bertram31.com

Folks, Jim Earley's family is putting Jim's 31 Bertram up for sale. I have seen this boat, this is a very nice 31! It has been immaculately maintained and well loved. New aftercoolers, turbos and a new diesel generator were recently installed. The boat is currently on the hard in winter storage. Asking price is $105,000.

This boat is ready to fish. If anyone has been looking for a really nice 31 this is it. If you have an interest or know someone who does, I'll pass along Jim's son contact info. I'll post some pics soon but take my word for it this is as nice of a 31 as you're going to find.

BTW, this is a 1973 model year boat. It is powered with a pair of 2002 Cummins 6BTA 270 HP engines. Engine total time is ~6600 hours. The engines have had extensive maintenance over the years. I am working on getting the maintenance logs and most recent upgrades.

Rick

If I come across anyone interested I will let you know. I know from going back and forth with him, he really maintained far and above what others normally do.

i know a glass guy who did work for him and said Jim was impeccable in the way he cared for the boat.

Impeccable is a good word. Jim was having new teak put on the gunnels and cockpit when I last saw his boat. Jim pulled the engines in 2024 and basically had them reworked. I've been around a lots of people over the years that had great affection for their boats but Jim had everyone beat. He loved his boat.

Rick

The guy who was doing the teak work for him, is the same guy I have used in the past for some work on my deck. He was the one who said that about Jim.

I can't answer that question. I never considered teak on my boat so that was not something I focused on during the time I was on the Earley Bird. I was much more focused on the fish box that held 400#s of ice! Hopefully, I can gets some pics loaded today. The Fly N Fish is calling so it may be tomorrow before I get them up.

chuck from cb marine did a complete reseal on the engines in 24 and jim and i blasted every dam part that came off to bare metal 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint lol he was something else
we installed the generator last summer I have the old one in my shop to rebuild for my boat
that boat is a well oiled machine nothing overlooked no squeaks rattles just smooth
jim was 1 of a kind i miss him

Rick don’t forget to post pictures. I’d also be interested to see a specification sheet if there is one. I have to believe there will be buyers at that price.

I have a few photos and will get them uploaded this weekend. I'm waiting on a few more pics. This is a great boat and someone will get a great deal.

Sorry for the delay. Here are the pics that I have. I'm not sure the photos are updated. I have requested more pics and will get them posted when I get them. Let me see about how to post the specs.

Lets see if this works, There are some phone numbers in the original document that I removed for privacy concerns. Chris Earley is represeting the boat and I'll provide his number in a PM if anyone is interested......

EarleyBird Specs
1973 31’ Bertram with Flybridge
- Built by Bertram Yachts, Inc. in Miami, FL
White hull and topside. Blue bottom
2002 Twin 6BTA Cummins diesel engines. 270 hp each. Has about 6600 hours
Engine Serial # (port) – 46059860
Engine Serial # (starboard) – 46059874
Last taken out of boat and redone 2024 (See attached invoice)
Heat Exchangers 4/2018
Transmission couplings 5/2018 (excellent condition per Chuck)
Turbos 3/2022
Fuel Injectors (See attached invoice)
New propeller shaft split couplings (invoice 5/28/2025 - see attached)
Brand New Phasor Generator 3.5 kw. (Less < 2 hours).Placed right before dad’s fall (October 2025)
Transmission ZF 22OA 1.5 to 1
Rupp Outriggers
Original Fuel tanks – no ethanol ever in
4 blade propellers on boat with extra set of 3 blade
Hull recently painted (last 2-3 years) by Forsbergs (Receipt from 5/8/2023)
Fairly new transducer/GPS/radar (<5 years)
Stuart Rudders on it (oversized)
1.5 inch Shafts
Viking Life raft
Fighting Chair
Custom Teak Deck
Custom Isinglass for Flybridge (extra, unused set available)
Chuck Biddulph (engine)

Beautiful B31. Photos of the interior?

John,

you're right, we know the hull is fine, can we see if the inside can accommodate two ppl?
Well maybe I can accommodate 4ppl in 2m beds in my 28!

Going out on a limb Yannis...V-berth sleeps two people, settee converts into a sleeping berth to accommodate 2 more people. It is quite cozy if those people are all adults.

Carl,

In the 31 as in the 28, the settee converted to a bed is a joke.
Aside from not being in the least wide enough even for two ppl of moderate dimensions, it is so short that you have to lie diagonally, therefore taking up space from the second person.
I had to demolish the hanging locker altogether to be able to lengthen the settee's length to 2meters which is the normal size of a bed, and mattress too.
Same for the V berth...
The word cozy must have a ...different meaning in the US, LOL !!

