palm beach boat show bertram 31

[spencer]

Did anyone else see the 31 bertram refit with triple 350 yammaha four strokes?
Had a complete glassed in transom bracket making the boat be more like a 35 foot boat
I did not have my phone on me to take pics

Think the company name doing it was Stuart Fiberglass

[CaptPatrick]

That's the Fiberglass Shop of Stuart Also known as Fantastic Fiberglass...

[mike ohlstein]

From the Yamaha web site:

Burning just 31.7 gal/hr @ 6000 RPM (EACH), the F350 offers incredible fuel efficiency for such an unbelievable Ultra Low Emission amount of power. This comes in handy when you’re putting hundreds of miles on in a day.

http://www.yamahaoutboards.com/outboard ... L/overview

Base price for three engines? $78,735

I might have done it differently.

Oh wait.... I did.

[Navatech]

That's the Fiberglass Shop of Stuart Also known as Fantastic Fiberglass...

I like a lot of what they do but I'm very ambivalent about putting 3 outboards on a 31' Berty...

[Craig Mac]

The original boat has motor boxes at the stern---was this a v-drive boat?

Could have originally been a race boat?

[Harry Babb]

Base price for three engines? $78,735

I'm out! ! !


hb

[spencer]

Sorry pic only has two , it thought it had three
But at that point I was quite alcohol handicapped

[SteveM]

Looks like it started out as an original Moppie. I've never seen one before other than drawings.
The engine box does look like an I/O box to me.
The additional pictures show all three outboards on there.

[Tony Meola]

That price is crazy. A pair of diesels can probably be done for close to that price if you don't get crazy.

[mike ohlstein]

Sorry pic only has two , it thought it had three
But at that point I was quite alcohol handicapped

There are three in the picture. Look at the control cables…..

[Tommy]

What Mike said. The center engine is mounted lower due to deadrise and can't be seen (other than control cables).

[Pete Fallon]

Faithful,
Why anyone would put 3 rice burners on the transom of a sport fishing boat is beyond me, 2635 pounds on a bracket, I hope they made the stringers go all the way to the back of the bracket, so they had something to push against besides the transom. Granted it's now a walk a round but at 31.6 gallons an hour that is about 126 dollars an hour to run this thing, I wonder what the bow rise is while trying to get up on plane and the sight lines while getting over the hump. Just doesn't work for me, maybe I'm too old school.
Not my piece of cake.
Pete Fallon

[mike ohlstein]

but at 31.6 gallons an hour that is about 126 dollars an hour to run this thing,

Times 3…..

95 GPH at $3.75 per gallon. Sure you could get to the canyon in 90 minutes, but you couldn't get back without a refueling tanker.

[dougl33]

I don't fish and never will. I've been asking this question to the Grady White guys for years at the boat shows. How are you supposed to seriously fish over 6 feet of OB's? Grady now has a 37 foot with 3 OB's that sells for $685K. I don't get it.

[CamB25]

Three outboards? Why? Is there a "real" perfromance advantage over two or even one? These boats make me second guess my power choice for the 25 - single 300. Makes me think I'll be severely under powered until I remember that the boat was born with a pair of 110 hp I/Os!

Damn shame to chop up a rare moppie. I had never seen an I/O B31.

Pete Fallon - is your boat still for sale? i can't find it on the "ole inter-web" any longer.

Cam

[TailhookTom]

On the plus side, at least they will be easy to replace every 2 years.

Tom

[Bruce]

Pete's 31 is still for sale.

He may be traveling to Boston for his preop Drs. meetings to make sure he won't go belly up on the table.

[Rawleigh]

I think the third engine is good for about 10 knots, but helps out of the hole. i have a friend who used to fish for Team Fountain who has three Verados' on his 38 Fountain. He can keep it.

[captbone]

I am pretty sure they are triple v6 300s not v8 350s.

I am an outboard guy but agree the third engine is a complete waste. The hull does not require that much power to hit 45+mph. Twin 300s like Targeted Species is more then enough power.

[bob lico]

First i raised the Bullshit sign! We are a yamaha major dealer at Oakdale yacht. Going to cost you with gauges and tie bars
$ 84,452 for triple 350 UNRIGGED! The fuel economy was base on a 32' to 35' center console with TWO air slots and a 9' beam .trust me Oakdale yacht is the absolute last word on 250,300,350 yamaha 6days a week 51 weeks a year in the outboard shop.the golden rule is 10% of hp so triple 350hp = 1050hp is 105 gallons a hour in a regular cc however in a 31bertram with 11'2" and no air cuts or step you could pretty much count on 120 gallons+ a hour especially loaded for offshore fishing.back to reality this boat will not exceed 32 miles a hour any speed north of that will empty his wallet real quick. Bare in mind he should use his engine hours very wisely because they will explode in 1200 hours. $17,500 for power head and $ 3600 for lower unit .when you lose any of the three power heads or lower units .she sits on the hard till we take her in first come first served .

