bertram31.com

Carl wrote: ↑Apr 5th, '22, 06:41
The downside is they are SS and not bronze so they are more susceptible to corrosion.

If you had the taller bronze struts, do you think you could cut to the desired height, tig weld it back together, use the pieces you cut out as filler ?
Ive never tried to tig bronze, but with the correct filler material, i dont know why you couldn't do it,

Geebert,

Congratulations on your B31 purchase. You’ve picked up a true classic. Good luck. Now the fun starts!

I had to weigh in on the CC30 comments. I’ve had a CC30 tournament sportfish up on blocks in the shop for years. Back when I had it running one of my friends who owns a B31 and runs his B31 100 miles out in the gulf pretty routinely, felt the CC30 ran offshore quite well and compared favorably to the B31. The CC30 is a heck of a boat, I love mine and intend to resurrect it someday. But the CC30 will never have the resale or the following of the B31. Keep in mind a 1969 Mercury Comet will get you to the grocery store as well as a 69’ vette….but at resale time I’ll take the vette. lol.

You’ve bought the corvette equivalent. Good luck with the restoration. It’s a sexy boat. The B31 is one of the few boats you can put money into and hope to get some of it back one day. Best of luck.

Geebert wrote: ↑Apr 9th, '22, 21:17 If you had the taller bronze struts, do you think you could cut to the desired height, tig weld it back together, use the pieces you cut out as filler ?
Ive never tried to tig bronze, but with the correct filler material, i dont know why you couldn't do it,

I have Tig welded Bronze but used bronze filler. I cannot answer the part about using the cut out piece as filler material. I know it will melt and fill, but cannot speak to it being as good, equivalent or...

In short, unless I received information from someone who really knows, I'd rather pay for the correct filler.

Thank you everyone for the well wishes. Its unusual to see anything positive or supportive on the internet.
Im glad to be part of it.

regarding the welding of struts...

I MIG welded my rudders back in 2008 (around there anyway...it was a long time ago). Used 100% Argon and silicon-bronze wire. I cut up a ruined rudder and added it to both my rudders so I can steer straight on one engine.

They are still together. We vee'd the joints and filled on both sides.

That was on rudders....now struts might be a different ballgame. Struts are thicker and prob deal with more stress so I would recommend if a competent welder was doing it...(NOT ME!.... )

I guess now i have to figure out how to post pics.


I got it home today. Crawled all over it. Trying to figure out what all is currently installed, what is, and is not of concern. I didn't have a lot of time to investigate, maybe more this weekend.
The trans, im guesing, are zf down angle. The tags are gone so question one is..
Dose anyone know how to id a zf, and its ratio if the tag is missing

Id post pics, but haven't done that yet, still learning.

Question two is..
The keel looks pretty lumpy. Im assuming this is from years of blocking. Is this normal? Will a concave hump in the keel act like rocker in the running surface?

Btw i had the guy that delivered it, get weighed loaded and empty so i could know what the boat weighed. 10,320 lbs

Geebert wrote: ↑Apr 21st, '22, 22:30
Question two is..
The keel looks pretty lumpy. Im assuming this is from years of blocking. Is this normal? Will a concave hump in the keel act like rocker in the running surface?

Btw i had the guy that delivered it, get weighed loaded and empty so i could know what the boat weighed. 10,320 lbs

Weight seems about right.

Lumpy Keel?? Maybe its many coats of paint...
Boat was also made in a split mold, so the centerline can have a telltale remnant of that.

Humps and lumps...maybe a visual trick being played on your eyes. Try posting a couple pics...and I wouldn't block it there. Try to see what inside hull looks like there. Hopefully no repairs...a repair shouldn't look uneven.

Ive read through the pic instructions, i must be missing something.
What is a "close tags" button?

I paste the link, highlight it, press image button, then nothing.
No preview, no post ??

https://imgur.com/gallery/xz0ASd8

Still having trouble loading pics.
This should be a shot of the keel, im holding a board up to it for straight edge

Dont know how i did it, but i think this one worked

Trying to load trans pics, maybe someone can id what model it is

I think the trans is a zf down angle.
How do i find gear ratio or model info?
Props are 17x19

You should not have that dip in the keel. I assume that is the aft section. Possibly not blocked up correctly over the years and it formed a dip. Depending on just where it sat on the blocks. Looks like that area is towards the stern.

