Hull Changes

[Major]

I know all my posts seem to be about projects so here is yet another.

Keep in mind this is purely hypothetical and is mostly for informational purposes. If yall could change your bertram 31 or 28 hull what would you do, why and how? Some examples could be add more flare to the bow, integrate a bow pulpit, add a transom door or make the walkway to the bow wider.

I dont guess it would have to be limited to the hull so maybe above the deck as well. Say longer engine boxes, different type windows, larger/smaller or no flybridge.

While i was in Belize a few years ago i saw a bertram 28 that a guy had in his backyard that was stripped on the inside and didnt have a flybridge. On the back it looksed like he built is with the slanted back like center consoles have and mounted outboards i suppose. They used them as a ferry for tourists to the island we were at.

[In Memory Walter K]

Some bow flair might help keep the spray down. I would personally like a transom door.

[Carl]

Some bow flair might help keep the spray down. I would personally like a transom door.

Yes and yes.

On the Express I'd also like the motor boxs to be easily removable.

[JP Dalik]

Change? for a 31 footer not a thing

Bow flair makes the boat wider or the interior smaller, no thank you

Transom door allow another entry way for water to get in, the boat is already low enough in the water, grab a gin pole and pull, or if your lucky enough to catch something that big drag and brag.

This hull sits like a duck in the ocean. Rides like a champ in shit most bigger boats wonder about making it home in. And most of all its only 31 ft. long. The B31 is the perfect "pocket sportfisherman"

If I had one wish it would be that it was a late 80's 54' and I had the money to run it.

You don't mess with perfection

[Capt. DQ]

Yea, I agree with dat JP, if we had those changes then its not the same. About like trying to make changes on a 67 fastback Corvette 327 4sp tranny, yellow with a Black racing strip down the middle, Sweetttt! Low Ryder. A ole 54 BERT what a Battlewagon fish catcher. But ole 42 Bert ant bad either for that matter.

JP PM me your 20 for that seasoning.

DQ

[Brewster Minton]

I think its perfect in every way. People think I need a new boat, and some say its not safe. It just shows how little they know. Pulling out the inlet in big waves I pull away from other boats and they have to go back, later telling me "you guys must have been getting killed" I grin. To me its a tank/ 4x4 I can go anyday were ever I want. And it raises fish better than any other boat in the world. Oh, one more thing, they are owned by the nices guys you could ever meet that would do anything they could to help you.

[bob lico]

brewster you have alot of non- belivers changing there ways. here the mouth of fire island inlet is 50 times larger then moriches and you would see a fleet of 20' to 35 ' boats hanging out drifting or anchor . only the 60' to 80' party boats will venture out to the reef and one 31' bertram.you know the feeling 50 people pointing to your boat like "what the hell" are you crazy. other then anchoring in 8' waves which i do from the starboard cockpit there is no problems what so ever. the bow goes directly into the wind and other then looking at these big waves from the stern you would never know your anchored in 6 to 8 footers. i belive those enomous rudders and building the boat from scratch with all weight along the keel along with very light bridge has added tremedous stability to the hull. trust me the roll is cut down 50% .i have 3 guys drinking coffee out of a regular mug while fishing the reef people on the big party boat are amased looking at this little battleship in these wave conditions.sometimes a rogue come along and breaks over the bow (due to the boat being anchored) and breaks on the composite windshield ----no problem except the pain in the wallet from the three 350 yamaha sitting on a bracket of a center console yellowfin with the waves breaking over the bow he pulls anchor and runs for the inlet all for 380,000 worth of boat!!!!all of us on this board are put on this earth to educate the stupid know it all`s of the marine world ; " well i think the best boat---" my answer DON`T THINK i allready show you the best of the best in rough water.

[In Memory of Vicroy]

The Faithful have invented and implemented the major mods....glassed in front windshields, glass decks, half towers with enclosures, hi tech paint instead of gel coat, oversize rudders, modern diesels.....and that's about it. Composite window frames are nice too. The people that tried to rework the B31 and market it have all failed for one simple reason - there was nothing at all wrong with the boat to start with, in fact, it was and is the best boat ever built......why spend 350 grand for a 'new' one when for 150 you can buy a tricked out oriiginal? Norbert Feretti wanted to try it but his financial backers and bean counters back in Italy put the brakes on it...why? A money loser.

The boat needs nothing right out of the box....the realization that for real short money anyone can own one, use it right now and spend a lifetime upgrading it is just hard for people who don't have one to swallow. And if you don't go too nuts on upgrades, your investment is sound and you can get most of your money back anytime.

I'm fixing to head to the camp in some really nice weather, put on my shorts and sandals, and give ole AJ a real nice bath and work on my tan.

