This is an advertisement that appeared in Life magazine . . . 1963 Bertram, 38 ft, 13 were made, this is #11
The boat was owned by Al B. Jr. and was called Spray Daze . . . he spays industrial fire retardants. All was almost compulsive about the boat and spent a small fortune. New 3208 diesels (now has just over 500 hours) and a ton of other new and rebuilt stuff
We took it out of the water for the hull survey. The surveyor was John Spencer, a Bertram specialist and I would use him again. The hull was very solid and no issues identified.
The Bertram has a relatively deep vee ensuring a comfortable ride.
A look forward in the salon shows the dinette layout which seats 4 comfortable. A small galley with fridge, microwave and sink, and hot water. The companion way brings you down to bunks on the ports side, head on the stbd side, and a v-berth at the bow. There is a lot of well thought out storage
In the salon there is a couch on the srbd sice, and the electrical panel fore of it. This boat used to have a helm in the salon but after the flybridge enclosure was added, the controls were removed.
The interior was totally redone in teak, and in respect of the original interior. These cabinets in the bunk area are a good example of the quality of work. Dovetail joints were used.
The bridge area on the flybridge comfortable seats 4 or 5 adults. Seating on the port side is plenty spacious for two.
Seating on the stbd side is tighter because the ladder is located there. Two adults can sit there but it is a bit on the tight side.
The electronics are outdated, and need to be replaced. The dash behind the wheel is original with new gauges installed.
In this pic you can see most of the original dash.
The Garmin chart plotter is OK. The auto pilot is really old, as is the radar. Will need an integrated electronics package.
The ladder to flybridge is on the stdb side. I will place a set of helm controls between the gunnel and the ladder. The surveyor is looking at the bait freezer.
The previous owner was a fishing fanatic and he even painted squid under the hull. “Every little bit helpsâ€
This is a pic taken before I bought the boat.
After the sale was completed on Thursday, Al the previous owner spent hours with us identify all of the systems (we numbered everything and took lots of notes). For example the boat has 5 tanks for a total of 454 gallons of fuel. This pic shows the values that can be use to transfer fuel between the tanks.
A new boat needed a name change. Here it is being applied, with Fubar512 watching.
On Friday we bought provisions and get the boat ready for our Saturday departure. Ed Fubar512 is in the cockpit and my son Pierre is sitting in the chair.
The engines are 3208 Cats at 375 hp. Less than 600 hours.
There is a new 8KW Northern Lights generator
The Bertram has two underwater lights and a ton of top-side lights that can light up an acre of water
This pic was taken as we tied down the spare shaft. It also had spare props and struts.
We left the docs on Saturday and went to fuel up. This is a railway bridge that we crossed under.
Less than 2 miles from the fuel docs we caught 8 ft of poly rope that wrapped around the shaft.
We easily removed the rope and had the boat back in the water by noon.
This is the last pic we took before the camera got broken.
The boat is now in maryland and I hope to bring it down to Pirates Cove, OBX, NC as soon as the weather clears up a bit
