bertram31.com

Peter Fallon and myself went to see a 31 today in Pompano Beach Florida. It was certainty pleasure to meet a member of the board and and see him in action. He saw so many things that I did not notice and he also spotted some major issues that I would not have know the difference between. The Exhaust (Street Elbow) was of a lesser grade and was not up to Code for example. He asked the owner, "You mean that hasn't melted yet?".
It was Great! Thanks Pete.

Here is what we went to see. The Adulteress.

http://www.photosbylaraine.com/TheAdulteress/

TIP: If you have a Mouse Wheel, you can scroll through the pictures instead of clicking.

John Ritchie

I don't know.

It doesn't have a bow chock......

Personally ... I don't think it quite right to do an on line commentary on a boat that someone is trying to sell. Think of yourself as seller.

Telling the truth is not slander.

Go see a bunch of boats and you'll see what fits Your Needs.


Pretty much everything on these boats can be fixed or repaired.

Questions are:
- do you want to leave boat in original condition
- do you want to do the work
-do you want to hire someone to do the work
- do you want to pay the price upfront for someone who has Already Done the work
-last-
- do you want to keep looking for that steal where someone has done the work and needs to get out of the boat and cannot wait for the better offer.

Where's the iron?

and the f.b. is not stock?

UV

Here is what we went to see. The Adulteress.

Not just a dog.... A real dog.

Don't walk away from it; RUN.

Looks a little tired and dirty, but if the running gear and engines are in good shape it can be brought back.

Woof! woof!....aaaarrrrrrrrr.....woof!!!!! Dog speak for "pile of guano".

UV

Guy's,
I agree with Bertramp, I do not air my opinions about other peoples vessels on the board unless I am asked a specific question. This post was put up by my client. However, Capt Pat is right on in his assesment. Vic, the iron is 1999 454 carbed Mercruisers with 2 to 1 Hurth gears, top ends both redone because of ethanol, with approx 10 hours. Vessel needs a ton of work.
Mike, the bow chock was given away when pulpit was installed.
Pete Fallon

The deck is shot. Plan on replacement. The teak is missing half its caulking which means it has water under it. No insight as to what the subdecking is, but that is a consideration. Rust stains there make me nervous half a country away. The under deck plumbing looks exciting as well.

She has nice lines, though the fly bridge is not original as noted. She needs fuel, as she sits really high. Not a bad thing, just a fact.

She can be brought back, but you need to decide if you want to tackle the project. And there are strong elements of a project there...

Dug

With the different flybridge it looks topheavy. Anyone else concerned about the center of gravity?

I am a conservative when it comes to buying a classic.....no no for the modified bridge.....as a buyer, always remember you are at the top of the chain....keep looking and when you have evaluated at least 5 or 8 boats, then make an educated decision.

I don't think that I would buy it, but that is just me . . . The flybridge looks like a Hatteras! Probably more user freindly than a Bertram's, but not as pretty.

ok is the pipe union the steering linkage and are the exhaust y's PVC

you will find the right boat, dont rush. what are they asking for her if you dont mind me asking? there are alot of deals out there, but i fell in love with the first one, it was perfect for me, and the price was right for me

sim wrote: - do you want to keep looking for that steal where someone has done the work and needs to get out of the boat and cannot wait for the better offer.

Naturally I like this last option. Buyers market and all. I do want to get my hands dirty and do some work though. Therapy. I have done a little glass work. I built a 7 foot dingy out of ply and glass. I am not that mechanically inclined. I can swap out a part or so. Replacing a Teak Deck is something I think I can tackle. (Great instruction here).

ok is the pipe union the steering linkage and are the exhaust y's PVC

Hi Coolair, The exhaust y is PVC. and the pipe union I am not sure about. Maybe Peter will chime in. I meant to ask that question. I was curious myself. I have a feeling you are right.

Personally ... I don't think it quite right to do an on line commentary on a boat that someone is trying to sell. Think of yourself as seller.

Bertramp, If I was an owner and saw this I would be unhappy.