UV

[Carl]

Bow flair makes the boat wider or the interior smaller, no thank you

How does bow flair make the boat wider??? Unless your looking at a huge Carolina type flair..but there is alot in between the two.

A touch of flair to knock down the spray would do wonders on those days you have to run quartering into the wind.

Look at the spray rails some have put on, they claim it works great and they are not all that big. At least not big enough to change the entry of the boat...I would not want to change that. Granted they detract from the overll lines, but if they could be molded into the hull in a fashion that keeps the lines. Nice improvment.

As perfect as something is, I believe nothing is perfect.

[CaptPatrick]

The enemy of good is better...

[John F.]

If you want a B31 with more flair, a bigger flybridge, a more open interior... get a Blackfin. But it won't be a B31, and I got a B31 instead of a BF for a reasons...actually lots of reasons.

[Carl]

Rowing was good, Sailing is better.
Sailing was good, Steam is better.
Steam was good, Gas is better.
Gas was good, Diesel is better.
Diesel was good, .....

Everyone seemed happy pounding away before Dick Bertram ran with a better Hull Design for offshore waters. If he had that "The Enemy of Good is Better" mentality we may still be pounding away in flat bottomed boats.

We may have the best boats ever built...but you can only prove that by comparing. You can't compare a Classic 31 to a 31 with bow flair unless you build/modify one and actually prove which is best.

Me, I'll settle for what I have. It may not be "Perfect" but it's good enough for me.

[Major]

Sounds good so far.

What are your thoughts on extending a 28 hull to handle more like a 31? It may enable you to make larger engine boxes but then agan it could throw off the balance of the boat.

How about raising the hull sides in the cockpit so you have more to lean against? Didnt they do that for a few years on the 28 Bertram?

About the blackfin.... I think Bertram made a much better choice on the flybridge size. While its not huge its big enough. I dont see how someone could design that wierd looking base/overhang to the flybridge on the blackfin.

I know a pretty common modification to the 28's and 31's is to either glass in or change the front windshield. If you remade it on a 28 would it have 3 panels, 2 single panels, bent glass around the corner , glassed in or keep it stock? The same goes with the 31 but would you do away with the seperate curved pieces?

I talked to someone a few days ago that had a 28 with the outboard factory and he said the normal props were MUCH easier to dock with. The pivot point was just too far back from what he said.

In trying to figure out what i want to do with my 28 ive considered many options even including waterjets. They would have the same problem as the outboards without some modifications to move them to where the rudders would be. If i could find a setup small enough but powerful enough i would look into a hybrid diesel electric.

[In Memory Walter K]

I did not know there even was a 28 factory outboard. I did see a 28 outboard in Montauk having a helluva time trying to get closer to the dock and couldn't figure out if it was the boat or the skipper, but this might explain the problem. I find that twin inboards (with a bit of experience) allow you to get in and out of almost anywhere. Outboards, and even IO's aren't as responsive (to me).

[Ripsangler]

I purchased my Bert 31 because of it's classic lines and style. When fishing the canyons I would look out to the horizon and could only make one recognizable silouette. The 31 is timeless and I'm proud to finally own one.

[Rocky]

Wouldn't change anything on mine, just make it as it was first built off the Bertram yard. Exceptions would be diesels I guess, and a few minor changes but I would not want it "land locked" too long, would have to have the funds on hand for a fast turn-around. Watch your bow flare, it will start to change lift of bow instead of "punching through" like we do now. My Skipjack 25 had a lot of bow flare and I did not like how it lifted up in heavy head seas when the "flare"section met each wave. Other than that, that Skippy was a good boat, Not like the Bertram though!!
Rocky

[bob lico]

rocky i drove that skipjack 30' in rough water with twin 315hp yanmars .great boat nice design and i think that was the only boat i ever had the pleasure of using with a factory stainless tower. always wondered how they held up after years of use?window arrangement similar to 31 bertram.

[coolair]

if it aint broke dont fix it, mine has worked beautifully for 40yrs why change perfection, and function

[Harry Babb]

Rowing was good, Sailing is better.
Sailing was good, Steam is better.
Steam was good, Gas is better.
Gas was good, Diesel is better.
Diesel was good, .....

Diesel was good, getting finished and floating again will be better....


H

[Major]

Harry Babb: I definatly agree with you on that one.