I am waiting on pics for the interior.

Carl

It appears Yannis is a giant. He must have been bad a child and his parents put on a rack to stretch him out.

Tony,

I measure 1,86 which is 12cm taller than the B28 original settee length. And so are most Americans I assume!
So, the question is, how did they make berths that (even in the '60's) were much shorter than the average American? Let alone the much taller American affluent sportsman who could afford a boat...

Somebody had suggested that the longest dimension in a B28 is in the V berth, right at the entrance, athwartships. Which calls for a filler cushion right there. Then, if you need to get up at night, you have to be a yoga instructor...

Yannis wrote: ↑Mar 23rd, '26, 22:45
Somebody had suggested that the longest dimension in a B28 is in the V berth, right at the entrance, athwartships. Which calls for a filler cushion right there. Then, if you need to get up at night, you have to be a yoga instructor...

In my 31, I can easily sleep two in the V Berth (athwartships) as you say. When I rebuilt Fly N Fish, I moved both forward and rear bulkheads so that I have 9' clearance between the bulk heads in the cabin. I can easily sleep on the sofa but I prefer to sleep on the cabin floor on a large air mattress. I am 6-2 or 188 cm on your side of the pond.

I'll say the same thing I tell my father in law when he steps up to the helm hitting his head on the tower cross supports...I fit fine. V-berth cross wise, the other way or on converted settee.

Yannis, Buy a hole saw, drill a couple holes to stick your feet in when you sleep. I suggest going into the cabinet over going through the hull. Wouldn't want your feet to get wet if it rains.

Haha Carl, I thought about this too, but I did this:

I moved the V berth starboard side bulkhead (only) back, by 15 cm. I put narrower drawers where the wider hanging locker was, so I gave room to both the V berth and the settee. I also widened the starboard V berth by 20 cm by adding a supporting plywood with teak finish. I had to buy new mattresses and covers... A combination of all these, you can see in the pics.

Rick, thanks. As a matter of correctness, verbal and written, when we discuss or write in metric we always remember that the unit is one meter.

So, ANYTHING below one meter is expressed in centimeters (which is logical; how else?), e.g: 88 centimeters, 2 centimeters, 2 point 5 centimeters. Not eight-eight centimeters, for 88. Not two-seven centimeters, for 27, that is.

However, for anything ABOVE one meter, we forget the centimeters as the primary unit, e.g: One meter eighty eight (1m88), Four meters ninety two (4m92). We never say one hundred and eighty eight centimeters, or one-eight-eight centimeters. We also place a coma where you put a dot and vice versa. e.g: 1.000.000 = one million, 4,92 = four point ninety two. We also do other tricks with the dates but this is for Metric 211 !
Not that all this is important, but I figured you might want to know.

My world is all bout thousandths of an inch and tenths of a mm.

Dumb millimeter and micrometer should both be mm...but no...metric they gotta use a um for micrometer. LOL...it may be the only dumb thing about metric and isn't even that bad.

Getting back to Earleybird...interior pictures wouldn't be a bad thing. By the time I get around to helm windshield, stripping, fairing and painting mine, plus interior work...it may pay to buy done and be done...although ones never done on a boat. Then again I like the look of a bridge, but not the climb every time.

When a friend of ours was alive, he made a piece that was removable, but it hung on the V in the V berth to actually add extra sleeping space. So in effect he expanded the center so he almost squared it off.

He took it off in the morning when they wanted to use the boat. Boat at the dock it remained in place.

Tony, that V shape filler adds lateral space but does not add length.

Carl, micrometer or micron (μm) is used to measure bacteria, viruses and cell lengths. It is almost impossible that you deal with such small units.
Even 100 of those μm's are just one tenth of a millimeter, still almost impossible that you deal with units so small.

You are probably confusing centimeters and millimeters. I have not yet found any measuring device that can be purchased in a store, that can measure a fraction of the millimeter. Most calipers stop at millimeters too. Unless you are a Nasa mathematician and design space telescopes, you will never grasp what a tenth or hundredth of a millimeter looks like. And even if you manage to find the tool to measure an item to such a precise dimension, you will never be able to adjust your cutting tool/disc/saw so as to cut a fraction of a millimeter.

The top dial indicating Mic is accurate to a micron. I do not have those, no need for them here but the grinding house we use does have and use.

The 2nd is a digital Mic which has a resolution of a micron, accurate to +/- 3 microns in the right hands. It is the cheater of micrometers, just like digital calipers. Digital is No more accurate then dial or veneer calipers, they are just easier and quicker to read. Have a few of these in most common sizes.

