bertram31.com

Hello, Bertram 31 members, new to the board (sandbox) want to say Hi and share a little bit about myself and my Bertram 31 project.
My name is Joe, 36 from Long Beach, California. I have a wonderful wife and 2 amazing boys. I am a firefighter/paramedic by trade but more of a jack of all, master of none. I am also a 100ton USCG LICENED captain. I have a pretty extensive background in carpentry (dad is a cabinet maker) mechanics (come from a family of mechanics) and most importantly West Coast style Island fishing. I grew up fishing the local waters here in So Cal and at the age of 19 bought my first boat, a 1968 20 foot Skipjack. Half way through its life with me, I did a complete restoration on her. After out- growing her, I moved up to a local boat builders 26 foot pilot house that we commercially fished for the last 6 years. At the end of last session I sold her to build a Dream. We had been looking for a boat for a few years prior to her sale and after always coming up short on the hull design or being out priced of a factory boat I decided to build what I wanted my way! We looked at a ton of boats and always came back to the Bertram 31 hull. After a year (took a 4 month break to finish one of my other projects) we are to the point shown in the pictures. I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to pick your brains on the Bertram 31, the knowable base here is truly remarkable. If anybody ever needs anything from the West Coast don’t hesitate to ask.
The Boat is a 1983 31 Bertram, a true cult classic one of the finest boats ever built. A few people here in the local area have had some pretty harsh words for what my vision is for her. One nice gentleman even wished she sank, how nice of him! (I know it was like cutting up a 57 Chevy). The boat we are building is the perfect west coast island boat. We like to think of it as the boat Ray Hunt never designed. I Look forward to hearing from you and reading your opinion. Thanks Joe

The boat

D-day



Starting the lay out and mold build




Took a 4 month break to finish my wifes 61 caddy only took 6 years

Engines out (This wasnt planned but the new 260B will be sweet

Mold for the house

House out of the mold (all glass)

More to come, I will poat pictures as progress moves foward. weekly I hope.

welcome aboard....you are a man with vision....and tenacity.

i've spent a fair bit of time around the channel islands myself..

great project!

Welcome aboard........WOW! ! !

Your in good company here....that's for sure.

hb

Welcome. Cool boat.

Jump right in the old sandbox Joe....plenty of room.... we almost have the same vision of the perfect boat...check the post roofs on...thats too funny...great job...BH

Great project. Whats it getting for power?

Thanks guys, I plan on picking you brains a lot over the next year.

Bob H. I know Great minds think alike. I would love to see more pic of what you have done. I would also like to see your engine set up.

Capt bone, The Plan is 220B or 260B I would like to stay with the current 1 3/8 shafts I have, But I hear that if I go 260 I will need to bump up to 1 1/2.

Can anybody tell me the shaft angle on the 83 Bertram?

Joe....the boat is pretty cool and its evident that you have put a lot of thought into it.

But.......

I am REALLY! ! curious and wanting to see the rest of the engine lifting boom. I love the addition on top.....looks very similar to my way of thinking...LOL

hb

joe e i should think 14 degrees in a 1986. that is actually measured bertram might list it slightly different .

I think the side window is to big. It should be two windows. In huge waves, slamming, I would think it would flex too much. I like how it looks but having a top on my boat that is like that in some ways, that would be my concern. I do like the look. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2414 ... 4024twrKlQ

Harry, here are some more pics. When we built it we said its either going to work perfect or fail miserably. Not incluiding the man hours my buddy put into fabercation the lift only cost 60 bucks. 99% of it was a donated. Not to shabby!






Brewster, I dont think the window will be an issue. The laid up glass is 3/8 inch thick and strong. It's not as big as it looks, Here is a pic of my old boat the window is just slightly bigger

Welcome Aboard

Sorry guys,

you must have your reasons but,

I think this a complete waste of the beautyfull original design .

I can understand bob's conversion , but this .................damn.

Gert, I agree, itk verstaat

I am with Gert on this one, this looked like a very nice late model B31.
For the type of rebuild being done here, surely there was a basket case B31 out there that would have better suited for this style of rebuild.
I hav enothing against the rebuild, just the starting platform being used.
I would have killed for a boat that nice/original.

Joe

Glad to see you made it. Don't worry about the what everyone says. They don't call this group the mean team for nothing.

What you will learn is that we will knock each other from time to time, but if you ever need help, any kind of help, this is the group for you. They will be there.

Good luck and keep the pictures coming.

Joe E,
I can't understand why didn't you just buy a Skip Jack, I know the 31 Bertram rides great but it seems like a lot of work on your conversion. No resale value as a 31 Bertram FBC anymore. But to each its own, just seems like a waste of a perfectly good 31 FBC, I could see the conversion if the boat was a bare hull. Anyway, welcome aboard and good luck with your project, from a former jake.

