Bertram 50/54

Dave,
did you sell your 50 Bert?
Which ride you like best, Bert or Hatt?
Capt Joe

54 Bert speed

Our 54, ex-Dolphin, now DOG HOUSE, has the 800hp BKX 12v71ti's and is swinging 28x28 4 blades, full tower. She does indeed cruise 25 kts @ 1950 rpms, though we usually run her at 1700 and get 21.5 kts on the GPS. Here in the Palm Beach area, no need for long runs to the fishing grounds, 10 miles is about max for us, so taking it easy on the fuel burn is a nice option. I was pleasantly surprised at her speed, she did 29.5 kts @ 2350 rpms on our sea trial with about 900 gallons of fuel aboard. Tabs all the way down, if conditions permit, gives her a 2 knot boost at cruise. Great sea boat, raises fish well, too!
Looking forward to sailfish season.
Cheers,
Tom

Mike
Dog House is the boat I was talking about! I know the ex captain and mate of that boat and I couldn't believe when they where telling me that they where getting that performance!
Anyway, great job Dog House and good luck with it, she was well taking care of.
I considered buying it was was a bit too vintage for me and what I want to do with it.
Joe

Seems to be a good setup ... certainly faster than mine. The performance you are seeing is my goal. Thanks

Ensign Digital Tach/Sync

I am upgrading from the best Bertram 35 in the Caribbean (ps she is for sale) to a 1989 Bertram 54.
One of the items on the snag list, is the Ensign Digital Tachometer's liquid chrystal is almost unreadable.

Would anyone know where i can either get a new Liquid chrystal for this, or get a new or used unit in good condition ??

Looking to purchase a 1988 50' Bertram with 8v92 s 735 hp each . Could anyone give any advice on the good & bad on this model , also spoke with broker and was told the fly bright has a spongy deck( water insertion I guess )

I believe that there are a few 50's on the market that are powered by 900 hp 12v71's, however I have heard that the extra engine weight, size and larger shaft size etc resulted in a cramped engine room, with higher fuel burn and not much gain in speed. I believe that the 50 with 12v71's should touch 30 knots and cruise easily in the low to mid 20's. I agree with you on your concerns about the 50 with 8v92's being underpowered. I know of '3' 50's down here in Trinidad powered by 8v92's and I think the best top speed they see is about 27 knts with not much fuel and fresh bottom paint. So realistically they are a 25 knot boat with a 20 knot cruise at 1850 rpm.
with regards to the 54. from what i have heard from one of local captains here in Trinidad, the 54 powered by 900 hp 12v71s will break 30 knots and cruise in the mid 20's and that is a boat with a full tower. the 54's powered by 12v92's will do a little better on speed, but with the expense of larger engines making the engineroom a bit tighter.

hope this information is useful, and good luck with your search

I had a Bertram 54' convertible with 12v71TI's in her. She ran like a top. I forget the HP exactly, but I think they were 950hp. She would do upwards of 36 knots with half fuel load. As Ralph says, 71's are a VERY forgiving motors and not as maintenance intensive as a 92 motor. Personally, I shy away from MAN's. Hard to get repaired and very expensive to maintain and repair. You can get a Detroit part virtually anywhere, CAT as well. MAN, not so much and even harder to find a mechanic. I have a 55' Hatt SF with 1271TI's in her. Small hp, only 650. But I really could careless how fast she will go. We run her at 10-12knots. Open her up occasionally to blow out the soot. Hatteras is a heavier boat than an old 54' Bert like I had. Good luck.

LOLOL, this reminds me of a 54' Bertram I ran a few times many years ago. It had 6500 hours without rebuilds. When you started it, it would grey smoke for 15 minutes so bad you could not see behind the transom and sometimes had to go inside or 100' from the boat till it warmed up. Engine surveyor said there were no hash marks left whatsoever in the liners. It got up and ran over 30 knots WOT. LOLOLOL Had 12v71's.