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Amberjack

Lifted this morning for a pressure wash and zinc change the yard had a new comporter with functional gauges. Amberjack weighs 12,000 lbs with 110 gallons fuel, 30 gallons water and zero stores.

Amberjack

Beautiful place to work on a boat

Amberjack

Raleigh the bench seat was still in place. After all it was just a couple voltmeters right? Well at one point when I was upside down and wormed into the starboard cabinet I wondered if I’d be able to reach the phone to call my wife for help if I got stuck. Carl, the one project left on Amberjack is ...

Amberjack

Yannis it depends on where along the inside passage between Vancouver Island and mainland BC you are. Tides flush from both ends where the year round temperature is 50-55F. From the south end of Vancouver Island to the north end is about 300 miles. Toward the middle where the tidal currents don’t re...

Amberjack

New volt meters are finally in. One more “to do” crossed off the spring commissioning list. Original old Stewart Warner volt meters. Evidence of corrosion is visible around edge of the right hand gauge http://i.imgur.com/LM2hWfmh.jpg Seems it ought to be easy so why did it take me three trips to the...

Amberjack

Doug, One other reason the guy in the 70ish footer has arranged for a float plane and mechanic is probably because there is no gen set dealership in the area. Had there been one, I bet buying a new generator would be cheaper, let alone the revenue from selling the old one... Damn it 200 miles north...

Amberjack

Doug Anyone who ventures out on the water should know the basics of engine maintenance at a minimum. If something happens while you are out, it could be the difference between getting home and drifting for hours waiting for help. I was at the dock in Cortes Bay, BC maybe a couple hundred miles nort...

Amberjack

And still, we spend money and abuse ourselves in trying to keep up with time. This is who we are! I have to admit I agree with you Yannis (what???). Bertram owners are hands on owners and not because we're cheap. Many of the projects on this forum cost way more in time and money than just buying a ...

Amberjack

Hmmm, the link didn't post first time. It shows on preview so let's try it again.

https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/wa ... s-boaters-

Amberjack

Carl wrote: ↑May 13th, '24, 08:53 being able to sit an watch the water full of life...Amazing. It not only recharges the batteries, but the soul.

I've put in a lot of hours on Amberjack and I've gotta say the best were when we shut down the engines on a calm day and just drifted in the middle of nowhere.

Amberjack

Yannis wrote: ↑May 9th, '24, 07:13 Why wouldn't she Carl, a window is not a structural issue, you may get a bit wet, that's all!

A windshield is only a windshield until its not there anymore

Sent from my iPad

Amberjack

I came across something similar last summer. We had spent a couple days in Port Madison 9 miles across the Sound from Seattle. I was watching the Garmin as we came around Sandy Hook and saw a curtain of fish starting at 50’, solid down to 75’ then tapering for another 20’ or so. This went on for 1/2...

Amberjack

Images I forgot to include with the original post

Amberjack

Time to replace my at least 30 year old volt meters. What brand is most used? Are these even used anymore? I need to put something in the openings when the old ones come out.

Amberjack

Yannis, my fault for drifting way off the core topics of Bertrams, food and alcohol. It’s back country Louisiana music mix of blues, rock n roll and soul with lyrics in a mashup of French, English and dialect. They use drums, guitar, accordion, harmonica and a weird washboard like contraption that h...

Amberjack

Yannis wrote: ↑Apr 23rd, '24, 23:49 Biscuits and gravy? What gravy?
What else is there for me to learn...

About the South? Let's see....zydeco?

Amberjack

Add a diesel bunk heater. I have the D2. In fact, I have one in my camper and another on the boat. https://www.heatso.com/espar-marine-heaters The water stays cold year round up here so the cabin sole can be chilly even with the diesel range fired up. A couple years ago I added 1/2” foam insulation...

Amberjack

Were your turbochargers acting up or was this a proactive preventative maintenance decision? I ask this as someone who 3 years ago decided to get ahead of the game when the salon was opened up for refreshing and replace my perfectly happy domestic water pump. Today after 3 defective water pumps the ...

Amberjack

Kevin it looks to me as though either a previous owner replaced the cockpit sole with a prefabricated unit designed for a slightly different boat which then needed to be trimmed for length or they added a second panel to that double hatch. There should normally be more dimension around the aft edge ...

Amberjack

Interesting saga with a positive ending. Thanks for putting up on the Forum for us.

Amberjack

Over the years Amberjack has been lifted by three different yards. When I asked what their gauges showed for weight one said 9,500 lbs, one said 13,500 lbs and one said their gauges had been broken for years. I don't think either of those weights were accurate. Amberjack probably weighs 10,500-11,00...

Amberjack

Micky I'm not sure what the issue is here. If the engines are not overheating what I'm reading is just normal level fluctuation in the overflow tank and the expansion tank. When my 6LP's were new to me I kept peeking into the expansion tank and seeing it was a little low, trying to add coolant. Whoo...

Amberjack

Yannis, I would take my original turbos to the most reputable turbo shop in the region for a diagnosis and estimate. If that's not an option and you can afford it spend the money for a pair Yanmar dealer turbos and enjoy the E3,200 peace of mind dividend over the next several years.

Amberjack

Thanks Tony, I learned something! I visited Bertram Yachts in the early ninties. What a drive along that backwater of the Miami River with its rusty old tramp freighters and the Miami Vice theme playing in my head.

