Any pics of a circa 1969 center console Bertram (pic of mine inside)

I have never found a single pic of these boats besides mine. Anyone know anything about them? I found this one in "unseaworthy" condition and painstakenly restored it over several years. I think it was called a Bertram Sportsman. Before I do anymore building to it I would really like to find out what it looked like from the factory. Was sky blue when I found it but looked like it had been painted at least once already. It was manufactured in 1969.

 

She's a beauty, but I've never run across one before. I'll check in with a friend of mine who's a Bertram fanatic.

 

Congrats on a beautiful job. I have not seen a center console version of a Bertram 20 before.

I am restoring a Bertram 20 now. Did you re-gelcoat her or did you paint her?
What power did you go with? Whats her crusing/top speed?

She looks great. Those classic lines have been copied by almost every other boat maker in that class.

 

Thanks Jen. I stripped her down and shot it with Awlgrip. The finish is nice and its a tough as gelcoat. It has a Mercruiser 470 which is a large 4 cyl. Plenty of power for the ocean which is where it spends most of its time. If I remember correctly top speed was around 30 35 mph. The only thing bothering me is that it seems abit transon heavy, or maybe bow light? Seems like it takes an offel long time for the bow to settle in when accelerating. The front of the boat is an empty shell really. All the weight is in the back. I'm going to move the 2 huge batteries I installed as far forward as possible this winter and see if it helps. Have you had any such problems? What engine you have? Top speed? I got caught in some 6ft plus seas this summer and she handled them like a champ. I wouldn't sell this boat for anything! How far down did you strip the boat to restore? Did ya remove the floor? I have a soft spot I'm gonna have to deal with soon. I understand they have foam under the floor for support and its known to get web and deteriorate. Be sure to check the brass scupper drains, they are also known for rotting and allowing water into the transom. Mine were shot but luckily I caught it in time.

 

I just bought her as a project. I have not had her out myself yet. She was powered with a 165hp merc inline 6, put i am repowering her with a v-8 i think. I want at least 200hp. My boat is quite solid, she weighs 2500 lbs less motor!! the transom is at least 1 3/4 inches thick where i removed the drive and she seem very solid and no rot. I have not seen under the floor fwd of the bulkhead midships. Its totally glassed solid. As for the exterior, there are quite a few holes in the gelcoat that go right to the fiberglass. I plan on sanding them out this winter. Ill have to talk to a few local boat painter and see what they think, whether i should go paint or fix the gelcoat.

 

Hello

I have owned a Sportsman like yours since 1980 - Great boat and you did a great job on yours. If you would like some information regarding hull design, the fashion in which the hull was designed to behave, etc. you can contact me at Joe@actionbullet.com and I will look through the stuff I have.

This hull was designed by Ray Hunt as a takeoff of the Bertram 31 and is the exact hull just proportioned down to a 20 footer. You couldnt buy a better boat today for any money in this size range.

Good luck.

 

Bertam Sportsman 20

I have a 1969 Bertram Sportsman too. I bought her out of St. Petersburg Fl at a YMCA auction, sight unseen. She needed alot of work, most of which has been done. The last step was converting the outboard on a bracket back to an I/O. We put a 4.3L Merc (fuel injected) with a bravo 3 drive on her. Tops out at 50mph. The total hp is 235.

I have a fair amount of info on the original boat design including a copy of a 1969 article on the boat.

I love the boat, especially the front platform that is great for kids and tooling around when the fishing is bad.

We have had the same issues with the aft cg. she is just a bit back heavy, but not nearly as bad as when the outboard was hung off a bracket. We moved the batteries forward under the front hatch and that helped a bit.

We also just finished putting in a new 80gal fuel tank, so we have plenty of range...

One of these days I will take some pics and post them....

Brad

 

For Sale ?

Do you know any Bertram 20 Sportsman for sale ?

I am seriously looking for one.

Staffan

 

Bertram20

Nice Boat! I Also Have One.i Have Put A New Inline 6 165hp In It.just About Half Way Thru The Restoration.i Have Looked And Looked For Owners And Only Found One In Washington State With
Outboards.i Currently Have It For Sale.i Have The Original Manuals For This Boat.it Runs Top Speed Of 38 Mph And Is Very Transom Heavy.a Beast Of A Boat.it Has Been In Our Family Since Early Eighties.i Have All The Cushions For The Bow,motor Coverand Seat In Front Of The Console And I Also Have Both Seats That Fit Beside The Motor Cover And All Of Them Are Freshly Recovered.outdrive Has Had All New Seals,boots And Has Been Pressure Tested.also Has New Hydraulic Lines.still Needs Some Tlc.trailer Is Rusted But No Major Damage.hull Is In Great Shape I Buffed It Out This Past Summer And Got A Good Shine Out Of It For The Original Paint.has Some Nicks(many) But No Big Ones.teak Is In Good Shape Physicly But Needs Redone.did Yours Come With The Trim Tabs?anyway Happy Fishing.

 

I have a 1969 Bertram 20 Sportsman myself, it's been outfitted with a yamaha 225 outboard and radar arch. I have a question, does anyone know what the approximate weight of the boat itself might be?

 

Ricke, my estimate is that the boat weighs about 2500 lbs. The hull its self could weigh as much as 2000 i think.

 

CC Conversion

Looking for someone that may have some info on converting a moppie to a cc and moving the engine to where the gas tank is via jackshaft

 

20' Bertram Sportsman center console

I have one. Bought it out of Naples Florida and restored it. It now has a 4.3l Mercruiser in it. I can get pics if you are interested and I have original specs on the boat from Bertram as well as an article or two.

E-mail me if you are interested:

Brad.McMullen@boeing.com

 

Congratulation

Would be nice to see some pictures of your boat.
I welcome all information.

I just bought a simular boat - Donzi St.Tropez.
I could not find a Bertram to the right price.

Are you satisfied with your engine-setup.
I am planning to repower the St.Tropez with a V8 small block
or a 4.3 machine.
Hello from Sweden
staffan@plutosystems.se