bertram31.com

Amberjack

Peter many of us have gone to a high school reunion and discovered that the really gorgeous girl we remember from our senior year is now a 50 year old woman with two bad marriages behind her and current serious health problems. Then we go home and appreciate what we have.

Amberjack

Amberjack runs Yanmar 6LP-STPs rated at 315 hp installed at Port Townsend in 2005. 1 3/4” shafts (I know, that’s substantial-didn’t want to snap a shaft launching off a wave. At least in those days). 20” dia props originally 17.5” pitch. More on pitch later. ZF 1.5/1.0 gears Currently cruising at 34...

Amberjack

Dan-To my untrained eye those are combined engine/throttle controls. Easy to learn and simple to use. I have separate engine and throttle controls, still easy to use once you understand them. You would have a lot more control of the boat than you had with your outboard. Bertram 31’s have power&up en...

Amberjack

Turn Key, turn key, I truly believe you want to buy a Turn Key Diesel boat. The idea of bringing her back to her former glory does sound very appealing, but how much time, effort and money will be involved. Bringing her back sounds like a job that will have more Project Creep than a Diesel conversi...

Amberjack

All kinds of solutions. Make sure the dock lines are not tied down tight. If there's room for the boat to move a bit before coming up against the lines it will cut down significantly on the amount of chafe. Secondly, whatever cover you install on the lines leave it loose enough for the line to move ...

Amberjack

Whale watching is big business in Friday Harbor and they are hounded relentlessly from first whale watching trip at 9:00 AM to the last sunset trip. This humpback whale's tail fluke is just visible in the distance to the right of the sailboat.

Amberjack

For all the jet heads on this thread. I was buttoning up Amberjack after a couple weeks in the San Juan Islands and heard a different jet engine sound. My summer moorage is under the approach for Boeing Field which they for final detail work before delivery or in this case FAA certification flights ...

Amberjack

I’m building a performance database after repropping, dumping weight, etc but like Rick I’d be more interested to see it in a forum spreadsheet rather than sent off to Googledocs. Perhaps I just don’t understand Googledocs. A spreadsheet would help me evaluate how my performance compares to others w...

Amberjack

My old Standard Horizon bricks did the job well for years but the ni-cad batteries are finally starting to go. We use them when out in the tender and for backup in case the primary radio dies. Need them to be small enough and light enough to be comfortable in a jacket pocket. Inexpensive would be ni...

Amberjack

This is a really interesting article about the challenges of navigating large cruise ships in Alaska waters. The Evergiven with its propulsion system is probably similar to the Royal class cruise ships. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/04/22/southeast-alaska-pilots-raise-concerns-over-royal-princes...

Amberjack

In my limited experience dealing with China they will do exactly what you tell them to do, no less and certainly not any more. If these came from China the US purchaser was either sloppy and didn't specify clearly what they wanted or was being cheap and went for the least expensive option.

Amberjack

Fathers, bless their hearts! My first significant boat in my 20's was a 48' bridge deck cruiser. We lived aboard and cruised all over Puget Sound. It was a great boat. No comment from my father. After three years we stepped up to a 52' ocean rigged fiberglass Atkins design sailboat. Substantial, 24 ...

Amberjack

Those B31 skeletons are a metaphor for life. We all come out of the factory fresh, new and full of promise. If we're fortunate we go on to a productive life with a few adventures thrown in. Then as time goes on things start to wear and breakdown and if you don't pay attention you wind up in a lot wi...

Amberjack

Thanks Carl, that makes more sense than the idea they voluntarily entered such a small place.

The long string of italics was unintentional.

Amberjack

Thanks Carl, that makes more sense than the idea they voluntarily entered such a small place.

The long string of italics was unintentional, guess the button stuck. Memo: preview before submit.

Amberjack

OK, on the other side of the world from the Suez Canal can somebody from the NYC area tell me what that ferry was doing in Bushwick Inlet this weekend? The inlet looked about the size of a bathtub with no room to turn around.

Amberjack

3. AFTER 3 OR 4 HOURS OF TROLLING MY HOUSEBANK BATTERIES DRAINED AND I LOST MY GPS, VHF AND FM/AM. Check your batteries to confirm they are healthy. 3 or 4 hours of GPS, VHF and FM/AM should barely scratch your battery capacity so if they are in good condition something else is going on. They may ha...

