36' Moppie

[CHolgerson]

A friend of mine is interested in stepping up to a larger boat. He currently runs a 32' Albemarle and he is looking into a 36' Bertram moppie with 420hp 3126 Cats. I know nothing about the 36' and was hoping somebody from here could help my friend out. The Albemarle is a great riding boat but it is a little small for his current needs. With that being said he is not willing to sacrifice ride for size. Any help guys?

Chris

[JohnD]

Chris,

I can't help with specific knowledge of the 36 I like them but think I like the B37 better. Is he looking into the sportfish or express. If the sportfish, I'd say that the better buy would be a B37, not much bigger but definetly proven and less $$ than the B36's.

Now for those Cat's, the late 90's had issues with the blocks and if they haven't been, they'll need to be rebuilt around 1000hrs. If they have been rebuilt make sure it was done with a new block, you can't bore them out. I'm putting a set into my B35 which have just been rebuilt and the rebuilder hasn't had any issues once the blocks are replaced. You'll hear alot of bad about the 3126's but if they are maintained and not over prop'd or run too hard, they're a solid motor.

Good Luck,
JohnD

[nestorpr]

I tested the new B36 last year and it's a great boat! Excellent cockpit, outstanding ergonomics on the helm, comfortable cabin and very nice ride. We had some 3-5 foot waves during the ride and I tried everything in her, all angles to the sea, backing into the waves (we were on a prototype and it didn't have cockpit scuppers, Bertram thought draining into the bilge would work but it wasn't enough when shipping in gallons of seawater so make sure they put scuppers in the production boats!), etc. She did pund a timy bit (mostly heard, not felt) heding into the waves but she behaved very well. I would definitely recommend her.

[In Memory of Vicroy]

On the other hand, the B36 is just plain butt ugly....need to kill it and it's seed.....Bertram had a golden opportunity to re-introduce the B31 and just did not have the balls to do it...guess the bean counters over rode the people who understood what made the company great....long ago.

Sorry Joe, Don, et al, but ole UV just has to call it like he sees it.

UV

[JohnD]

UV, I can agree about the missed opportunity with re-introducing the B31 but I do like the newer 36, just not the fact that those cabin windows make it look like the twin of my dock neighbors b-liner28...Same pretty blue hull & dark sloping windows...even had the radar arch.

Not that I'm advocating the brand of boat, but I admire the effort they haven't forgot where they came from (completely).
http://www.oceanyachtsinc.com/Fleet/Billfish/index.html

Chris, which year/model B36 were you asking about??

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John[/url]

[Charlie]

Boy I have to agree about our friends at Bertram. UVC you can add another one to the list of Joe, Don and Britt. Seems she is the marketing manager that claims she knows nothing about the Bertram Rendezvous around the country. In fact she went on to say Bertram has never supported any owner's groups. You know they call us "Legacy Owner's". Their problem is they have forgotten what made the Bertram name. They have failed their Legacy Owner's and I believe they really don't care. Britt called me hostile. I will be making the Liquordale show this year for my first time. Maybe I will try to see Noberto to find out if they have any interest in the Legacy Owner's or is it just marketing.

[Harv]

I agree with UV that the new Bertram 360 is butt ugly, and maybe the factory should have returned to it's roots instead with a redo of the 31, but it is what it is. However, for 2 years back around 1995 Bertram did build a 36 Moppie. It looked more like a scaled down version of the 38 Special.

Personally I prefer this boat over the new 360. It still has those unmistakable Bertram lines. For a full reveiw go to http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/ ... moppie.htm