste to a 10 gallon poly plastic holding tank with Y valve for overboard discharge outside coastal waters. Complete system was about $450.00 The macerator pump has stainless steel blades ...

Pete Fallon

Moguls2go, My former mate bought a 36' Egg about 10 years ago from Southern Conn, area, he installed new Crusader big blocks, glassed all leaking windows, removed a rusted generator and used it on the North Shore of Boston for many years. He had a baby and decided to sell, the broker had it listed f...

Pete Fallon

Charlie, There are some 31's on the Great Lakes that have been fresh water boats all their life, the one your looking at seams way high in price and has small blocks. I suggest you contact Steve Marinak in Florida he's on the board, he bought Duchess in the Detroit area, a nice boat that had gas eng...

Pete Fallon

Rabyo Marine, Most of the factory return lines were plumbed into the tank at a plate that was tapped and bolted to the top of the tank. I have seen the setup that you describe (into the fuel fill ) on a few 31's that were repowered later on. I really don't think that Bertram would do something like ...

Pete Fallon

Dug,
Great News about Marly, She will be happy on the fly Bridge for this up coming summer and many more seasons to come.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Yannis, I also had the double nut bronze strut bolts on my 1961 31' express, there was also a copper backing plate on the inside of the hull between the strut pad and the bolts. When I had new bronze struts cast at Buck Algonquin in Michigan back in 1994,I redid the backing plates with glassed over ...

Pete Fallon

John Nardi, If I remember correctly I used a two piece bronze garboard drain that had a flange type lip on the inside with a 3/4" pipe plug and an inner flange ring so it could be through bolted , used #6 bronze flat head machine screws with nuts and washers on the inner transom so it could be bonde...

Pete Fallon

Capt Pat & Bruce,
Thanks for the quick reply to my turbo cleaning question.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Bruce, Prior to his death UV posted how to keep turbo chargers clean of black carbon build up. I can't remember what the ratio of Dawn to water was. I know the engine has to be hot and it's a two man job. The guys at Mack Boring told him to get a special solution that they sell for around $20.00 for...

Pete Fallon

Howesounde,
Try using a Mercury Mirage prop on that Yamaha, I used to have luck running Merc props on Yamahas back when I was building boats, e got a lot more speed and seemed to handle better .
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Moguls2go,
I was planning to go to the Bertram sneak peak on Friday but I have been sick as a dog since last Saturday, I'm finally starting to feel a little better this evening but doctor says no traveling. Hopefully someone will take some pictures and post them on the bulletin board.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Faithful,
Just what the boating industry needs, another car aka boat company that makes 2 million dollar Clorox bottles. Needs some wire 25" rims and fender skirts and a set of fuzzy dice.
Ugly. Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Steve,
Thanks for the visual, 3 days of stored up steaming Mexican food. I would not want to clean that up, talk about toxic waste. Leave it to a NY Blonde bimbo.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Scot, The glue is almost impossible to get it all out of the woven roven. Heat gun, wire brushes, I finally softened it up with Acetone soaked terry cloth towel from Home Depot. Soak rags in Acetone and cover areas for 15 minutes It really softens up glue, make sure to have lots of fans for ventilat...

Pete Fallon

Max,
I am planning to drive up from Peabody, Ma on Friday, depends on how my knee is doing wether I stay over night. Sounds like a good take. My cell is 561-310-7179, where are you coming from?
Pete

Pete Fallon

Keith,
Just remember that the hull has to be almost perfect, lot's of prep work and long boarding, surface must free of any divots and gel coat swirls sanding dust and love bugs. I know from experience. Also the darker the hull color the harder it is to keep clean.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Keith,
Why don't you just paint m on the outside to match the deck color. Light color still always light in cabin.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Mike & Harry When I did my replacement curved windows I didn't have access to a good bench grinder. Holding carriage bolts with vise grips and using a hand grinder was a little dangerous. I could not find SS T bolts back then. A bronze wire wheel helps with cleaning up the holes in the frames if you...

Pete Fallon

John Brownlee, congratulations on the TV show call me about doing a survey on your Bertram 561-310-7179
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Keith, The curved windows on the 31'Bertrams area made out of Plexi-Glass about 3/8" thick. I cleaned mine up with Plexi glass cleaner that I got at the big box store. Mine were badly crazed at the bottoms because the pillow blocks had dried out over the years allowing the plexi to contact the thru ...

Pete Fallon

John F.
Aren't the 8.2's the diesel version of a big block gas engine? GM tried them back in the late 80's in the Cadillac's they didn't work worth a damn. Time to get some reconed Cummins for you boat.
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Joe, While your at it don't forget to do over the 110 system also. I found that all the old 110 volt lines leading from the 30 amp inlet to the last outlet in the V berth were shot. The outer black jacketing looked fine but after checking the inner wires the insulation on the black, green and white ...

Pete Fallon

Howesounder, Looks like the previous owner had added some core cell or airex material to the port side. Like Mike O said just get a piece of the same material and glass it in place. The hardest part is taking down the headliner. I don't think Bertram used balsa core under the forward deck, it was mo...

Pete Fallon

Moguls, You can' find Cuprinol any more, too much toxic stuff. I used it on my clear extra cedar shingles on my waterfront house in Salem 40 years ago, soaked them in an old bath tub I never had any rot problems and the weathered to silver gray, they are still on the house all though the new owner p...

Pete Fallon

Longfin, Make sure that the boat has a clear title, in order to be registered the U.S. it's got to have clear paperwork and all back taxes have to be paid before being sold in the states. I tried to pull up the listing again but I can't find it now? There is a 54 that is a 1985 still listed for $249...

Pete Fallon

Longfin,
Is the boat the one that is advertised from the broker in Newport Beach ( Crow's Nest Yacht Sales)?
Pete Fallon

Pete Fallon

Longfin, I agree with Nav and Tony, great sea boat and it raises bill fish. A friend runs one in Fl, and spends a lot of time in Mexico Cancun . I don't care for the light wood interior, make sure the water maker filter system has been maintained properly. Lot's of boat compared to a 31' Tons of sys...

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