Amberjack

Peter, this is highly unusual anode deterioration. Normally they degrade uniformly along the whole zinc and there is some of that evident on yours. The severe zinc loss at the plug end indicates to me a stray electrical current in your engine block. This is my best guess. Someone out there has seen ...

Amberjack

I had marine growth until the boat moved from a nearshore (shallow, slow, warmer water) berth to a far end berth with deep, faster moving, cooler water. And I started running at higher speeds. There hasn't been a growth problem on my uncoated undercarriage since.

Amberjack

That might just be the generic paint Bertram used under all their floor panels. My bilge itself was never painted. In those days they seemed to use whatever was to hand for applications like this. My under panel color is not too far off from your picture, maybe a little lighter, and I know mine is o...

Amberjack

Peter--About 10 years ago I had trouble with the wire splices for my lazarette bilge pump so I replaced them with a terminal block. It is mounted to a deck beam just under the cockpit floor and has never been an issue. It makes it much easier to swap out bilge pumps or float switches and is much str...

Amberjack

Thanks for posting this Marshal--My safety mantra has always been "what can happen will" and to take appropriate precautions but I never imagined this could happen. I will take precautions going forward.

Amberjack

Ouch!!! Hey, when are you guys gonna let us back north of the border? Doesn't look as though it will happen this year.

Amberjack

Every spring Amberjack leaves covered freshwater winter moorage for more cruising and fishing friendly summer moorage in saltwater. This year the trip was made longer when we stopped for a quick pressure wash and zinc change while hanging the slings at Canal Boatyard in Salmon Bay. But then we had t...

Amberjack

After a close to overboard situation two years ago in Malaspina Strait posted about here "Foredeck safety on our Bertram 31's" I took the idea of getting out of the water more seriously. I'm confident my wife would have been able to maneuver back to me and rope me in with the Life Sling but it still...

Amberjack

It was a "limit" ship, maximum size allowed in the canal so they were operating with thin margins for error. Add in marginal weather, possible inattention, maybe a mistake and you have an accident, just like with an airliner crash. Still, I admit Bruce's theory of a navigation system hack crossed my...

Amberjack

Things change over time as they should. We humans survived by being adaptable. The horse guys probably chuckled about the new fangled automobiles and now the internal combustion guys are throwing shade on the EV's. In 10 years EV's won't even be recognizable from what they are today and will have so...

Amberjack

This concept is probably outside the area of comprehension of most marine architects. A competent boat builder could tell you if it would work.

Amberjack

Hello Don-- You are not very far and in fact Amberjack spent a couple days in Gig Harbor last summer when we went south due to the border closure. Reach out once we get this craziness behind us and I'll show you 1969 FBC updated but still true to the original. The boat lives at Elliott Bay Marina du...

Amberjack

A question about the bow roller. Do you have a model or link for this. I'm assuming it does not come with the Lewmar 1000. Rick--I believe it is a Windline Bruce SS Bow Roller, medium. We bolted both the Lewmar and the Bruce to a workbench and fit the anchor into each. The Fortress fit the Bruce pe...

Amberjack

Yannis- it is 5/16” = 7.93 mm chain and it does pile, Tony- I was in love with the foredeck reel system, very much a commercial boat rig but my wife and deck boss nixed the idea. Rick- I’ll have to crawl around the bow roller to see if it has a brand imprint. We looked at the Lewmar bow roller but i...

Amberjack

Rick--I looked at all the options you mentioned including belowdeck windlass as well as a bow mounted reel but in the end decided to go with a very conventional set up. I've been happy. Amberjack's ground tackle set up includes: Lewmar 1000 windlass, SS bow roller (looks like a small pulpit to me) a...

Amberjack

I have the same Yanmar and ZF package except with Hynautic engine controls which come with their own maddening issues. My transmission has never "hunted" as yours does which argues against the possibility of your linkage being out of adjustment and poised indecisively between neutral and reverse. Th...

Amberjack

Had to be nerve wracking watching everything burn. Luckily she lives onsite and her dog woke her up. Tony I was surprisingly detached, something I learned from the first fire. When we ran out of extinguishers it looked as though the fire would migrate to our bridge deck sharing the same mooring bay...

