bertram31.com

Hi All, I’m throwing my hat into this ring. I was lucky enough to snag a solid 1973 B35 and am planning to gut and rebuild. Has one good 454 engine, the other is dead. Planning to repower with a good pair of rebuilt diesels (although I was contemplating outboards too), add a seakeeper and fully modern systems, interior and bridge. Haven’t spent any money yet so please come at me with both barrels! Looking at repower options seems like the CAT 3116, 3126 are good options, CAT 7.1 don’t see any rebuilt out there that aren’t crazy expensive. Volvo D6, Cummins QSB, Yanmar 315. My understanding is the Yanmar 440 or Detroits will be too large in size. Any B35 owners out there that can share their opinions/experiences with engines and B35 resto in general?

Diesel for sure. I wonder if anything below 375hp can move that beast at a moderate cruise of, say, 24-25 knots.
Seakeeper is the system that dampens rolling? Is there room for that in a 35?
If you are doing this restoration work by yourself plan to...quit your job for a year or two!
Welcome to the ring!

Welcome aboard and good luck with your project. Make sure you create a detailed budget for the rebuild....then burn it! Cost and time will exceed your ability to rationalize. I'm the poster child for this after 11 years and truck loads of cash!

35B is a very nice boat. I don’t know if Cummins 6CTA 450 would fit, if not 6.7QSB’s would be sweet. Check out Seamaster marine
If budget is a concern, he sells rebuilt Cummins motors in Palm Beach County FL. Both 6bta and 6CTA. I was quoted 80k for a pair of recon 5.9qsb + gears from Seaboard and $45k a piece for recon QSC8.3 recons from Cummins, no gears.

I would go with the yanmar 370 hp engine. The 3208 cats are a tight fit. Good luck

Take a look at Cummins Remans., you will save a few dollars and have basically new engines.

Not sure how outboard would work on a 35 especially pushing all that weight. I was on a 35 that had the original diesels and the boat was not a slouch. I can imagine what the newer diesels would do for you. The 35 is a tank. Will run through pretty much anything the ocean can throw at it. I would say you could easily get a 25 knot cruise.

What is the fly bridge configuration on her? They came in several different styles. Some had seating in front of the helm.

Great family boat, great fishing boat.

As Cam said, set your budget then throw it out. Figure on doubling it.

Looking for sources for bolts, nuts screws, wire etc. Ask here, most of us have found decent sources.

Thanks everyone for the feedback - keep it coming. I’ll check on the reman Cummins - the cost of decent twin diesels is painful.
Tony - I have the pre-1981 style - no seat in front of helm. Lots of wasted space. I’m going to cut out all of it and re-glass it in the style of the new viking 38 billfish but without front seat. Sort of a center console-ish with bow-stern oriented benches on each side. Exterior frame will remain.
It’s been an experience so far. Almost everything on the boat is turning to dust. You cut a wire and it’s black. Packings all leaking. Steering system broke twice while trying to move it, first ruptured hose and then a jury rigged control arm broke. Every time I peel back a layer of the onion I get a good laugh. As soon as I fix that it’s time to get it over to marina for haulout and hull eval. Then we’ll see where we go.

Cost of decent diesel motors is painful, but the cost of filling the tanks running gasoline will be like pulling nose hairs with every fillup. And that will happen often if you use the boat for anything more then a quick howdy.

Older, cheaper diesel will cost less...initially.

Outboards...I am not a fan, but putting that aside. You put two or three big outboards along the back transom, that is 1/3 of your open area on the boat. Fish, swim, dive, boarding all need to be done from the sides. Sometimes we sit on the boat and look out...not sure of the height but looking at outboards is not my idea of a great view.

As far as peeling back layers of the onion...we are talking old boats in a saltwater envirnonment...yes everything that has not been replaced will need to be and things that were done half-arsed will need to be done over. Welcome to Old Boats. The upside is they are old boats and made it this far as they were built very well. If you going to dump money into a boat, a Bertram is a good one to dump it into. When done you will have a solid, hull, good motors and that is what a boat is worth to me. Want to add amenities, shine, convenience...it can all be done on any boat...but the trick for me is being able to get out and back whether the conditions remain good or turn to sh$t. A Bertram with good mechanicals will get you back to the dock.

Welcome aboard!


This is a great place to get information, answers, food for thought and lots of opinions, good bad or indifferent.

Carl,

The thing with the view of the outboards, although somewhere deep inside me, I never could nail it with words! Good point.

Second, if you come now and ask here in the dock of Syros where I am docked, who is this guy laughing his head off with an iPad on his lap, well, that’s me after reading the nose hair part. Hilarious!!

i had a b 35 it was powered by cat 3208 300 hp. she was a tank cruise was around 20 knots. think 350 400 hp should get you 24 knot boat

What about Cummins 6bta 370hp

B Series are pretty simple engines. I think if you looked around you could get a decent deal with gears. Maybe even takeouts if they are decent. Are you doing most of the Bull-work?

Shafts, props, etc gonna need to be upgraded. If you look hard and keep snooping all winter long I bet you could surprise yourself on how thrifty you can be if you are willing and able to bust your knuckles under the hatches.

Looking at this post again... you're troubled by the cost of decent diesel and your intention is to add a Seakeeper?


I live in my own little world...but in my world, I need a good hull with good reliable motors. Everything else is secondary.

My .02...buy good motors with the money for the SeaKeeper BUT keep the Seakeepr dream alive by prepping the hull to accept one. I believe they need to be built into the hull structure...so this is the time if your revamping. Get boat squared away, enjoy a good reliable boat as you stash money away for the Dream Seakeeper.

