Looking for a nice used 50-54 SFMY

The 54' GT has a slightly different bottom, but the 54C's were a great running hull.

The two main differences between 54C and GT, are weight (GT is lighter) and tumblehome stern.
GTs were introduced to ride faster and be first on fishing spots (that's by the way is why Vikings were and are still preferred).
May be u'll find cheaper prices in a couple of years but in the GT family, tons of hours on engines.
Vikings are really nice boats; I like the former 56 and 61; the new 54 is a great boat as well. if Mans equipped they burn quite a lot fuel and $$ for maintenance.
The Brand is owned by a Family and they seem to be much more careful to customers satisfaction; even though you can find very good people at Hatteras too (don't know what will happen now with Brand sold to a new Group)
Berts.................they actually were icons before my fellow countryman Architect Zuccon decided to change them and was joined by lack of production quality. In spite of this the new 54 seems to be a good looking model....at least in terms of shape

The Admin may find it easier and less time consuming to simply cancel your membership than do your work for you.

I think that Zuccon did quite a nice job on the styling of the Bertram, and in the end it was more Ferretti Engineering Department which spoiled some hulls, in their rhetoric and obsession that a boat should run very flat, little to no bow high, and be able to get on the plane easily. They are still good sea boats, and their keel is still among the best and has the most Deep Vee of the production Sportfishers, but recent Bertrams do have a wetter ride.
Even the 540 in the end is designed by Zuccon....
Quality for Bertrams may be you should look deep if buying 2005-10. Some Bertrams in those years had hull integrity problems but others of those years had nothing going for them, so even that is a question.
Its a fact that some Bertram in those years had quality issues, but I would not cut them off completely, especially if buying used...
In the end running around in YachtWorld they still do keep a used price tag the same as a Viking or Hatteras of the same vintage, and that may mean that these yachts are passing the surveys....

AFAIK no, they are all solid glass bottoms, and still are.
Still worth to note that the two wide cases publicized which we know of and interested 630 models had problems actually on the sides, where the PVC core was involved

Bertram build very few fully cored boats, an exception was the old 80-90s 73, which was balsa cored. I know only of that one, but I am no Bertram expert.

I heard that Bertram 510 runs better to a Hatteras 50, and the Hatteras 54 is better ride to the 570 which is not so bad but quite wet especially when fuel full. Will get better once you start to empty the tank.

Not totally true. They also had issues on the 63' with stringers (engine beds) seperate from the hull on several and they were cored.

There are a myriad of 57's that came apart also. Those broke the tabbing free and stringers from the hull as well or worked the stringers around and broke all of the tabbing.

The 51's seemed to be pretty un-effected except for a few isolated cases.

The 50' Hatteras is a better riding hull than the 510 Bertram, especially if you transfer the 200 gallon fuel tank to the main tank as quick as possible. It However, does not have nearly the ride of the 54' Hatteras by any means, but it's a fairly good ride.

The 57' Bertram rode fairly good I agree, however it was wetter than a Nazi submarine. The COG was way too far foward with the single front of the engine room 1700 gallon fuel tank. The only way that boat started to ride halfway dry, and I mean halfway was with the water tank full, holding tank empty, and fuel tank 1/2 or less.... Put a Tender on the bow and full fuel and I don't think you'd even be able to see to run the boat. The 54' Hatteras is a terrific running hull.....I pulled out of government cut with one a 2003 or 2004 with 6+ on the nose and lit it up to cruise at 32 knots and it simply parted them like Moses and the red sea, and you could leave a can of soda on the console almost, it really rode that good, then I proceded to take the boat to Key West with them on the beam and the ride was good as well and this was a Tuna Tower boat.

The 61' Viking is a very stable and great running hull, except in a head sea and you're going to start slowing it down in 4' or better seas......Very stable boat on the troll as well, and a very very well thoughtout cockpit.

The difference in hull design is the Bertram has a deeper v on entry and more v (deadrise) in the stern. The Hatteras is flatter aft. The Hatteras should burn less fuel. I think most production boats that you are looking at have gotten away from the cored bottoms below the water line. With the deep v the Bertrams have a little less area in the engine room for equipment.

Who stole my bow?!?

But...yes, I agree the 54 (3 feet are something however) is a nice looking boat.
And I think it was nice, at least something different, the layout with galley astern.
It has been discussed here about SF evolution, beside mezzanines, that was some change attempt, may be not too functional but different.
And I'm not ironic

eh you are looking at that picture from the aft end which makes the bow look smaller.
Newer Vikings sport even a shorter bow to that, I think the new 52 comes in mind. Thing is the flush deck of the newer Vikings make it look nicer and longer. We also have a Viking 54 locally, and the bow is not super long. Still I admit I am in love with this boat.
Aft galley might work in a bit of years. Some new Custom boats like the new ACY 90 have an astern galley. And sportfish hybrids from down under as Riviera or Maritimo are all into this. I think for Sportfishers is very ideal, but these are always resistant to change. Even the mezzanines took like over five years for them to start being expected.
Still the galley will have a harder time to get working well, as of those using their boats in the North will find it a bit useless. Even Bertram had to offer an alternative layout for the 540.

Not a bad boat, may be a step less to recent Hatteras and Viking.

Have also a good look at the Cabo 52 Flybridge which is also another nice design....

I believe all the GT series are resin infused hulls now, that would be a significant difference for this model compared to previous ones.

The Zuccon/Ferretti styled Bertrams just don't have the styling appeal the others SF's do, but that will change very soon......

Aft Salon Galleys have been tried over the years, with maybe the infamous Southern Cross 52' to have one of the earlier ones for a production design SF, but they just don't seem to catch on. I personally have never understood why, as it gives you great access from the cockpit and the ability to have a nice pass-through window.

But then agian it is called sportfishing, not sport-dining ....

I was saying about the Cabo 52 Flybridge not Express, anyways the model is quite new started production in 2009, has same hull as Express and not many where made and finding one in the used market is difficult. Also considering the criteria it might be out of your budget. You can still have a look at the 48 Flybridge though, which is same size as the Tiara, if not a bit bigger in real life.

The 52' FB Cabo is a very nice boat.....They only made a handful of them, I ran one of the ones they made it had C18's and ran very nice, but Brunswick nixed them because they didn't want them to compete with the Hatteras 50' FB.