bertram31.com

Hello everybody... My name is John and as of yesterday I am the proud new owner of a 1967 B31, with twin detroit 6v-71's she needs some work but its definitely a labor of love as I'm sure all of you know.. Stay tuned for some more postings including pictures... Any and all help is definitely appreciated! Talk to you all soon!
-John

Well John, welcome aboard. Now tell us how those DD 6V71s push that B31....... Maybe a typo on the engines? The 71s are a little big for the 31, maybe you meant 6V53s?

UV

Welcome aboard John and congratulations on your new "labor of love" truly the "Best Boat Ever Built" Good thing you got the Diesels. Now you can use it right away and work on it the same time. Dave K

Not a typo on the engines... they are detroit 6v-71's for sure. 700hrs.. The boat has been in drydock for many years but the prev owner has told me that she was a 38-40kt boat when she was in the water... Ideally I would like to repower her with a nice set of yanmars but dont cant spare the change $$ right now...
-John

Also any suggestions on the steering system?? It is the air system and I have not seen it work should I service it and keep the current system or switch to another type of system? hydraulic?
Thanks, John

John,

Congratulations on your 31 purchase. I am intrigued by the engines and wonder whether you could send a photo of the engines in the engine bay so I can re-assess the chances of fitting a pair of 4-71TAs into a 1963 31.

My email address is nd@2088.com.au and I'd appreciate as many low-res shots as you,ve got.

Thanks a bunch

Nic

They may actually be "detroit 6V53's Thanks Nic!
-John

Congratulations and welcome aboard! I'd suspect the previous seller was overselling the speed you're expecting. Plan on 20-30 kts max. As far as the steering goes-what do you mean by the air system? I originally had a manual Cadillac steering box in my stern that was original. very stiff in cold weather. Replaced with hydraulic and love it. Walter

Speed is no biggie... Just hoping that they run well... They were winterized properly and professionally but they have been sitting for years... The steering system looks hydraulic but i am told its air, the boat has dual stations any idea how difficult it would be to install and the reliability factor?

Congratulations oon the B31. I recommend the teleflex hydraulic system. Much simplier and easier to install than the hynautic system, especially with dual stations...probably cheaper as well. Keep things as simply as you can....

Garry

john
that boat has been sitting for awhile, were are you located. i live in freeport, and where are you going to run the boat out of.

She's been sitting for a while I used to work at the marina next door.. I have been just watchin her sit there for years now... the main goal right away is to get her up and running, a long but worthwile road ahead...
-John

iam right across the canal down by hudson point, harv is over there to, give me a shout anytime

I know a jet ski tech that worked over at Hudson but he moved... Bill Cosca... Good to know that you are nearby!
-John

Got the Summer Winds home yesterday morning... and CLEANED THE HECK out of her.. 12 years of crap dirt dust etc... I have been considering pulling out the gigantic! DD's and replacing them with a nice pair of the 6 cyl Cummins that they are selling as "refurbs" To take a little load off of her... Its suprising what a little soap and water can do... I looked closely at the steering system It appears to be in decent condition.. the helms turn freely, Im just going to want to replace those old copper lines and fittings Thanks again to IRguy for that info packed website... They apparently reseal and rebuild the ram's and helms if necessary.. I will get some new pics up asap...

Hi, John
Lotsa' luck with your new boat. Life will never be the same.

I'm sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop, sipping a cafe Latte.It's what they call a hot spot. . Very cool!

I'm east of you in Bay Shore with a Bahia Mar. Not too far. Let us know if we can help you in anyway.

Thank You!

Her new drydock

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Great!! Good to see you have gotten to work on her!!

I love the milky green of the old boats compared with the emerald green of the newer ones. You can tell they changed the resin over the years.

Does anyone know if those teak frames towards the front of the engine boxes are original or were they simply added to make room for my ji-mungous engines?

John,

They're extensions. Not stock...

Br,

Patrick

I've never seen the teak edging before. Just a thought John, on our FBC the top half of the bulkhead on the port side, and the door was removed making a semi-open sportfish with stand-up head to starboard. Works beautifully.

Nic

Welcome to the club

Capt Tom

I may get a little grief for this one but I love the old DDs. Wet liner engines go back to "like new" for very little cost and the 653's will run forever with almost "O" attention. They will bring you home with half the injectors fouled, prime themselves if you run out of fuel....the DD's are old, heavy, not to great on fuel consumption and very low tech, but if I had to go around the world with only one engine I may pick an old rebuilt DD. If the EPA had not come along and killed 2 strokes they would still be king of hill for high endurance diesel applications. I worked offshore in the Gulf's oil fields in my younger days and DDs were everywhere...and where always running!! So don't be too quick to junk the old DDs, if you can get them to turn over they may just run another 30 years.

My 2 cents..Scot