bertram31.com

Pete Fallon

Guy's, Thanks for the responses, I'm really geting sick of having them cut the knee and all anesthesia, They say everytime you go under you lose brain cells, hell at this point I should be a turnip. The bad thing is that the implant maker keeps using the same material over and over. I think I'll hav...

Pete Fallon

Guy's, I found out Friday that the polyethelene insert in my knee is breaking down and has to be replaced, looking at another surgery in the next month or so, that's #17 on the same knee. Long recovery period, no boating or golf for 4-6 months. Pat I might take you up on that teak peg leg. I had pla...

Pete Fallon

Spencer, Plexus can be bought via any Lewis, BOW or Composites One. We used it when I was building boats 10 years ago. It's made by Devcon in Danvers, Ma. The rep for Plexus came to the shop and did a demo, 2 pieces of 3/8'' FRP stock glued to each other, it delamed the FRP before the glue joint let...

Pete Fallon

Buzzk, I live in Stuart and keep my 31 at Indiantown Marina on the cross Florida waterway canal. The boat is on the hard for the past 6 years because of all the knee surgeries I have had in the past 5 years. There is a new(5 years old) call River Forest Marina it is just west of the first set of loc...

Pete Fallon

PeterP,
The one you needed was the FX 17 the FX 23 is a good anchor but a little large for the foredeck.

Pete Fallon

Peter P, I use a 4 step ladder that hangs over the gunwale, it can be used anywhere in the cockpit, the treads are poly-plastic and it has 2 aluminum hooks that fold flat. I keep it in the Starboard engine box outboard of the engine. Even with my bad knee I can get in and out without any problem, mi...

Pete Fallon

Mikey, What's wrong with your old units?. Are they just out of date or have the gauges gone into the red sector?. According to the rules fire extinguishers should be inspected yearly by a quailified fire appliance company and tagged with the date of inspection. USCG reg's require only 2 portable uni...

Pete Fallon

Peter P, I would not use the 8" go to the 10" cleats, if your using them for the spring cleats you can only get one 5/8" Sampson braid line over the cleat, with the 10" you caan get 2 lines on the cleat. I have always used a double spring set-up where ever I dock, you never now when it's going to bl...

Pete Fallon

JP, Most people and builders don't spend the time to grease the springs on the pop ups. I can see them lasting if properly greased, but the one's I've come across haven't had any maintance since they were installed. I did a survey last year on a "quailty" center console, had pop ups on all five clea...

Pete Fallon

Peter P. On all the anchoring systems on my boat the shackle is between the chain and the thimble on the nylon rode. I find it easier to carry anchor and chain as one unit, then the basket full of rode on the next trip if I am alone. The small anchor with the Fortress is stored inside of the 181 qua...

Pete Fallon

Gert,
Beautiful well thoughtout design, reminds me of a Crosby yacht club tenders that are used by the clubs around the North Shore of Boston. Love the wood work, it's nice to see quality workmanship in today's world of just get it on the market quick boat building.

Pete Fallon

Brewster, Nice catch, where were you fishing, Florida Keys, Belize or the Bahamas? I never used a fly rod but have caught the inshore slam (Tarpon, Permit Bonefish) At Turniffe Island off the coast of Belize 1994 with an ultra light reel and 6 pound test. Best Bonefishing I ever encountered 17 off 1...

Pete Fallon

Bob, You wouldn't believe the crap valves and fittings I see being put into our vessels while conducting my surveys. Brass not bronze fittings, brass stop and waste gate valves for sea cocks, schedule 40 PVC pipefittings cross threaded to thru hulls and non stainless steel hose clamps. Fuel lines wi...

Pete Fallon

Martin, If it's a 1973 boat the HIN should be on the transom, like Tommy said the Abemarle was started in 1978 in Edenton by the Haight family, sold to Genmar in the early 90's and resold in 2009 to a private investor Ed McLuaghlin, they built from 24' to 41'. I just surveyed a 31 with twin Yanmars,...

Pete Fallon

Bruce, I had a 1964 13'6'' with a 33 Evinrude, almost industructible, used for a tender for the 31 Bertram. The little whaler got caught between the 31 and some rocks one morning in 5' seas, I'm never seen a vessel compress almost 1/2 it's beam and spring right back with no damage. The trick like UV...

Pete Fallon

Stephan, Just watch your wake when the crowns of the first white water, nearest to the transom, are the same you should be in sync. Another way is like Dug says listen to engines. Or you can buy a Judson engine sync unit like Walter had I had one also, Guest also makes a three colored unit, the chea...

