bertram31.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/31-Foot- ... enameZWDVW
Is there any chance at all of someone saving this one??

the bow chock is worth 250$!

gut the whole boat and make a center console out of her

Hull is still in fair shape

Don't you believe it... If you've ever had any first hand view of what fire does to a fiberglass & resin layup, you'll know that the resin literally cooks out of the glass. The damage around any burn through will be transmitted, structurally, over 3' in every direction. So this poor B31 is pretty much history... Look for a bow chock that ain't connected to a burned boat.

Br,

Patrick

in one of the other pics of the helm you can actually see that theres no resin left in the glass behind the wheel...

'needs repair '.......that has to be the understatement of all time

It seems that recently we have been discussing shaft struts. One of us reported having a second strut near the point that the prop shaft comes thru the hull.

Well I noticed a second strut shown on the pic that Capt Pat posted.

I guess that means a small diameter shaft.

I am usually a glutten for a project but even I would have to pass up this one.

Harry

It does have a whip strut? I'm not up to that much work either Harry. I only have 1 lifetime left.

Oh come on...a little wax and some touch up paint and good a new!


Where mid struts a standard item? When I was running 1:1, I had thought about adding a pair as any imperfection in shaft, alignment or wheel would create vibration. I hate vibration! After 10 years I had a brainstorm and changed trannies to 1:1.56 and went with 4 blades. Had the trannies in basement and wheel on the shelf all that time too.

It looks like from the chime down she is fine.

Gut it, have the gunnels rebuilt, and get started on a center console.

The best part about turning this is into a CC is that you are saving one from the scrap pile and also not destroying a classic.

Sad to see it go like that. But I agree with CP, that is you can never fully identify any lack of structural integrity in the glass itself. Isn't there a hole burned through on the starboard side of the free board?

Maybe use it as a mold master layup new hulls.

O/T Cbone- where are you in LI? Are you in Lindenhurst?

Well I see it like this...........I am by far not an expert in fabricating with fiberglass.

There seems to be an endless combinations of resins, fillers, paints and glass. Use this for this results...........use that for other results.....better paint with this stuff...........if you do you must use this primer and on and on and on and on.................confuses me and gives me a headache

Not a project for me at all..........

A project boat like that would blow one of my sayings completely out of the water and that is:

"Its amazing what can be accomplished with an old boat and one hundred thousand dollars"

With me overdoing things the way I generally do I can see me two hundred thousand into a $250 boat

I think this would be a good one for Harv or Timmy

I'll bet I wish I had not said that Ha Ha

Harry

If you don't have a Good Hull and Good Iron...just don't bother.

Harry Babb wrote:
I think this would be a good one for Harv or Timmy

I'll bet I wish I had not said that Ha Ha

Harry

Why would you even think I would be interested in this when all I need is my tank and my diesels.
The only thing holding me back right now is money, not working and contemplating back surgery.

Second, why would you put me and Timmy in the same sentence?
Besides, this boat is in better shape than the Tubb.

I saw a boat burned just like this in Seward Harbor. It was burned to just below deck. The resin was burned or sucked right out of the hull. You could kick a hole in the hull just about anyplace and where you couldn't, you could see the effects of the fire. I would finish burning this one and take it's ashes out to a resting place and sprinkle it in it's final resting place.

Dick

There are some old restored Ferraris worth $millions where the only original item is the Chassis No. , that's what you've got here...the Hull No.

Nic

makes me feel real good about my boat :-D

Does it have value as a plug???

Does it have value as a plug???

Not in my opinion...

Harv wrote

Why would you even think I would be interested in this when all I need is my tank and my diesels.

Just horsing around Harv........that's all........just horsing around......

Harry

My late father in law & I had a 22' Anacapri glass boat in the early 70s, Buick V-6 engine, OMC electric shift outdrive. Gas crisis, he hauled gas 100 miles in 5 gal. cans and poured it in the boat so we could go catch specs and redfish....he spilled some one time, boat caught on fire in our boathouse at Cocodrie, LA, he kicked it out of the boathouse into the middle of Bayou Petit Caillou (yankees, that means "little white clam shell bayou" in french) and it burned to the waterline..we salvaged the outdrive and the anchor..... the burned hulk washed up on the bank and I went over and looked at it, and Capt. Patrick is right, the fire burns all the resin out of the fiberglass...leave it for the nutria rats to nest in...not worth fooling with to restore.

UV

Gee.. you all sound so negative!

You just need a little CX..it works wonders on everything on a boat!

CaptPatrick wrote: Not in my opinion...

I had wondered the same thing. Is that because you can't trust the shape of the hull any longer Capt Pat?

I had wondered the same thing. Is that because you can't trust the shape of the hull any longer?

Two reasons: First is that it would still need a high quality repair & complete resurfacing of the hull in preperation of making a split mold, but secondly, (more important), it would take a company, (or individual), with very deep pockets to even attemp a B31 reproduction venture.