I meant this to be about Peter (A Shameless Plug) and our first meeting and the opportunity to learn; a story about how he was able to detect the the PVC pipe being the wrong schedule among other things. Not about a particular boat and owner.
If I had intended a commentary this would have been entirely different.
There are a lot of things that transpired between the seller and I that disappointed me. Par for the course. It has happened before and it will happen again. Lets just put it that the seller had no interest in making it easy to see his boat. I was to the point of almost telling the seller to forget it. Don't bother to reply.
If the pictures here reflect a truer representation of the current condition of a boat, then I did a service to both the seller and the buyer, IMHO. Sellers don't want to misrepresent do they? A buyer will balk and walk, or worse, buy and be disappointed or even angry. Buyer Beware? A time waster for both parties.
As far as the responses, I did not expect this type of reaction. the poll actually shows the boat to be of representative quality of a boat it's age. After all it is a B31.

This is the boat that you mentioned you saw before. Is this the one? Does this look familiar? I bet she has changed since you saw her.

How I think I can improve:

In the future don't mention the boats name and location unless asked.

How can I improve and still share the photos of what I find, while on my quest for "My B31"? Any suggestions?

John Ritchie

Guy's,
I think we've beat this subject to death and he will be passing on this one.

Yes, Cool Air there is a union in the galvinized pipe steering linkage don't know why, lots of strange thinks done to this boat. PVC Y pipes in exhaust system, couldn't tell if it was schedule 40 or 80.
The teak deck and sub decking is shot, along with the covering boards, wiring and thru hulls need to be redone completely, head doesn't work, boat has not been hauled in a year and half, etc, etc, etc.

Let's find John a boat that doesn't need to be completely overhauled, next vessel to see is in Miami on Sat morning.

Also, anyone know the Chaser from Jaxsonville. He sent me pictures of the boat, could be a vessel of interest. It's a 3-1/2 hour drive each way from my house if I have to go up to look at the boat, so if anyone knows her call me 561-310-7179 or e-mail me.

I think some people are having some fun here, on several levels

(cool)

Pete,

I got your PM, and hope you got my voicemail. I don't know the boat Chaser, but have asked someone in our marlin club to put the word out requesting information. I'd be happy to take a preliminary look if you would like.

Best regards,

ITcookY wrote:

Don't worry...it's a boat you'll have plenty of work to do.

To me, The Big Difference is do you want to be able to go out on a Safe Sea Worthy boat and then tinker on projects and maintenance items on Your Schedule OR do you want to Work and Fix things just to get the boat to go or worse yet fix things so you can get back to dock without calling Sea Tow.

Even with the best boat and best upkeep you may still find yourself in need of a tow back...but the chances are much slimmer.

Then again maybe your looking for a project boat where every system comes out and you bring everything back without using the boat till your done.



Maybe others think different....to me PVC for the exhaust is a no no. To me PVC below the waterline is a no no. I don't care what schedule it is It is just something I would not be comfortable with. They make fiberglass elbows just for this purpose...sure it cost a few bucks more... but we are talking about a several inch hole at or below the waterline...to me...not a place to cut corners.

Replacing teak covering boards...a project...but you could use boat.

Now a boat with the Subfloor rotting out...now you have to pull the teak deck, pull subfloor and possible remove the supports holding the floor up. Doable...but its not a tinker and go for a ride then come back to the dock and tinker some more project.


One last point...my last boat when the motor was not Run within the day you needed to give Two Full Strokes of the throttle, back to the neutral setting then go to 1/4 throttle hit the key and the motor would kick off on the first revolution or so. That was if it was the hottest day or the coldest day. If you didn't do that routine you could crank it and crank it till you got a sputter then finally a start but it would be flooded out badly.

I could have probably fixed that...but I knew the quirk, told anyone that came aboard so they knew...just in case, even thou after she was started it would fire up immediately by just turning the key.

What I'm saying is some boats have quirks that have been learned thru the years...owners know the quirks and feel the boat is reliable and dependable and to them it is...to some it may seem as other...IMHO its just a reason some may be apprehensive about down talking a boat on an open forum.

Wow, three B31 named Chaser. FL,GA,NC.
I didn't know it was that popular name.

Frank

To me, The Big Difference is do you want to be able to go out on a Safe Sea Worthy boat and then tinker on projects and maintenance items on Your Schedule OR do you want to Work and Fix things just to get the boat to go or worse yet fix things so you can get back to dock without calling Sea Tow.

I would say the first option. "Go out on a Safe Sea Worthy boat and then tinker on projects and maintenance items on Your Schedule." that is what I would prefer.

Thank You!