Hey Joe. Aint this fun. Just don't hang 2 outboards on the back.
Hazing.... Welcome.

pete you have some great memory .we were a skipjack dealer about eight years ago as i remember the 30' was a great rough water boat and had twin 315 yanmie`s .well build, nice salon and stainless steel radar arch .built on the west coast i am sure there is a old one around at a reasonable price with twin diesels in it .there is a behia mar locally for 10 grand in great condition??????? as oppose to cutting the bridge off a 31 fbc.

Joe E,

My opinion is your ruining the lines of a Classic 31 Bertram FBC.

I'll go further to say who gives a crap what I think!! If it is your vision...go for it...its just a boat and it will always be a 31 Bertram with that hull.

Someone hoping it sank...what goes around comes around. No need to think further on what he thinks.


Good luck with her, your going to have a hell of a boat when your done...cause the 31 is one hell of a boat.

Welcome to the Sandbox.

CArl

Joe,

You have me beat, I thought I might be one of the younger members, I just turned 37.

I have always admired these boats and my dream was to get one and rebuild it, better than the original to keep in my family.

I grew up fishing on a 25 Bertram (age of 2), then the family went up to a 35 Bertram ( when I was 13) we spent a lot of time in the Bahamas. When I was in college and my father could not keep up with the boat and had to sell it. After graduating Dental school ,I purchased my Bertram 25 to get back into fishing with my father and taking trips to the Bahamas. Now we are rebuilding a 31.

Its your dream boat, make it yours, and it will always be a Bertram.
Looks like you have put a lot of hard work and thought into the build.

Spencer

Joe: Welcome! What you will find is that while we may have different taste in how we like our boats to look, the members here will always give you good advice on any questions you ask. Therefore don't be intimidated by your initial contact!

not really different tastes, pretty much all the same tastes and opinions, lol


if he was putting outboards on the boat that would really send the board over the edge. I like anything outside the box as long as its executed well and looks like it was born that way

Joe, thanks for the windows, and to each there own.I respect your vision and tenacity. Good luck and stay in contact.

Welcome aboard.

I've seen many of these guys wives and or girlfriends.

Most wouldn't know what was good looking to begin with.......

How's that for a shot from the Mean Team. :)


Welcome aboard, boat looks good.

"I've seen many of these guys wives and or girlfriends.

Most wouldn't know what was good looking to begin with....... "


Bruce, I almost wet myself reading that!

Tom

Zzzzing

There is no higher praise than a post from our illustrious leader.

I am humbled....................

Bruce wrote:I've seen many of these guys wives and or girlfriends.

Most wouldn't know what was good looking to begin with.......

How's that for a shot from the Mean Team. :)


Welcome aboard, boat looks good.

LOL

Pretty mean, Bruce. Especially 'cause you have seen mine, but I won't tell.
You're still welcome at my house.

Joe E...

One thing I suspect you have noticed is that this forum is full of guys who are, if anything, individuals who have their own ideas about how almost everything in this world is supposed to be. Not that they all agree!

Good luck with your project! I am completing a rebuild of my B33.. nothing as extreme as you are doing, but nevertheless it will be my own boat with my own ideas as to how it should be.

They tolerate me here as long as I show respect and deference to those who came before.. but by and large one of the best bunch of guys I have ever come across!

Welcome

I didn't say all of em, just some of em.

Those Portuguese windshields do work great, especially nice out west. Workmanship seems top notch, Good luck

Joe E. take it from me. These guys know everthing. My boat is the black duck here and they still talk to me.

Welcome Joe,

Good looking rebuild. Gotta consider that a boat from the 60's or 70's is only worth what your or someone else wants it for.

So, full steam ahead on your rebuild to suit you. The biggest thing is that having a boat configured the way you want at a known good state is the best!!

After my repower the best thing I can say is that it works and I know everything was done right.

br,
johnD

Bruce

Now that was funny. Now, who wants to be the first one to give up Bruce to the wives at the next Rendevous he attends. LOL

Joe

I will say this, I have been on this board for a while, and I think your hello has been the most, well let's say the one that has raised the most outspoken reaction.

Just remember it is yours. Heck we let Hatterass guys on this board that try and turn them into express's.

By the way were is Thud.

As I understand it, working, hunting, dog training and Triathalons.

i have to admit i thought about timmy when i saw this thread. taking boats apart is easy....putting them back together......not so much.

he's been running , back country skiing and shooting.

Joe,welcome aboard.Dont worry about the mean team, few years back Dug Stowe was quoted saying that Brewsters boat was a disgrace to the Bertram wings,look where that went

Nothin' wrong with Brew's boat. Just don't scratch the blood...

Brewster Minton wrote:Joe E. take it from me. These guys know everthing. My boat is the black duck here and they still talk to me.