There have already been several concerns that have either thought of, or tried, to tool up a reproduction, including Bertram Yachts. All have either failed or realized that a reproduction B31 would be overly expensive and, just that, A Reproduction. There would be only a very small market segment that would be willing to pay the $300K+ that might make the boat marginally profitable. Offsetting tooling & production costs would possibly mean that at least 50 boats would have to be sold just to break even. That could possibly mean several slow years of production before any return on the investment could even be hoped for...

I think the only way an individual or small group could hope to make a buck on reproducing a B31 hull would be to just reproduce the hull alone, with stringers included, and sell it only as an empty hull to be completed as desired by the buyer. This would expand the market considerably, but it would still be a small one & an "iffy venture" at best.

Br,

Patrick

I think Doc is interested in a line of B31 lobster boats.

Maybe someone should buy it for the cradle.

Well, new guy here. I have 1 day now to decide if I'm going to dive into this thing. I was considering building a cold molded boat until I saw this ad. I was thinking...if I'm going to build a boat wouldn't this one be partially started and it's a classic. A lot of plans I've seen don't give the lines that these boats do. Of course that's due to plywood being the material of choice. Anyway, after a lot of work, a couple of diesels and a layout something like a Bahia Mar will this boat be safe or will the patches start pulling from the original hull and crack the paint, etc.
Sorry to take so long on the first post but I just would like some advice. The idea of taking the lines of a good Bertram 31 and making very light (fast) cold molded home built also clouds my decision making process.
Thanks again.
Kurt

Kurt, starting with a template makes sense, just don't start with a damaged template. Find a different fixer upper, redo to your heart's content, but don't consider this hull to be a way of saving either time or money, it is the opposite. You would be so far ahead with a better starting point.

This boat is, as has been pointed out, a bow chock, a cradle and a landfill fee.

I did a restoration on a hull (a 20') in much, much better condition and it still took way more time, money, headaches and hassles than anticipated. I am happy to have done it as I got exactly what I wanted. I don't think the burnt boat is a good candidate for any effort.

My opinion.

There's nothing on the boat, even cumlative, that would offset the cost of dragging it away plus the waste disposable charges to get rid of what's left from what might be usable.

Kurt,

Welcome aboard! Your post caught me just about to pull the trigger on this post.

With my previous statements, and those of others, I can only say: Go look at the boat first hand and make your decission from there. Take a plastic faced hammer & sound out every square inch of the hull for delamination or dead spots. There are ways to repair such damage as is seen, but they will be expensive and best done by a master fiberglass mechanic. The boat is a bit north of San Antonio, TX...

Any well executed cold molded boat is, in my opinion, superior to any fiberglass boat, at least until the rot sets in...

Br,

Patrick

Well, I know I shouldn't buy it but that thought of getting a $100000+ Bertram (once repaired) for under $500 is hard to turn on. But, all you guys have been there and done that on these boats. So, I'll wait for another basket case that wasn't at the hot dog roast. thanks guys.

Kurt

Look for another post here from a guy who purchased a Bahia Mar and is going to be selling just the hull. If he is for real, you might want it for a project boat. The only problem is you will need engines, shafts, struts and rudders. But then we all do when repowering.

I realize that my comments here should go on the Swap and Sell Board but.............I have Engines, Transmissions, Shafts, Struts, Rudders, Rudder Ports, Gages, Wiring Harness...........all recently removed from DeNada and ready for immediate sale.

Harry

Tony Meola wrote:Kurt

Look for another post here from a guy who purchased a Bahia Mar and is going to be selling just the hull. If he is for real, you might want it for a project boat. The only problem is you will need engines, shafts, struts and rudders. But then we all do when repowering.

I beleive it was someone with a flybridge cruiser that bought an express, not bahia mar, and is swapping the engines between the two. In my opinion, the express is the best of both worlds. Living space of a flybridge cruiser, with the single level cockpit of the bahia mar.

Nice catch Harv. I still like the Fly Bridge. Hate trying to look over that bow when running.

no comparison on aesthetics

Randall

To each his own, thats why they made several models. Its like women, no two are alike.

tony...i agree...to my way of thinking the bahia's are the most purposeful looking, the expresss are the most comfy looking and the flys are the look that made the brand (as far as looks go).

like boats ,when it comes to women its hard to find a really beautiful one that performs well and is comfy to boot......hard, but not impossible

tony
ive owned both the fbc and my present bahia mar, by far in my opinion the bahia mar is the most versatile of all the models. if i was to buy another 31 it would be a bahia

And all this time I thought women were all alike but merely just looked different...............?

Andre

They all think a like especially once you marry them.

Charlie

I really like the Bahia Mar, but my FBC does just what we need, and once I am done with the repower will hopefully be with me until the day I can not run it anymore. Lets face they are all great, all have the plus's and minus but at the end of the day, they do just what we want.

Unlike the woman Andre mingles with.

They are all great boats but my gal is "Sumpin Special".........

.........every time I "Turn DeNada On" she always "Returns the Favor"

Harry

tony
i agree with you 100%