Amberjack

Its coming up on 20 years (January 29, 2001) since Amberjack survived a close call from a dock fire and since we've been talking about it around here I decided to post the story. There was very nearly one less Bertram 31 floating after that evening. Randy and I were having dinner when my mother call...

Amberjack

Trace--Tony gave a good description of how to remove the outside frame of the curved side windows. If you are taking out the plexiglass be sure not to break it, you will need it as a pattern for the replacement. If you decide to leave the frames in place and are wondering how to recaulk them I don't...

Amberjack

Chris, its important to use the right size packing material. Probably as Peter says yours will be 1/4" but its easy enough to put a set of calipers on the old packing you are pulling out. If it worked for several years it is the right size. One dimension too large and you won't be able to force it i...

Amberjack

G, you don't say what engine you have but your symptoms mimicked exactly an issue I had with my Yanmars years ago. In my case scale buildup in the heat exchangers limited water flow. I removed them and had them descaled, problem solved. In fact they are scheduled to come off again this winter for PM...

Amberjack

It is just not the same anymore. Speed takes away from pure skill and strategy. I think they should bring back the 12 meter boats. I also miss the monohulls. It was enjoyable to watch the races unfold over a couple hours in a much wider weather window, and the start line action was more intense tha...

Amberjack

We rage against the dying of the light. Bob Lico's comments are spot on when viewed through his lens, which is 50 miles offshore. The newer boats are designed for newer generations which use them differently, in many cases not much at all after the first burst of activity. I was talking with a busin...

Amberjack

No problem, I can wait. It must be terrible not to be able to use your boat year round! Short winter days are good for long winter projects Rick. Only 8hr 19min daylight today, I just finished pulling out the bundle of old wires run through the salon by a lazy electrician. Last week removed a 20' b...

Amberjack

Congratulations Micky, that project is looking like a BOAT! Now, have you checked lately to see if you still have a wife/girlfriend?

Amberjack

Ironworker wrote: ↑Dec 14th, '20, 16:18 I bought some 3/4" Coosa for my filler pieces on my cockpit floor. It is certainly lighter than plywood and will not rot. At $235 for a 4 x 8' sheet its pretty pricey.

If I can get away from the fuel dock for $235 I'm a happy guy. That's a good investment.

Amberjack

How long would it take me to get from N. Palm Beach, Florida to Seattle? How much would they charge to take my 31 through the Panama Canal. :-D Doug, It might be cheaper for me to just buy your boat? How much? Hmmmm, maybe we should just work a trade. You can move up here during the winter to use m...

Amberjack

I'd love to do something similar to what you have. How much does your brother charge for a similar cock floor? . Oh boy, this was 17 years ago and my brother and his partners have sold the company which is now Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-operative. PT is way the heck up on the Olympic Peninsula an...

Amberjack

Images of the starboard storage hatch up. These lockers extend forward to the engine compartment bulkhead where you can just see a Magma grill stowed up under there. The grill comes out every night at anchor and restows after dinner. And aft to the lazarette where you can see a few crab pot floats p...

Amberjack

That is some fantastic work there... Fenders would not fit...maybe rods and reels. Its something to consider. Maybe just to open the side panels, lots of lost space for me there. Carl--I could see fishing rods mounted to a rack mounted vertically against the hull under the gunwales...if the space w...

Amberjack

Doug, I especially want to get rid of the side panels so I can store gaff's, harpoons and other lengthy fishing stuff. If you get a chance please post some pics of the inside of your compartments and details of the gunnel stiffeners and gutter. Thanks again that is a mighty fine boat. Ironworker--T...

Amberjack

Doug I really like how you gained a lot of easy access to everything. Thanks Tony Goal, heh-heh-heh SABurke--Here is a dump of drawings plus some images of the replacement cockpit with 16 years on it. The plan and elevation with the detail key are in a previous post. And I do know how to spell infl...

Amberjack

A couple of recent threads have touched on cockpit replacement decks, its an interesting enough topic for its own thread. When I replaced Amberjack's cockpit in 2002 we looked at the Bertram Yachts replacement deck ($3,400 in those days plus crating & shipping) and decided to fabricate our own. My b...

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