But hey...its only my opinion and worth every cent charged for it.

Carl I find it much more economical to just yell “wave, hold on” or stay on land.

lol Peter. I am of the same mind.


But Seakeeper is still in business so there must be plenty of people with views other than ours...or with deeper pockets.


Guess it all comes down to " whatever floats your boat"

Every time I crawl down into that boat I get a little more scared. I've decided to not make any decisions at the moment!

I've pulled the non-working gas engine and its being rebuilt. I'm going to re-install it and use the boat for a bit and decide if I really want to do this. Seakeeper is admittedly a big $ luxury but its primarily to keep the wife happy we'll see if it makes it through the final cut.

Some structural fiberglass work is going to need to be done to the stringers and engine mounts. It's been recommended to me that we get some fiberglass cores and have them analyzed to see what sort of resin was used. I understand that there was a change in the resins used in 1973 because of the oil crisis. Seems like overkill - if we use epoxy resin it shouldn't matter should it? Thoughts?

BTW I've abandoned the outboard idea. Going to either stay with the gas if we do a budget redo or start looking for diesels. Maybe a post-hurricane donor boat will appear...

Adam

If I remember correctly they actually started to use less glass in the hull, but the resin was the same. Also, not sure if the stringers on the 35 were structurally the same as on the 31. On the 31, if the wood core was soft from water intrusion it did not compramise the hull and did not need to be repaired.

I would suggest trying to find someone who is familiar with how the 35 was built. I would try one of the yards that does a lot of boat restorations and updates. I would think that they would have seen this issue and will know how to deal with it.

Also for the majority of repairs usually epoxy resin is used.

I'll reiterate what others have said about the time and resources needed to overhaul a boat. I'm renovating a B25, think 1/4 or less of volume of stuff than a B35 and it has taken me quite a long time and I am not done yet.

To me the most important item to successfully take on such an undertaking is the proper space to do work. There's only so much that can be done with a boat outside in the North East due to weather. 2nd week of OCT through mid April are out unless you are in an enclosed area with heat. I've been lucky in that I have my boat on a trailer in my driveway, I've had the boat shrink wrapped with a door to get in and out easily, I can walk of my house after work and do 1-2hrs of work a night, all my tools and supplies are in my garage / basement. Even with the boat covered, I've avoided glassing when it is raining for fear of the work not coming out right.

If I had to drive to a boatyard and remember to bring what I needed each time, the 1-2hrs a night to do work would be cut in 1/2.

my thoughts to you, figure out the logistics of "how" before taking on a project.

Epoxy from what I know is good for everything but your pocket and heat.



I like the rebuild the motor, install and use boat for a bit....after making sure it is safe and seaworthy.

But that is me.

After some time you may decide the speed is fine, the ride is good, and don't mind the rock. While pulling up at the gas dock is expensive you did not have to give up your 1st born to pay for diesels.
Or you may fall back on your original plan...

ktm_2000 wrote:I'll reiterate what others have said about the time and resources needed to overhaul a boat. I'm renovating a B25, think 1/4 or less of volume of stuff than a B35 and it has taken me quite a long time and I am not done yet.

To me the most important item to successfully take on such an undertaking is the proper space to do work. There's only so much that can be done with a boat outside in the North East due to weather. 2nd week of OCT through mid April are out unless you are in an enclosed area with heat. I've been lucky in that I have my boat on a trailer in my driveway, I've had the boat shrink wrapped with a door to get in and out easily, I can walk of my house after work and do 1-2hrs of work a night, all my tools and supplies are in my garage / basement. Even with the boat covered, I've avoided glassing when it is raining for fear of the work not coming out right.

If I had to drive to a boatyard and remember to bring what I needed each time, the 1-2hrs a night to do work would be cut in 1/2.

my thoughts to you, figure out the logistics of "how" before taking on a project.

My strong concurrence with KTM. I would have never been able to finish my project without finding a good work location (good = weather protect, power, water, cheap enough to afford). It took me 6 years of the project to find that location.

Another point is money. I don't believe there is such a thing as a "budget" re-do. As Yoda said "Do, or do not. There is no try." Granted, I took things to the extreme but I think it is safe to say that it is difficult to rationalize the cost. It has to be an off-the-books hobby. That said, my surveyor's estimated value for the boat (today) is just about even with my hard costs. Maybe a tad higher, but the market is crazy right now. Of course, all of my 1000s of hours of labor are not included!

Anyone know if Detroit 6V-71's would fit the B35? I have access to a donor boat. Enough power?

I’ve got access to a couple of yanmar 315s, 1995 but in great shape with low hours For very low cost. Everyone think it’s enough to get decent performance out of a B35?

I am a huge fan of Cummins! They are bulletproof and parts are cheaper than any other diesel. I have all mechanical 370 Cummins 5.9 BTA’s in my old girl and she flies! I cruise at 24 kts and burn 20 gph, WOT is 31.9 kts. Our Gulf waters rarely allow more than a cruise speed of 24 kts so its perfect. She is a great fishing boat and raises fish. If you don’t get caught in the trough on a blowing day, she sits real stable and shouldn’t need a gyro...

She is a GREAT BOAT, GO ENJOY HER! Get to know her and feel her strengths, then find a pair of Cummins, you won’t be disappointed!

Adam

The 315's might be a little shy as the 35 is a heavy boat.

thanks guys