bertram31.com

Hello,

I'm in the preliminary planning stages of a B25 or B26 project. I'm fine tuning my desires and am torn between motor choices.

I know inboard power is far more dependable than stern drives plus with no out drives it is more economical too. Here, however, is why I am torn.

1. I live in Raleigh and will be trailering to various NC waterways. Loading and unloading plus towing height should be better on the io.

2. We often go to places like I.e. Topsail, Beaufort, cape lookout and hatteras. One of the favorite pastimes of my kids is to snug up to the back side of a barrier island or an inlet sand bar and throw down an anchor or 2. If the tide is going out it already takes a lot of attention to keep my skiff from getting beached. I imagine with the inboard props you can do a lot of damage running shallow like that.

Would love to hear opinions


Chris

My harbor on occasion depending on wind waves and weather can get as skinny as 2ft or even a bit less. I can trim up and get in and out with little difficulty. Also we do raft up near shore and the outdrives off the bottom allow me to breath easy.
My trailer height is under 12’ with my Nextrail triple axle and hwy speeds of 70 are not uncommon. Maneuvering suffers some but once you get used to it things become easier. One of my regular crew always comments as I dock how impressed he is with how I stick it in the hole. There are some dock side battle wounds that I had to buff getting there which wouldn’t have been there with inboards but...
Also I think the IO is faster than an inboard would be. I’ve been up to 28 never really pushed it more than that but I think mid 30’s are attainable. Cruise is about 25-26 at 2800.
My $.02

The B25 is an awesome day/picnic boat for it's size.
It carries a ton of gear and/or people very well.

My wife prefers the Bahia Mar style because of the stand up/enclosed head.
No where near the cockpit space that the sport convertible has for fishing, but like everything....there are trade offs.
I don't have any experience with the B26.

If you're dry storing the boat than i/o's shouldn't be that big of a deal.
I've repowered a couple to single i/o's (1/2 the lbs, 2x hp) and they're very sporty.
I've seen some nice conversions to o/b's too.

I/b's would not be ideal for navigating around and over bars all the time.

Good luck.
John

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1984/B ... 3LE5-hKiUk

Outboard 26 that's been on the market forever.
I'm hoping someone buys it, so as to keep my marriage intact !!

I looked up the cost of replacement using a rebuilt 180HP mercruiser 4 cylinder. It looks like the long block is about $3000. Alpha out drives are about the same if not less. If you have a running functional I/O is there any cost savings to convert to to OB? By the time you do the bracket, the fab work, and buy $15,000+ worth of outboards aren't you way better off just repairing the I/O's?

Bertramp wrote:https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1984/B ... 3LE5-hKiUk

Outboard 26 that's been on the market forever.
I'm hoping someone buys it, so as to keep my marriage intact !!

Really want a boat with a clean looking transom. That thing is enticing though.

Chris, I also boat in the Beaufort/Cape Lookout/Outer Banks waters, and I would avoid a straight inboard for the kind of boating you described. Boating on and around the Cape Lookout Shoals and Shackleford Banks exposes the boater to lots of shallows. My inboard B-31 was great, but the wife and kids preferred being able to anchor close to shore, which requires the ability to go shallow. If you're doing a lot of running in deep water, inboards are great. If you plan to frequently beach in shallow water, I would advise that you avoid a boat with running gear under the hull. Also, I believe 8'6" is the maximum width for trailering in NC without a "wide-load" permit; the beams of the B-25 and B-26 are both over 9'. As others have stated, just my 2 cents.

For what you are describing, what Tommy said is correct. Stay with I/O or Outboards.

It is cheaper to repower an existing I/O than to convert to outboards, I will give you that. Remember with both outboards and I/O's you will have a faster boat and easier on the fuel than an inboard boat. With inboards you have the shaft angle to deal with that drops efficiency. With outboards and I?O's do to the fact that you pretty much eliminate the sharp angle, they push the boat more efficiently.

To convert to outboards, you will have to beef up the transom, then the bracket then the power.

The one in Steve's link looks like a conversion. Now with that boat, you might have the beefed up transom. What you would then need to do if you wanted is to close up the transom and add the bracket. Might save a few dollars not much.

By the way don't worry about Steve's marriage, if the thawed out bait in the freezer did not do him in, nothing will.

The other pro, of going outboard, you gain more deck space. Tough if you fish but if you are going to enjoy beaching it and having family fun then no worries. Use it as a family boat and an occasional fishing platform.

The 25 is a beast for a 25 foot boat. Probably one of the best still in that size class. Update it with the right power, and it will compete easily with all the new 25 footers and some bigger.

Tommy is right about trailing, in fact a lot of state's have an 8 foot width requirement. Now the question is, will the authorities realize that the 25 footer you are pulling is a foot wider than allowed. Don't know the answer to that one.

IMOH

$15,000 for outboards...you're looking for trouble.

Consider looking for a boat that's already been repowered.
They're usually had for a small fraction of what's actually been spent on them.
And your boating instantly.

But if it's in your heart and soul to get a project boat.....
Common rule of refits and renovations:
Calculate how much money you're going to spend, and how long it's going to take to completion.
Then budget for at least 2x the $$ and 3x the time.

[quote="Tony Meola"]For what you are describing, what Tommy said is correct. Stay with I/O or Outboards.

I
The one in Steve's link looks like a conversion. Now with that boat, you might have the beefed up transom. What you would then need to do if you wanted is to close up the transom and add the bracket. Might save a few dollars not much.

By the way don't worry about Steve's marriage, if the thawed out bait in the freezer did not do him in, nothing will.

