Bertram 50/54

love to hear tips on how to deal with banks!!!

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

Mike
here is a video of the 46 I rebuilted
Hope you like it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJE6FBZPKLY
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

This is some excellent information as those are the same engines/same boat I have. Was a propulsion study done before deciding on the 28x28 4 blades? Where did you get the props and how much might I expect to pay?

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

54 wheels

Bayside Bert, the wheels on the boat were on her when we bought her. No spares. We measured them at haul-out survey, and no reason to change as of now. I honestly don't know if she's faster than others, but needless to say, we are very happy with her performance, very smooth and quickly on plane.
Tom

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

5 blades

For what it's worth...Took a look at an '87 54 in a local boatyard. She was equipped wit 33"x35.5" 5 bladed props. No one was around to talk to about her power and performance. I would assume she is a 12v92 powered boat.

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 ??

Danny at High Tide Marine is very helpful. 305-743-0269
hightidedp@aol.com

Thinking back on some of the simple mistakes that have been made along the way on my boat by seemingly capable technicians ... Danny has been able to steer me correctly on many decisions and he has the correct parts.

For instance ... had a technician install a couple of 3/4 hp Star Rite pumps ... one for fresh water and one for the salt water wash down ... problem is, the original part was a 1/2 hp so the circuit breaker kept popping when I would run one of the pumps.

Minimize trouble by getting the correct parts. Danny has also been able to help with some of the more complex issues (like a malfunctioning alarm circuit board). by referring me to the engineer who designed the board!

Danny is a good man.

Good luck with the new boat.

Mike

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 )

Looking to purchase a 50 with MAN's or a late 80' 54. Does anyone have any opinions on the 12V71's vs the 12V92's on the 54? I have found a few 54's I really like but I am trying to figure out if I should hold out for the right boat with the 1100hp 12V92's. I had a 46.6 with 8V92's and it always felt underpowered. I can't imagine a 50 with those engines. Thanks!

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

The 54' I ran with 12v92's didn't do any better on speed than a 12v71 boat. It only had a hardtop as well. It would do 23 knots at 1900 rpms.....2300 rpms it only hit 27 knots I think. I'd rather have 12v71's any day over 12v92's. Also if you run the 12v71's at 1900 or 1950 (providing they're propped to achieve over 2300 fully loaded wot), you're doing the same speed as a 12v92 boat at 1850. I've found running the 12v92's at 1850 doesn't do them any favors in the longevity department over running them a little higher at say 1900-1950rpms.

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.