Pete Fallon

Morning Wood,
Welcome aboard, where did you get your 25 and what year is it. Like the nom de plume, sort of like Dick Whacker. Anyway welcome to the site.

Pete Fallon

Brewster,
It's kind of hard to keep the spreader bars from flying around in those seas. Those North Sea fishing boats ahve a nice entry and that frigate must of had a few green gilled sailors. Not even Bertram weather can't keep the baits in the spread.

Pete Fallon

Harry, The old Black Cole Hersey rotary battery switches are still working in my boat after 50 years, every 3 or 4 years I clean the backs of the terminals and shoot some CX into the guts. If it aint broke don't fix it, the old ones are much beefier than the new Perko's or even the newer Cole Hersey...

Pete Fallon

Bruce, 34 years ago I was fishing for blue fish up in North Shore of Boston, about 6 miles off shore. A fog bank came in very suddenly, after catching only a couple of fish I headed for my mooring behind my house in Salem. I had only had the 31 express for 3 months, the electronic's consisted of a c...

Pete Fallon

Guy's There is a 28' FBC on the hard at Indiantown Marina west of Stuart, where I keep my 31. This has been sitting for at least 7 years, both engines 5.7 L Bluewater Merc are frozen up, hull and glass are all in fair condition, all the hardware and running gear is still there. Needs alot of TLC but...

Pete Fallon

Peter,
Bertram International was as Pat said naming rights, most of the BI's were motor yacht 56' to 68' heavy layed up hulls a lot of double and triple cabin styles and more of a floating live a board vessel, but it did have sea keeping capablities for offshore trips.

Pete Fallon

Mike,
The collars can be made by most good machine shops, you want at least a 1/4" of material and at least 3 " long made out of Delryn.

Pete Fallon

Guy's, I remember when I was a kid the Graves Yard in Marblehead was making day sailers called Barnegat's out of material they called Harbor Right, it was like Masonite impregnated with resin. They built them in the late 50's a lot of them were still around into the early 1990's. A lot of plywood bo...

Pete Fallon

ED C, Which hatch are you trying to seal? I used a heavy duty gasket material around my forward deck hatch, not a leak in 5 years. Got it at the local window doctor store here in Stuart, Florida. There is a commerical sealant (black) that the windsheild installers use, it never gets hard but gets on...

Pete Fallon

Mike P, If your original bow light has the holes in the top, Boat Owners Warehouse in Florida, has plastic red and green round lenses that will fit into the holes, you might have to grind down the flanges a little to get them to drop into the socket holes. There was a post a while ago about replacem...

Pete Fallon

John, The lighter the color of the hull the less prep work is needed, you have fighting lady yellow now. Any of the sea foam green, aqua mist blue, light grey or white would work and requires less prep work. The darker you go the more fairning has to be done, more fairing the more money in prep work...

Pete Fallon

Guy's, I made the move to Florida after shoveling my car out of a snow bank after a Friday night storm, I was supposed to give a talk at a Salt Water Sportsman seminar in Burlington Ma, Saturday at 7:30 AM. After shoveling for an hour, I was done at 6:45AM, looked around and the streets where not ev...

Pete Fallon

Harry, The bearings were more than likely Wilcox-Crittenton(spelling) most of the running gear, thru hulls and sea cocks that used as OEM were purchased by Bertram from that company, not Chris Craft, it's not unreasonable that someone might have put in parts from Chris Craft over the years but more ...

Pete Fallon

Child phyiscologists are what the rich kids got to see, we just got the back of a hand. Seems like only yesterday, now 60 years ago, fishing for mackeral off the peir with a Mitchel 300 on a bamboo rod, double spreader rig drop line for flounders. The largest outboard was a 25 hp and gas at the mari...

Pete Fallon

Charlie, I wish I had kept that car, but I used up a set of rear tires trying to get my wife to learn how to drive it, the clutch was so stiff that even I had trouble pushing it down. That car is now worth over 125K the last time I watched one of the TV car auctions. Should have used it as an IRA bu...

Pete Fallon

Jack,
How's the knee coming along, the kids looked like they had a ball. Do the physical therapy. I know what knee surgery is after 15 operations, good luck.

Pete Fallon

Got 25 of 25 I am older than the dirt in my bilge, I am now a medicare card carrying baby boomer. A loaf of wonder bread was 25 Cents, gasoline was 17 for regular and my boat cost 15,895.00 brand new in 1961, and I bought a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner with a Hemi and a 411 Hurth four speed for $3,200....

Pete Fallon

Guy's, I use a Danforth 17s on foredeck with 10' of vinyl chain and 300' of 1/2'' 3 briad nylon. When anchoring in realy deep water with a lot of current I use a 23s Danforth with 25' of 5/16'' galvi chain and 600' of 5/8'' nylon line. I keep that set-up under the V berth sole. I have a Fortress 13 ...

