Recently new member to this great site and owner of a 1973 B28! I am a huge fan of the B31 and have fished on a quite a few, but I just couldn't pass up a good deal on a 28 with yanmar diesels(very rare in PR).
Born & raised in Puerto Rico and working in the construction industry as a civil engineer. I keep the boat at my house in the South and yesterday finally managed to haul her out of the water. I am looking forward to get her up and running in the next few months. Seems the last owner did not give her much maintenance or use for at least 2 years, so you can imagine the list of things I have in front me. Just to give a short preview...both turbos have the hot side heavily corroded and are actually stuck...exhaust components are corroded and leaking... a couple of soft spots in the deck and some rot in the aft upper bulkhead walls.. etc.etc. At least I have large rudders :)
Well, just wanted to briefly introduce myself and hope that with all the knowledge and expertise from you guys I can get my B28 in the water before the next blue marlin season. Thanks again for having me here!
- George
here are a few pictures of my first bertram. Will keep you posted with progress pics as soon as i start.
Judging by the growth on the bottom, it looks like she's been in the wter quite a while; but the rudder and shaft zincs show very little corrosion. Must not be a lot of stray current in her old slip. Very nice boat, and you will love those (4-LH ?). You've come to the right place!
George,
Welcome aboard, nice looking 28', she'll clean up nicely. Please invest in 2 more jack stands for the bow area, get rid of the concrete blocks they are not meant to be used as blocking on boats, concrete blocks do not do well when compressed for long periods of time. Get some wood blocking and 2 jack stands and use 3 piles of blocking along the centerline of the keel. Also put some 3' x 3' of plywood under the jack stands to keep from sinking into the soft gravel in your driveway. Check the cutlass bearings, rudder packing, shaft log packing and make sure all thru hull fittings operate freely before she goes back in the water. Welcome aboard again.
Pete Fallon
Thank you all for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to take note of all your advice and tips.
Pete, I as well don't like the idea of using concrete blocks for support but it was the only thing I had at the moment for the bow. I'm planning on fabricating a couple jack stands here in the steel division of the company I work for. I'll be sure to change those blocks as soon as i have them ready.
As for the 3'x3's, I put the boat in a specific area where there is concrete below the thin layer of soil & gravel to prevent any settling of the jack stands. But i'll put the 3x3's just to be safe.
While I don't have a B31, I have been welcomed by this group who I feel are some of the best people I have not yet met! I know they will welcome you as well! The info I obtained from the guys here has saved me time and money, and definitely helped me during my rebuild of my boat. My boat and I are both better off because of my time here.
So welcome, and know that you can ask almost any question here and get good, solid advice.
Now.. some small bit of advice from me.. when you finally get rid of the cement blocks and install real jack stands, be sure to make some provision for chaining the opposite jack stands together.. wind blowing over time has been known to vibrate a boat enough that the jack stands have worked loose and the boat falls over. Just insurance for your time on the hard.
Welcome aboard!
Frank B
1983 Bertram 33 FBC "Phoenix"
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Trump lied! Washington DC isn't a swamp.. it is a cesspool!
Frank, thank you for the welcome. I feel right at home already!
My original plan was to build a steel frame with adjustable supports and wheels to make bottom painting and moving the boat easier, but given the circumstances (time & $$) I had to go with traditional blocking and jack stands. I think the frame would be safer as it is only one piece (more stable), and easier to anchor in case of hurricanes (very common here in PR).
In the meanwhile i'll just have to conform with the traditional chained together jacks to be safe. I'll be sure to follow your advice, wouldn't want the project to end before even starting!
On the strut in the one picture do I see some red corrosion? Never good. Are those zincs in good condition after a loooong time in the water because they were not properly installed, i.e. clean bright metal against the zincs? Think I would investigate and check the bonding system with a meter. She looks good and deserves better. Welcome to the sandbox.
Mikey
3/18/1963 - -31-327 factory hardtop express, the only one left.
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
-Albert Einstein
I have to re-wire the whole grounding system, lotss of broken wires due to corrosion. I think the last owner didn't know what the word "maintenance" meant. I'll be sure to install the new zincs correctly as you stated. (clean bright metal against the zincs)