Amberjack

The story I was told was that the windows were finished for each boat on the boat as it was made, not constructed beforehand. After many years of poking around in my Bertram 31 Sportfisher I believe our hulls and deckhouse configuration (and in my case galley head counters) were produced from molds...

Amberjack

This might be worth a second opinion.

Amberjack

The boat has a cockpit cover plus I keep the fly bridge covered and the front windshield covered for what help that provides but no full cover. I agree, that would be the best heat retention.

Amberjack

Tony it is under covered moorage in the lake during winter. It has a cover but I only use it in saltwater moorage in summer.

Amberjack

The days get a little longer and as I make do my weekly check of Amberjack I find myself dreaming of sunnier days. Engine vents covered with power lead for winter engine block heaters http://i.imgur.com/9ptz02J.jpg Deck cowls taped over to prevent wind from ventilating warmth from engine compartment...

Amberjack

I switch back and forth from ‘hotter than h*ll” to “just D*mn hot”. I was talking with Captain Patrick by phone from Seattle years ago and I asked him how the weather was down there in Texas. His reply "Beautiful in the morning, beautiful in the evening and hotter'n hell the rest of the time".

Amberjack

Its time to replace my aging Icom 502. I've been happy with it and would like to come as close to "like to like" as possible. We listen to it but hardly ever use it and carry it primarily for safety. We don't need AIS and never use DSC. It would need to plug it into my existing NEMA 2000 network and...

Amberjack

The Anhinga story Bruce posted and my crab boat skipper's story are remarkably similar, except for the sea state as Tony pointed out. We don't hear about it much but this phenomenon must occasionally occur. It makes me wonder how many times it has happened and no one survived to tell the story.

Amberjack

The falling off the wave description is interesting. I was expecting him to say the rogue wave engulfed over them. [/quote Not unheard of Steve. In the late 70’s I lived in Ballard which was the Alaska king crab fleet home port. My neighbor was a tax attorney with a lot of crab boat owners for clien...

Amberjack

http://i.imgur.com/YjAhHLT.jpg http://i.imgur.com/tKj96Evh.jpg Instrument panel on my 1969 Bertram. I think it is most likely original as I’ve had the boat for quite a few years and the two previous owners that I know were mostly interested in fish not boat work. The frame is chrome over bronze. No...

Amberjack

Now you can communicate with us Amuricans

Amberjack

Yannis wrote: ↑Dec 30th, '23, 00:14 My 28 with 4LHA’s burns 2,6 liters per nautical mile, all yearly miles and idling combined.

1.49 nmg

Amberjack

Are these numbers real? Well, Mastry is an engine dealer. I’m sure everything was optimized.

Amberjack

I’ve seen pictures of 31 sedans at speed but don’t see how they do it. I think the sight line on a 31 needs to be at least a foot or so above the coachhouse roof for adequate visibility at any speed above idle. About where Carl sits. Any lower the bow obstructs the view forward when on a step.

Amberjack

JJ, where will the helm be?

Amberjack

I’ve been getting 1.67 nmpg=1.92 mpg in full vacation mode i.e. groceries, ice, average 3/4 fuel tank so yes, I can see 2.0 mpg fully optimized. Can’t speak for the 4LH but I know people like them as an efficient, reliable engine.

Amberjack

Snipe addressed it with reinforcement underneath the forward console and glassing in the windows.

Amberjack

The window frames were, I think, designed to support the fly bridge. Cutting out the console shouldn’t affect the load bearing capacity but it might affect torsion resistance.

Amberjack

even though it will be quite hard to have both, full head and lower station, 😅 Remove the lower steering and go with an autopilot remote. Flip the engine controls upside down and mount to the overhead as in a commercial airliner. The engine controls should be right above the overhead forward and to...

Amberjack

We want to hear about you terrorizing the fish, not crawling around in Tyvek waving a Sawsall.

Amberjack

Isolate the scope of work to find out what really needs to be done. And as you say that quote sounds like "we're busy, quote him high and see what he says". Then start digging. Amberjack's interior was upgraded the galley counter needed to be refinished badly- it was original and really a mess. I fi...

Amberjack

Doug I believe they call them T bolts. Like These but only in stainless. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/jig-and-fixture-parts/65638-1-4-20-t-bolts-and-t-slot-nuts I recognize those! The same things bolt the toilet to the floor in my house. Bertram used a wonderful mix of off the rack...

Amberjack

The bolt head is a big oval and sits in a track. When the outer frame is removed, you can remove the snaped bolt from the frame by sliding it out of the track. Tony, thank you for this gem of information which reminds me that after 25 years of ownership I can still learn new things about my Bertram...

Amberjack

Sooo...on facebook the curved windows were bent cold in place. Cold bend in place is an option that never occurred to me and something I will be trying. Still have to get the frames apart, but it does ease my mind having to heat n bend. I was afraid of getting plastic too hot...it bends nice, looks...

Amberjack

Francesco-You will be driving at 7 knots or less when at the lower helm station. The bow lifts as the boat steps up to a plane and stays up at speed. You won't see anything in front of the boat. I tried it once, its terrifying. Amberjack had a lower helm which I removed after 25 years. I used it twi...

Amberjack

I had enough, bring fish in then start steaming home. The wave subside a bit as I get closer in, I look at the mess in the cockpit n decide to clean up. I learned a couple of things that day......don't clean up, just leave it. Thanks Carl for a classic lesson on decision making: the 'urgent' (clean...

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