Tony .... you had to go there didn't you !!
Based upon vintage and look, I think that is an original outboard boat.
Those Hondas might actually come back to life.....

I agree with Bertramp/Steve. That's an original B26 Sport Convertible. They only made about 20 of these with an open transom. Read the David Pascoe survey review. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/Bertram_26.htm . I had one of these. Rock solid boat. Rides like a much bigger boat and hauls ass too. And it can be beached at the sandbar. Sold mine for more than I bought it, can't say that about many boats.

I've had my B25 for over 10 years. Been with I/Os the whole time, the boat rides nice and is fairly fuel efficient at 22-23kts. The motors were mercruiser 3.0L 96 vintage and I had to replace one engine during the time. I trailered the boat and was religious about keeping water out of the bilge and flushing the motors after each trip.

The one thing I couldn't keep up with was the amount of things that could go wrong with one of the motors and ruin a trip. A starter here, trim pump motor there, trim rams, ECU inside distributor, alternators, etc. I rarely got more than 5 or 6 trips without replacing something. I got good at fixing things as well, no fun coming home from 40nm offshore when one motor ecu quits on you and all you can do is 6 kts on one motor. my final straw was loosing an engine coupler requiring an engine pull for replacement.

A lot of my woes were older motors near the end of their useful life and could have been fixed with dropping in a new set of 3.0L. In my case I opted to renovate and go with an outboard because there are a few items that I am trying to take care of at the same time, is it going to be more expensive, oh yeah @35k vs 20k to repower and that is with me doing all the work, if I had to outsource, there is no way I would take it on.

I've re-done a couple of boats and am familiar with glass work as well as have another boat I can run so I am taking on the project. It is probably going to take me a few years to complete but hope to do it in such a way that I can use it next summer even if the cosmetics aren't so good.

In the long run, I'm going to end up with a hull that rides better than most out there, brand new power and the boat setup exactly how I want it, and should easily out perform anything I could buy for 2.5x what I am going to spend.

Thanks for all the input. I was not planning an outboard conversion. The plan is to find an i/o moppie that is not a falling apart wreck. I'll be looking soon for a functional floating boat. I have a few cars to sell first so I have someplace to do the work.

In NC a wide load permit is only $100 per year. I will finish researching that too before I purchase.

I believe the law is 10 foot width limit for boat trailers in NC. I have towed mine many times here without issue.

Outboards are the way to go in this area.

Cam, I rechecked NCDOT and found info below, but as Chris stated the annual fee is only $100 and that allows you to go up to 12', so really not a problem towing the B-25 or B-26. I also agree that a clean, original B-26 outboard version would be a fantastic choice.


OVERSIZE/OVERWEIGHT PERMIT HANDBOOK NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OVERSIZE/OVERWEIGHT PERMIT UNIT

Width 102 inches (8 feet 6 inches) – on all roads in North Carolina
Height 13 feet 6 inches
Weight Gross weight Single axle – 20,000 pounds Tandem axle – 38,000 pounds
Length Single vehicle – 40 feet Vehicle combination – 60 feet Exception: (Truck tractor/48-foot semi-trailer/53-foot semi-trailer combination)

***Publication M-13***

I came across an advertisement for a 25 with Twin I/O's for sale here in NJ. If you are interested I will email you the phone number from the listing. I have never seen the boat, have no idea who the owner is, so I can't say what type of shape she is in.

There are two completed projects near me one has at 26 fly bridge with Twin 4 bangers taken out and replaced with a 496 and bravo 1 drive it cruises at 28-30knots and sips fuel the other was a25 hard top
Which had a pod attached and now has twin 250 verados so far top speed is 51 knots but they are still being broken in.
Both are awesome boats but are different the 25 also has a 30 Hp trolling motor so it sips whole fishing. Either are great but depends on your usage fishing or cruising.

Tommy wrote:Cam, I rechecked NCDOT and found info below, but as Chris stated the annual fee is only $100 and that allows you to go up to 12', so really not a problem towing the B-25 or B-26. I also agree that a clean, original B-26 outboard version would be a fantastic choice.


OVERSIZE/OVERWEIGHT PERMIT HANDBOOK NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OVERSIZE/OVERWEIGHT PERMIT UNIT

Width 102 inches (8 feet 6 inches) – on all roads in North Carolina
Height 13 feet 6 inches
Weight Gross weight Single axle – 20,000 pounds Tandem axle – 38,000 pounds
Length Single vehicle – 40 feet Vehicle combination – 60 feet Exception: (Truck tractor/48-foot semi-trailer/53-foot semi-trailer combination)

***Publication M-13***

There is an exception for boats that I think is is still valid. This publication is dated 3/2/10. https://connect.ncdot.gov/business/truc ... hicles.pdf


§ 20-116. Size of vehicles and loads.
(m) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a boat or boat trailer with an outside width of
less than 120 inches may be towed without a permit. The towing of a boat or boat trailer 102 inches to
114 inches in width may take place on any day of the week, including weekends and holidays, and may
take place at night. The towing of a boat or boat trailer 114 inches to 120 inches in width may take place
on any day of the week, including weekends and holidays from sun up to sun down. A boat or boat
trailer in excess of 102 inches but less than 120 inches must be equipped with a minimum of two
operable amber lamps on the widest point of the boat and the boat trailer such that the dimensions of the
boat and the boat trailer are clearly marked and visible.

My B31 Bahia went from Pompano to Sag Harbor on a truck without permits ......

Cam, thanks for sharing as I was unaware of this exception to the rule; good information for us boaters!

https://baltimore.craigslist.org/boa/d/ ... 94935.html

Bahia Mar, baby!