[captbone]

I hear that if you gIve an outboard motor a dirty look, it will break. :)

[bob lico]

Capt bone this above post does not apply to all outboards mainly 350hp . Remember your childhood games of musical chairs? Well warranty is three years and extended ( for another fist full of dollars) is five years . make sure the. Boat is out of your hands at the end of four years, on the other hand those 225,200, 150hp last and last excellent choice for propulsion on smaller boat of course.we have a triple 225 hp yamaha set up on a 32' contender that has run on same power heads for seven years . I will provide photo's of exploded 350hp if someone is interested. Real pretty with power head split open . Thats a whole lot of expensive unusable parts. They go back to yamaha we cannot reuse any of it.

[Navatech]

I will provide photo's of exploded 350hp if someone is interested. Real pretty with power head split open.

I'm always interested in seeing exploded engines :-))

[CamB25]

Bob - all the dealers I've talked to seem to feel the same about the 350 v8 Yamaha. When I mention it as an option, they universally argue against it. What is your experience with the offshore series V6 4.2l engines? Your thoughts on using a 300 on a B25? thanks

[captbone]

Modern twists on a classic hull are always welcome and keep interest in the best hull. The best part of this boat is the 3 ft hull extension that is built into the bracket. He extended the running surface of the boat. I wonder how it runs with triple 300hps and 1650lbs hanging off the back.

In the early 2000s bare 31 Bertram hulls were selling for crazy prices, in the past 6 months, I have seen five complete boats with power and running condition (old but running) for less then $15k. Yachtworld alone has 78 different 31 bertrams for sale. The price of 25ft Bertrams is even worse and $10k-15k for a mint running boat has become the norm.

While the traditionalist balk at boats like this, it is nice to renewed interest in the hull and see it continue on for the next 50 years.

As we have seen with the last three OB conversions (flybridge with twin 350s, flybridge with twin 300 and now this express with triple 300s) the amount of money invested will most likely never be recouped.

This boat is certainly not my cup of tea but then again either is twin diesels. Different strokes for different folks.

[bob lico]

Sometimes it is really nothing like a flange on one of the belt pulleys that drive overhead camshafts .then belt fly off and cam goes wild ,valves collide with pistons and engine seizes tight .in my opinion the problem arises after the damage is done because yamaha will not let you stock power head so you take apart then the factory rep. Comes gives ok then they ship new power head and take back old needless to say your boat is on the hard with two perfectly good engines and your 457,000 boat sit while you pay note . I think i will take a bertram 31 with gas mercruisers instead.

[bob lico]

I agree capt bone that 3' step will help big time at all speeds but with really come on at cruise and above.cam 25 instead of 300hp i rather you go with twin counter rotated 175hp or there about on full floatation bracket like Armstrong.

[TailhookTom]

I have twin 150HP yamahas on my pursuit - she sips gas, cruises 30kts easily, and knock on wood, shouldn't blow up every other year -- it is the same block they get 175, 200 and 225 hp out of.

Tom

[bob lico]

Tom thats as good as it gets because the lower unit on 150hp is used all the way up to 225 hp as well as the same block .other then winterazation i never see 150 hp in outboard repair shop.

[TailhookTom]

Tom thats as good as it gets because the lower unit on 150hp is used all the way up to 225 hp as well as the same block .other then winterazation i never see 150 hp in outboard repair shop.

Now that really makes my day, thanks Bob!

Tom

[conchy joe]

I talked to the guy at the show and I saw a sister boat to this one two years ago in the Abacos, with Suzuki's. As I remember they are actually 25 Bertrams that have been stretched, the bow flare changed and a 31 style chine added. I could had sworn its a twin engine boat and not a triple.

I take that back, you guys are right. This boat was in the water. There was a similar boat on display on a trailer that was based on the 25 hull.

[PeterPalmieri]

It's not my thing but I really don't see anything wrong with it. Certainly nicer than most other triple outboard boats.

After losing the engine boxes they made nice use of the space at least.

Personally you lose all that space on the transom to fish but other guys don't seem to have a problem working around it.

[Pete Fallon]

Cam,
My boat is still for sale, I just got back from Boston for pre-op tests scheduled for 4th knee replacement on April 18 th Good Friday. Let me know if your interested she's just about ready for the water.
Pete Fallon

[CamB25]

Pete - Good luck with your surgery. I was able to find the United Yachts page. I love your boat, and it's a real bargain at your asking price. If I wasn't eyebrow deep into my B25 project, I would be running it up the intracoastal right now. I talk it up to folks I know that are in the market for a boat. This would make a good boat for the Potomac river crowd in this area and folks I know up in the great lakes area.

Cam

[Pete Fallon]

Cam,
Thanks, I have been trying to find someone with some free cash, I need to sell her. having the knee surgery on April 18 if all goes well.
Pete Fallon

[Pete Fallon]

Guy's,
I saw that creature going West of 95 on Kanner Highway in Stuart yesterday afternoon. It looked better on a trailer out of the water than the picture that was posted above. I have to agree the color combo looks good, but 3 rice burners is just not my bag.
Pete Fallon