There really are no tags on the transmissions? Did you scrub the oxidation and crud off and try to see if they are hidden under crap?

With those props and pitch and gas engines I think they are around 1.5 ratio but dont take that to the bank, it is just an opinion.

If no tags then you can kind of reverse engineer the HP rating of the engines the prop diameter and pitch and see where you are at.

Tony Meola wrote: ↑Apr 25th, '22, 20:40 You should not have that dip in the keel. I assume that is the aft section. Possibly not blocked up correctly over the years and it formed a dip. Depending on just where it sat on the blocks. Looks like that area is towards the stern.

It is towards the rear, starting at about the rear cabin bulkhead area, mabe a little further, and heading towards the transom.
There's also some bumps in the top of the gunwales, that looks like the bulk head was pushing up from underneath. I'll get pics of that next time im there.
I suspect the two are related, and i think its due to improper blocking, lifting, or very long term storage. Maybe you guys have seen this before?
Other than that, i really dont think its far from running.
I haven't had time to play with it much, just look everything over, and make a list of priorities to be done before we dunk it. Im still optimistic about it.

Geebert wrote: ↑Apr 25th, '22, 17:20

Dont know how i did it, but i think this one worked

From the photo the keel is slightly hogged. We used to see it when a wooden boat was improperly blocked over time. Not so much with glass boats. I bet that kink to the left on the photo was where a block was supporting the keel and the engine weight was to the right. The fiberglass guys on the forum can tell you if you should worry about it. It may not matter if there isn't structural damage.

Every year when I splash, my yard guys suggest I take the boat to a marina and keep it there for a few days before I take on a long trip, for the boat to “straighten out” after several months being blocked.
Maybe if you did the same and let the boat relax in the water, this unevenness could even out too?

These are the bulges poking up directly over the bulkhead at the rear of the engine.
Its starting to sound like no one else on here has had this, that's not reassuring.
I'll be pulling the floor up soon, i can take a better look at that point checking for repairs or failures.

Where are those bulges on the gunwales located in relation to the hump in the keel?

Those bulges are right near the sling marks. I wonder if they picked the boat up with the rear strap in the wrong spot and she bent a little causing those bulges.

Other wise and hopefully it might just be delamination. Take a look under that gunnel behind the box and see if you see any cracks, delamination or any soft spots.

Im guesing no one else has this rib in the center of the keel?

I think this is a repair. Can anyone confirm this is not original?

Two pvc pipes on either side of the keel run under the fuel tank toward the transom. Tank is aluminum, i think it was replaced in 2010.
I'm sure the pvc is not 1969, so I'm guesing that is also part of the keel repair?

Apologies for the filthy bilge, i haven't cleaned up yet, been too busy at work.

Pic of the bilge in front of the door to the cabin.
Massive transducer with hull cut out to match.
Sticks out way below the boat

Looking around at other boats bilge pics, it doesn't look like the strips to either side of the keel are original either.
I think maybe this thing took a serious hit in that area

There is no RIB running down the keel in the BILGE.

The pc pipes under the fuel tank were probably put in with the new tank to help the water flow under the tank.

Thanks for the reply.
Im going to clean the bilge and and assess the repair that was done, look for clues as to why the repair was done.
The strange thing is, the more i see the boat, the more i love it.
Unforseen problems and all.

That roving layer covering that rib looks way too old to be a recent repair.
Maybe a clean look might show more details, but the way its edges end, looks like old stuff.

My 28, actually all 28’s, have this rib from the stern to almost the bow, it is annoying because they lie right where you want to place the bilge pumps. I removed parts of mine in two areas and nothing happened; the boat sides didn't split apart yet.

Geebert

The important thing is to find what or "if anything" is wrong and if it is structural. At the end of the day I am SURE whatever it may be it is repairable. I t might not be a project you wanted to get into but now you are into it so just find and fix...

It is fiberglass and resin...layer upon layer... that is all it is when you get down to it.

I dont know what caused that but if it was maybe only blocked from under at the keel and not really supported in a few different locations to spread the load and sat like this for a bunch of years with the hot sun...over time...maybe... does not matter now it just needs to be fixed