bertram31.com

Esteemed Experts:

Do You have any cognizance of some significant difference between starboard and port window frames?
We removed them from the boat and measured a discrepancy of 2 inches putting frames 'cheek to cheek'.
I was wondering if this happens with all boats...

The two halves of my boat are different. The pilasters are different as are the windows.

Visually its not an issue but its a PITA to rebuild one

For some reason they are all this way and they also seem to differ at times from boat to boat.

The story I was told was that the windows were finished for each boat on the boat as it was made, not constructed beforehand. Which is another reason no window insert or prefabbed frames will just slide right into another boat.

Raybo Marine NY wrote: ↑Feb 19th, '24, 13:13 The story I was told was that the windows were finished for each boat on the boat as it was made, not constructed beforehand.

After many years of poking around in my Bertram 31 Sportfisher I believe our hulls and deckhouse configuration (and in my case galley head counters) were produced from molds at Bertram in Miami. They were then sent out to various sites to be finished. Amberjack was completed by Whitaker Yachts according to the hull data. They obviously used materials at hand including mixed fastners on the same component and some leftover old walnut finish laminate used for the engine compartment forward bulkhead. The floor plate in the forward cabin would likely not fit in any other B31 as it is an irregular polygon. Probably why each floor panel has the hull number written on the bottom, they probably cut them from patterns.

So I don’t doubt your side windows don’t match.

Doug

The Whitaker Corporation owned Bertram Yachts along with Trojan Yachts for a number of years, before they sold them off. Whitaker purchased Bertram from Nautec in 1968. Whitaker was the basically the holding company for several other business ventures. At one point they were one of the largest if not the largest builder of Pleasure and Commercial Boats.

I believe they spun off or sold off Bertram Yachts somewhere around 1989 or 90 when they reorganized the Company.

Bertram Yachts was located in Miami and that is where the facility they were built. They never outsourced the building of their boats except for the Australian connection.

Thanks Tony, I learned something! I visited Bertram Yachts in the early ninties. What a drive along that backwater of the Miami River with its rusty old tramp freighters and the Miami Vice theme playing in my head.

Doug, while Bertram may not have outsourced work to other companies, your observation of using whatever they had on hand may be right on target. The Bertram lineup consisted of several sizes of boats, I'd guess each line had an assortment of remnants, finish materials, and hardware around for the taking.

Unfortunately, the old Bertram employees with all the knowledge are no longer around. I remember sitting next to the old parts manager for Bertram at one of our AC gatherings. Tell him what part you need, and he could give you the part number off the top of his head.

Before I bought my boat in '13 I had a few questions and I exchanged mails with Mr. Fritz Mueller at Merritt Island.
He was very helpful and if he's still around he could provide answers to most difficult questions.