Pete Fallon

Gert,
I need the peices for the side windows, I see that you just replaced your aft bulkhead windows.
Pete

Pete Fallon

Guy's Does anone have 2 peices of the aluminum upright trim that go between the front and back section of the sliding windows on the house sides. they are roughlly 24" long and have reverse U shaped extrusion. If anyone has 2 peices I will gladly pay for them or make a donation to the fearless leade...

Pete Fallon

Guy's, My plan is to try and get my right knee in working order, no pain, swelling or noises. On the boat haven't got much left to replace, a few items to get done are: 1. Change out head intake and discharge sea cocks from old cone valves, I've got the new sea cocks already. 2. Have the deck and ca...

Pete Fallon

Tony, Nice job on the redo, what was the final amount of dollars invested into that boat? If it's what the owner wanted that's all that matters. I'm guessing around 325K six years ago. Did you find after 36 miles an hour the hull is starting to outrun her bottom and starts to pull to port?. It's alw...

Pete Fallon

Wursty, No big deal, rudders should drop right down after undoing the arms, set screws and stop collar if it has one. If the rudder ports are worn or elongated at the bottom I would have a couple of Derlyn collar spacers made to take up any sloppyness, cheaper than buying new rudder ports. Big rudde...

Pete Fallon

Brewster,
My condolences to you, your dad and your other family members. She was quite an adventurer, sorry for your loss.
Pete

Pete Fallon

Guys, Local rules apply for New Jersey manatees, be at least 85, almost blind, completely rude, incontiant, smell like witch hazel and Ben Gay, lips move without emitting a sound, drive a Cadillac Fleetwood with Handicap placard, back up without looking and operate a shopping cart the same way. The ...

Pete Fallon

Capt Pat,
That reference material had to be written by a tree hugger that is looking for the remains of the Florida skunk ape. I don't dislike the slow moving sea cows it's the regulations, the resulting fines and the arbitrary zones, that I object to.

Pete Fallon

Steve, I just love having to go idle speed all the way from Stuart to Miami becuase of a non native species that has been imported by a big real estate delevoper. They were brought in to eat the vegitation out of his man made canals so he could sell more waterfront property. It's about time to rebel...

Pete Fallon

Pete P, Pay attention to the weight of the engine that your going to repower with. A four stroke 225 Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda all weigh around 580 pounds give or take 8 pounds. A 225 Merc Verado weighs 635, compared to a 225 Evinrude at 503 pounds. All weights are for 25" shaft motors. Check for tra...

Pete Fallon

Harry, I just replaced the aft ends of the express bridge wings on my boat also. After 50 years the oak braces had turned to mush. Although I didn't do any fiber glass work, I made the aft support peices out of 2 peices of 1-1/2" starboard thru bolted together, dolphinite bedding compound and 1/4-20...

Pete Fallon

Guy's, The pink 31' is Bruce Sweets 1969 FBC hull # 827,called Sweet Life. I just did a Condition & Valuation survey on her a couple of weeks ago. The boat is painted Midnight Magenta(pink) with white house and fly bridge, black bottom and a white boot stripe. She's powered with a set of 1989 210 Cu...

Pete Fallon

John Hazard & Harry Babb, I finally got over to Whitakcar Yard in Stuart , they no longer have the #18 stainless steel wood screws to hold the stern cleats into the Oak blocks on the transom quarters. I also went to Chapmans Supply without any luck. The stockman at Whitakcar had already talked to Jo...

Pete Fallon

John, I bought mine thru Whitacar Boatworks in Stuart, they were chrome bronze oval head slotted #18 x 3''. If you want I will check to see how much they are, I bought mine over 3 years ago 8 screws were over $50.00 if I am remembering correctly. It won't be until Monday afternoon when I get to thei...

Pete Fallon

John Cranston,
I measured my transom angle 1961 31' Express, angle finder is reading 15 degrees at the water line and 15 degrees where the brackets should meet the transom below the waterline. Dead rise at transom between V on bottom to first lifting strake reads 23 degrees.
Pete

Pete Fallon

John, That tank looks really good, Clean out the varnish as best you can, Clean off the bonding strap and the chrystalized deposits around the bottoms of all bronze plates. I would invest some money into new pick-up tubes and a new sending unit. As for the varnish use some acetone or something else ...

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Another Knee Surgery & The Boat's Got to be Sold

28' Project Boat in Indiantown Marina west of Stuart

Aluminum Trim peice between the sliding windows?