[bob lico]

refering to the topic of transom door .the 31 bertram was built like a claw foot round bath tub of victorian era.to cut a transom door in the stern would destroy the structual interity of the hull much like the inherited strength of triangle structure.in my humble opinion the gin pole is the only answer and a teriffic way to get rid of the ladder to the bridge.by the nature of a gin pole the risk factor with a shark is eliminated.
the shark is tailroped as usual but in this case the tail rope is connected to the gin pole and the shark is hoisted TAIL FIRST then the flygaff is used to pull the head in the boat facing the transom out of harms way.with the tail suspended the shark,swordfish is in a very safe condition.i have fish in quite a few differant boats in the last ten years but pulling a big mako in head first thru the transom door of a 45' cabo had me a little jittery.the 31 bert cockpit is great the gin pole just makes it that much better and for those of us who`s lower back is destroy over the years bringing in a 190 pound big eye is a piece of cake with the gin pole and better yet not having a son of a bitch put that gaff into my hull side!!!!

[Harv]

A touch of flair to knock down the spray would do wonders on those days you have to run quartering into the wind.

Carl,

A set of Smart Rails at the water line will cut down spray.

[jspiezio]

I've fished thousands of hours on a BF32 as well as on B31s that we have owned through the years. I can honestly say that the BF rides much more solidly, especially in a head sea, than the B31s. They are much heavier boats, so that is to be expected. It is also drier, and bigger in the cockpit and inside the cabin. But, all that being said, the B31s are much prettier and cooler. There is a certain "wow" factor that you get with a classic Ferrari Super California that a Lamborghini will never match.

Harv, I found problems with big boats and outboards because a) the props sit so damn close to center line, b) the props are so damned small. The 32 Regulator was a bitch to spin on her axis just for those reasons.

[Rocky]

Bob, that Skipjack25 I owned would take it, and take it, and---. I think it was one of the most structurally sound boats I've had, but only for 8 years. The Bertram is more of a joy to operate and what a feeling of confidence coming up to some large seas, like a linebacker shouldering through. I love it!!
Rocky.

[bob lico]

rocky at one time about 10 years ago we were skipjack dealers and i allways wanted to put a 316ss radar arch on the bertram as a copy of the one on the 30' skipjack. be it as it may there are no 30' skipjacks around to see how those beautiful radar arch/tower held up in the elements. i was told numerous times the welds would crack but i never saw evidence of this while we sold them.they are made in your neck of the woods and very rare on the east coast just through you may have seen a 30' lately.

[Carl]

Carl,

A set of Smart Rails at the water line will cut down spray.

True Harv they would...

running home after a late fall morning fishing for stripers, that cold wind picks up a bit so the waves tops are just about being blown off, you could run hard enough to stay ahead of most of your bow spray, but not today, water is filled with debris, so you trudge home at 18 knots, seems every 3rd or 4th wave comes back at you, soaking you to the bone.

you pull in, grab a shot of Wild Turkey to numb the chill, stow your gear. You'd like to give the boat a good rinse, but the thermometor has dipped below freezing and the marina shut the water, so you leave, but one last look back at the boat, it's completely covered in salt spray, but those lines....a small grin breaks on your face.

Harv,
I love the looks of the boat, love the ride. I am not thrilled about having so much spray kicked back at me...especailly fridged days.

Spray rails are supposed to work, but the ones I have seen, take away from he overall appearance. Not horrible, but when I weigh the options, I'll take the spray.

I said I would like flare, maybe I was wrong...what I should have said was I want a dryer running 31 Bertram without detracting from the performance or it's lines.

Transom door...not so much for fish. We have some friends and family that find it difficult to get on the boat. Letting them walk in the transom would be nice.

although I do relish the thought of hoisting my Mother-in-Law on board with a Gin Pole...( I never said that)

[STraenkle]

IMHO, other than make the interior a little more condusive to actually sleeping on, I would make the bridge 8 inches wider so 3 real humans can sit up there. Just moving the sides out 4 inches on each side would make a world of difference up there. I am kind of tired being alone on the bridge all the time, however it does come in handy when certain people climb aboard....

[Carl]

I am kind of tired being alone on the bridge all the time, however it does come in handy when certain people climb aboard....

Sometimes the wife will ask me why I'm driving from the tower and not keeping her and the kids company...

[bob lico]

i explain this once before. i had the use of the entire todd/tracy manufacturing plant from the ceo. for a favor i did for his wife . the design engineer work with me and help me he are the results; just imagine a movie house whereby you have two seats with one arm between. the todd " montauk" model with the arm remove from the port chair is a perfect fit with 1/4" space on either side. there is a optional five setting shock absorber that goes under the chair .you can fall asleep at the wheel in 4' waves!!! you cannot see the cushion arm in between the chairs from the photo but you get the idea . ipower coated the chairs white and it turn out to be the most coftable bridge i have ever sat in on a 31 bertram.

[Rocky]

Awesome setup Bob, you do great work.
Rocky