New B31 owner needs advice.

[J Clark]

I purchased a B31 about a month ago. The boat was supposedly redone by Caberea (sp) in Florida. With out going into the gory details of a poorly done make over. I need a little advice. What is the best adhesive to re-bed the front windows. They are plexiglass! Is Sikaflex 295 UV acceptable? The boat is over powered! The engines are Yanmar type 6LYA-STP and are reportedly rated at 370 HP. The hull has been altered, and has propeller pockets to reduce shaft angle and to accomodate the
22"x24" propellers. With a freshly done bottom, in a relatively calm sea, the boat repeatedly top out a 36.7 knots, at 3300 rpms. Question? There are NO ambient air engine vents. Please any advive appreciated. I am located in Georgetown, SC.

[CaptPatrick]

J,

Cabrera locates the air intakes under the side panel toekicks...

SikaFlex 295UV would be acceptable, but will make future removal of the outside frame very difficult. If the plexiglass is in good shape, you shouldn't have to replace them for quite some time. If they are starting to develope crazing, you might want to replace them before going with the SikaFlex.

American Marine in Pompano, FL can make new acrylic corner windows. http://www.americanmarine.com/

Br,

Patrick

[Tommy]

Jimmy,

I plan on coming down your way to look at some land after the first of the year, so I'm hoping you'll take me by to see your 31 "Bucktail" at that time. Did you ever figure out your hull #?

Tommy

[scot]

J Clark,

I don't think the boat is "over powered"...unless you, the Captain are foolish enough to run on the top end under questionable conditions. These boats are not Ocean racers. Just because it CAN....doesn't mean you have to! The weight of those engines is no problem and neither is the power...applied wisely.

The "poorly done make over" is another issue all together.

I think you will enjoy the added power with heavy loads and getting on plane quickly. Trust me, lot's of Bertram owners out there are jealous.

My $.02 cents about your engines is;
Enjoy.

Scot

[Bruce]

Pat,
I wonder if that was the boat sitting next to Gerry's at Cabrera's yard? I thought it was going back to Puerto Rico, but maybe it got sold. If it was then the exhaust risers need to be checked for height above the water line. He was havin a problem with that the last time I saw that boat.

If that is the current performance, then it is a prime example of under utilizing the horsepower of those engines.

The 315hp Yanmars get just a knot or two lower in speed at wot for 110 less hp.

If setup correctly, that boat should be in the 44 knot range with 370hp.

I would have the boat gone over by someone who is familiar with the 31 and the performance with repower experience to see where the anchor is draggin.

While I don't recommend that much power for the 31, it appears the engines have been neutered and that wot speed is at the top end of the safety zone. No problem.

While the current owner has the better deal, the owner who paid for the repower paid at least 60k for two knots.
That's 30k a knot.

[J Clark]

Thanks everyone for the input. I will post some pictures of the boat, so everyone can get a clear picture of the situations that I am dealing with. The plexiglass is not glazed or damaged in any way. A friend of mine who works for Gulfstream in Savannah, Ga. polished the outer surfaces and applied a protective finish. The window frames on the exterior are SS, we removed them, polished same and need to re-attach and bed.
Mack-Boring in Wilmington, NC is coming down to check the engines. They
said they would check the engine box pressure, to determine apple air intake. I don't know what the WOT speed should be in knots. She's stable at 35 knts. I had 200 gallons of fuel on board, 20 gallons of fresh water and two adults. Fortyfour (44 knots)...hmmm, not on my watch. Thanks again.