The last is the workhorse style Micrometer, still can be accurate to +/- 3 microns in the right hands and conditions. That said, holding within 10 microns is about as close as we try to hold. Have those from 0 -24" (0-60cm)

Little tidbit here...the "plastic" on these measuring tools is to insulate your body temperature from the tool when holding it as temp does change the size...as does holding the workpiece and the calibration gauges used to verify Mic. Sizes are certified accurate only at certain temperatures.

Now really want to get accurate, look into Air Micrometers...good to .127 microns
Accurate and quick check out CMM measuring machines

For crying out loud Carl, where do these useful (in machining perhaps) micrometers, that can only measure up to an inch, can possibly have an application in everyday life? If you mill a shaft I can understand this precision, but with plywood? With drawers, plastics, fiberglass, even metal surfaces on a boat, or at home, how will you cut whatever material with such a precision with your hand saw? Or your grinder?

If you want a precision like this, you need to have the same precision all the way into production too. You need super expensive tooling that can deliver this precision until the end product; I said it before, if you work for Nasa it may be something useful, but otherwise?

One thousandth of one millimeter (=μm) is so small it has no application in real life. A human hair is between 50-100μm, go figure how much is ONE damn micrometer!!

In most peoples daily life a Micrometer could be used as an expensive C-Clamp.

If your a machinist trying to hold any decent tolerance, a Micrometer is being used.

How are these sizes and tools useful to you...maybe not directly, but indirectly for sure and no not NASA type items either. All your motors have intricate parts needing to be checked with Micrometers. Ever need to put a bearing on a shaft? Those bearings and that shaft had better been checked with Micrometers as the difference between sliding a bearing on with minimal force and using BIG hammer is only a few microns. When rebuilding a Turbo...the difference between shims of only a few microns is the difference of turbo working for years or hours. Want to make a hole...go grab a drill, I guarantee those drill blanks were made and checked with Micrometers.
Making and cutting to precise sizes can be done with very precise machines. But think about this...some of the very best of the best machines have guiding surfaces finished by hand with a seemingly simple hand scraper.

Fine. So your life is all about thousandths of an inch or tenths of a millimeter. I got that.
What's bothering you with the millimeters? Until someone comes up with a better letter indicator, we all have to use m and μ (for mikron or μικρόν)
For yet smaller values we have the nano meter, or nm! ( nanos or νάνος is the dwarf in Greek).
Shall I continue with pico meters and Angstroms? LOL !

In truth nothing is bothering me with millimeters and microns. Well maybe I have an issue that m for meter, cm for centimeter, mm for millimeter and some backwards u I don't have on my keyboard for micron.

No...actually no issue at all as we break your rule and do not use micron as a measurement value. We use .1 and .01mm when going under a mm. More truth...I convert everything to inch as our machines are setup for inch values. We can switch them with a simple setting and that is advantageous as machines only go to .0001" value but .001mm, that's twice the resolution for adjustments. That and 99% of our measuring tools are inch.

Back on topic. This does look to be one well kept boat.

I’m sorry Carl, I thought you were opposed to the logic of the metric system…
It’s just that your keyboard doesnt have the μ, or any Greek letters…how siily, I would have never thought that there exist suck a keyboard…!

It appears that the Early Bird got the Earley Bird. Its been sold. I hope the buyer has as much appreciation for the boat as Jim Earley did.

You got a good one.

Early bird was a screaming value at $105,000. Gratifying to know there is a solid market for well kept Bertram 31’s.

The new owner is a freind of my son ,it will remain local and be in good hands

That’s really good to hear that she wound up in good hands. Really good

neil wrote: ↑Mar 28th, '26, 17:55 The new owner is a freind of my son ,it will remain local and be in good hands

I hope he likes tuna. The tuna just jumped into Jim's boat. He didn't even have to put a lure into the water. Jim caught so many tuna both he and his wife got high levels of mercury from eating tuna all the time.

I'd still suggest to the new owner to add the spray rails on the boat. Its not a big job and the boat is on the hard.

I'm glad Earleybird sold for a good price. Was she listed with a broker? I have my boat listed on Facebook Marketplace. 700 clicks but only lowball ($20K) offers. The prices on Boat Trader are dropping and I am dropping mine as well. Still nothing. And slip rental is due! Seems that everybody around here wants a Cat with 4 outboards strapped to the transom...

Marshall,

A lot of people do not have facebook myself included. Have you considered listing your boat here.

Will do. Still disappointing the prices on boat trader are continuing to drop. A friend of mine just spent $240,000 on a used 30' Contender. Can you imagine how fine a $240,000 Bertram 31 would be? I don't get it...