Brewster...you have a down and dirty fishing machine...a machine that catches fish and lots of 'em. That alone gets you more points to outshine an impeccable paint job any day in my book.

CJ

Brews green machine has a style all its own...hope he NEVER changes a thing but engines and oil...a perfect fish slayer..hope my old girl ends up a close second...BH

First let me just say that I respect all of your opinions whether you love the design or hate it. Sometimes you have to have thick skin if you’re going to step outside the box. I work in an environment where thick skin is a must! We are a Bunch of Type A “know it all” Fireman. Any negativity just fuels the fire to make it an even more amazing boat. No matter what your opinion is I want to extend a hand to anybody traveling to southern California to come fishing with us. I think we all have something in common. We love Bertram’s, fishing and the ocean for what it does to us.
The Bertram 31 FBC is one of the most beautiful boats out there. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is another boat out there with the classic lines and stance that the Bertram 31 has. She is an elegant boat and built like a battle ship, which is precisely why we picked the Bertram 31 hull, top side, engine configuration and deck. Believe me we did our homework before we picked a vessel to modify. We climbed on 100s of boats and test rode many. I put over a 1000 engine hours a year on my boats so I knew what I wanted. After 2 years we decided on 4 different boats (Bertram, Blackfin, Chris Craft Tournament and Blackman boats). In the end the Bertram fit our needs the best. As to why not a 30 skipjack, one of my best friends owns a 30 Skippy, great boat! Rides nice, Dry, big, fast, but the deck lifts to access the engines. That means no bait tank on the deck which is a must for me. The new boat will sport a 140 gallon 10 scoop bait tank it’s a must for the type of fishing we do. We fish market size squid and sardines and you can never have enough bait.
The main reason we didn’t buy a basket case Bertram was for two reasons. Just as I do when I am going to restore a classic car I try and find the most solid car I can for the best value. It helps even though I am still reinventing the wheel sometimes. This boat was solid but neglected and hadn’t been run in two years. A lot of TLC and cash would have been needed to get her sea worthy, the perfect platform for us. Second there just isn’t a lot of Bertram 31 for sale in my back yard, plus I have never seen an Bahia Mar around these waters but I am sure there a few around me. This boat was close, I knew its history and we settled on a price that everybody was happy with.
We fish year round here and half of our fishing is done at night and 99% is on anchor. Some trips I set the anchor over a 100 times. The pilot house fits our needs perfect. It is a nice, big, warm cabin to navigate in, run out on deck fast, cook, sit down, sleep, watch TV, or anything else you can think of. Climbing up and down a fly bridge just really isn’t practical for our fishery or fishing style.
Spencer, who is the youngest board member on the site? I may be 36 but my wife says I have the oldest soul of anybody she has ever met, except when I am chasing her around the house trying to get her naked haha. I hear what you’re saying. I grew up fishing on an old family boat that my dad fixed up. He was always working on it. Helping him made me who I am today. The first charter boat he took me on was down into Mexico, I was 13. We were down 50 miles in mex catching tuna. I went in to get a jacket and part of the cabin was on fire. We were thankfully rescued by the coast guard a few hours later. The deck hands managed to keep the fire at bay with buckets of water till helped arrived but in the end the boat was destroyed. Stuff like that makes us who we are today. I look forward to everybody’s knowledge and experience I already have a million questions to ask. Thanks, Joe

We are a Bunch of Type A “know it all” Fireman.

Know them well. Have one as a son in law.

Even argues with my brother in law who's been a doctor for over 35 years on medical issues. After all firefighter/paramedics trump doctors don't they?

I think your nuts, but I wish you the best with the project and hope she turns out to be one heck of a fish-killer....

While I am impressed with your Portugese bridge plans.. if you really want to impress the guys here... reverse the windshield on the Cadillac!

Well the first thing I learned was how to spell Portuguese. The second was what a Portuguese bridge/windows actually are.

This boat will not be recognizable as a B31, classic lines. I personally like the Bahia conversion like bob is doing. But I applaud your utilitarian view of what works for you and not caring that few will know you've got the best hull ever built below you.

BTW I'm also 38 I think whaler1777 has us all beat in the youth category.

pete congrats on the soon to be new addition to the family. One of the high lights of my life is getting to take my boys fishing. we are very lucky. Joe

Peter,
Anyone who truly knows the 31 will recognize the hull without the super structure. If they can't then they don't know a 31.


I took in a repower from the Bahamas on a 31 where a fire destroyed the cabin and bridge.

They decked over the cabin area and made it a center console with a half tower above that. It sat at my marina for a year while I finished another 31 I was doing.

Can't tell you how many people recognized it by the hull.

Joe,
Welcome aboard. Glad to have another non-traditional 31 to take some heat. At least, you didn't kick the hornets nest, and power with outboards like I did on Targeted Species.
Kipp