My Boat

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Here's a few pictures of my Bertram 20...
First some facts on the boat, then the pictures...

Bertram 'Bahia Mar' 20

• Manufactured by International Marine in Melbourne. (Keel laid in May 1972.)
• Owned by me since 13 July 1986
• Mercruiser 4.3MPI V6 engine and stern drive installed Nov 2006
• Roadmaster 1300D tandem trailer. Jan 1994 (Rebuilt Sept 2007)
• New canopies and full covers by CanopiesWest, March 2001.
• Electronics:
Furuno GPS GP-1870 (7" Colour chart-plotter)
Furuno 5.6” LCD colour sounder FCV-600L w/transducer #520-5PSD (mounted in a wet box)
GME GX294 27MHz transceiver
WestMarine “Aurora Plus” VHF transceiver
Deck mounted electric anchor winch

This was part of an article in a local magazine about boats they considered as 'Top Rigs'. (I have overlaid my own picture. :D) The price quoted in the article is from quite a few years ago. They are currently fetching between 35 and 50K for boats with newer engines, and up to 20K for boats still with the original 165 in them.

bertram20(2).jpg

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These are of the interior and the swim platform. The platform was originally built by my father in 1987, I recently replaced the timbers because they were getting a little 'untidy'. The wood is a local hardwood called 'Jarrah'. It has been sealed with a 2 part timber treatment and then has 4 coats of marine vanish on it.

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This final set is when I dropped the new engine in. In the second picture you'll see the corners of the bait boxes have been reworked... The new exhaust elbows are 1.7" taller than the previous, so a little fibreglass work was called for. You will also notice the trim pump has been mounted up on the transom. Most people just bolt them to the floor, where that get continuously wet with seawater and eventually corrode away. It also keeps the hoses out of the bilge, making the installation a much tidier job.

If you're wondering what the pump and pickup tube on the port side of the transom in the last picture are all about, they are for my live bait tank. When I go fishing for Mahi-mahi, I strap a 50 litre (13 gallon) plastic tub (with a lid) onto the the swim platform. The bilge pump and pickup tube have hoses that feed into the tank. When I'm stationery, catching the bait fish or Mahi-mahi, then the bilge pump runs (360gph). When I'm on the move the pickup (cut at 45 degrees) feeds new water to the tank. Doing it this way eliminates the need for aerators and keeps the water from heating up. I mounted the pump sideways because the hose needed to feed straight up. Most that I've seen have a bracket that mounts the pump vertically, then an elbow to take the outlet up. I figure I have eliminated 2 unnecessary pieces of gear this way.

:D
Bertram 20 hull.jpg

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arfaname

Seaman
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
71
Re: My Boat (pt3)

Re: My Boat (pt3)

Flash as Chris,.. I like it,

Couple of things,

1. What size and pitch prop are you running?

2. Where is your serial number on your hull?

My bilge area is substantially different to yours and mine runs a Volvo penta drive. I wonder if mine was an import?

I will post some pics shortly.
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: My Boat (pt3)

Re: My Boat (pt3)

Flash as Chris,.. I like it,

Thanks....

arfaname said:
Couple of things,

1. What size and pitch prop are you running?

Interesting question... No simple answer.

Propped correctly (4600rpm @ WOT) I'm running a 19" 3 blade Vengance. However, when I first installed the engine I found that cruising speed (17-18 knots) was just off the bottom end of the power band, and it was really hard to hold a constant speed. It kept either dying in the arse or accelerating up, so I changed to a 17" Vengance. That keep the engine revs up (and in the power band) and also allows me to load up (SCUBA tanks, etc) without killing the engine. But if I run it at WOT with a light load I hit the rev limiter (5100, I think. Too busy hanging on to be looking at a tacho. :D:D).

arfaname said:
2. Where is your serial number on your hull?

Right up in the bow, inside the anchor rope locker, on the port side. The numbers are about 100mm high and it's 'inside' the fibreglass. Also on the manufacturers tag, which was on the engine cover, but I have relocated it to the centre of the main foredeck support spar in the cabin.

arfaname said:
My bilge area is substantially different to yours and mine runs a Volvo penta drive. I wonder if mine was an import?

I will post some pics shortly.

Cheers,

Chris........
 

CTJeff

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
33
Re: My Boat (pt1)

Re: My Boat (pt1)

Hi AChris-
I want to compliment you on the Bertram it is very nice.
Can I please ask, how did you fabricate the motor mounts ? How high or tall are they ? what material ? How far from the stern ? how wide are the mounts ? I can see they are glassed in and painted I just want to get some ideas as I will be working on this soon. I have a twenty Berty Bahimar. It will have a V8 with Alpha G2
Thanks, Jeff
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: My Boat (pt1)

Re: My Boat

They were done in 1994 when I changed out the aging 165 and fitted a new 4.3LX. The glass work was done by a fibreglass guy, but I assisted. The floor was cut for the wider engine and the edges re-glassed. I measured up the mounting positions from the installation drawings. If you need them for the V8 I can give you a link to a site that has the Mercruiser V8 installation drawings on-line. They were fabricates out of a wood called Jarrah, an especially hard hardwood unique to this part of the world. The glass guy just cut them to shape and 'glued' them in with car body filler! He had already sanded (with a VERY coarse grit) through the gelcoat before putting a layer of 'bog' on and pushing the mounts down into it. He cleaned up the over-squeeze and let it go off, then mixed up some more glass and layered chopped strand around and over the mounts. Then some gelcoat resin, no paint.. Job done.. About 2 hours.

Once that was all done he told me not to load it up for about 48 hours. After that I just lowered the engine, complete with mounts, onto the blocks and marked up the coach screw holes for drilling.... Works a treat.

Good luck with your boat. I hope it works as well as mine. If you'd like any more info, just let me know...

Cheers,

Chris............
(I don't come here very often (I lurk in the Mercruiser I/O repair forum) so send me a PM to let me know you are after something).....
 
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