The 25 Bertram Project (Finding the boat and getting it home)

After spending months on the internet searching for the right add that reads "25 Bertram hull for sale" it became obvious that most of the internet advertised Bertrams for sale were in good to excellent condition. Not a lot of "please come haul this thing off" ads out there. I decided to go a different route in hopes of finding a good condition 25 hull that could be restored. I printed up around 50 flyers and started dropping them off everywhere that was boat related.

My search ended in South Louisiana at one of their many used boats shops. After dropping off flyers across 2 states I received a call from a guy named "Woody". Woody owns and operates a place on HWY 90 south near New Iberia, LA named Roadrunner Marine. He had the boat, or I should say the hull that I have been looking for and after looking at the boat the deal was struck. I picked up the boat on July 8th, 2006 and headed back to Texas with my prize in tow.

With that story told...The way to find a 25 Bertram for sale is to monitor the 25bertram.com discussion board. Over the past year several had come up for sale on the board is various condition, at various times. Be patient and one will present itself. Monitoring the board also gives you an opportunity to learn about the different models, power options, stringer systems, etc.

Being that Roadrunner (Woody) is in the Mercruiser rebuilding business he was willing to remove the drives, engines, etc and sell me the bare hull only. Worked out well for both of us. Woody was true to his word and had the boat stripped down the day I showed up with the trailer.

I rented a stall at the local marina in order to free up my trailer to haul the Bertram with. Leaving a boat in salt water for 2 weeks without bottom paint on it is bad story for another day, as with most of my adventures I live and learn...the hard way. At least the new owners of the SeaRay will have a fresh, newly painted bottom job.

Here are a few shots of the boat at Roadrunner Marine the day I purchased it, before the engines and out drives were removed. This particular 25 had the Mercruiser engines and out drives. How is it possible to be so happy about dragging something home that looks like this?

Of course the "Fantail" as the folks at Roadrunner called it has got to go. This must be a south Louisiana favorite because they really looked at me strange when I told them I would not be wanting the "Fantail" and they could keep it. Except for the visual impact of having a small helicopter landing deck hanging off of the transom it's easy to see why someone would like something with that much functionally. Cajuns have always been resourceful and creative...especially when it comes to boats. 

When you get it home...

One of the things that never fails to amaze me about people and their projects is the lack of thought that goes into the project process. It always seems focused on the end result and little or no attention is paid to the actual process that will be undertaken. With a major project such as this there are a few realities that need to be addressed. First; the boat is not going anywhere for a long time. Second; A little pre-planning up front will make the project much easier and ultimately much safer.

Assuming the boat is going to be in one spot for 2-3 years is a safe bet on a project of this magnitude (for me anyway). Boat hulls of this size are going to weigh somewhere between 2,500 lbs and 4,000 lbs. It doesn't take a genius to know that weight like that can kill you quickly. I really don't want my wife to come out and find me under a 3,000 lb block of fiberglass...crushed to death. The point here is to support the hull in such a manner that it can not move, roll over, etc. Keeping one on a trailer is the best ideal but if you have a lot of work to do on the bottom it's not a good option.

Take a look at the photos below. Notice the excessive blocking and the 2 x12 framing that I built to support the boat. A full days work to say the least to  secure a boat that won't be going anywhere, anytime soon. The framing structure is lag bolted together and considered expendable after the project is completed, cheap insurance for a safe project. It's suppose to be enjoyable...not kill you, or worst yet some kid in the neighborhood that couldn't resist playing on your boat while no one was home. These things happen and it's typically an avoidable and unfortunate incident. 

Once the project is safely secured you can crawl all over it and under it with confidence and never worry about the boat falling over. Don't hesitate at anytime during the project to spend whatever time is necessary to make your life easier and safer. I will more than likely use up 10 to 15 full days building various fixtures, frames, etc. during the life cycle of this project. Extensive jig and fixture building will also increase the accuracy and quality of the finished product. In the big scheme of things it's really not much time and it's time well spent. If the boat hits the water 15 days later  has very little impact on my life, after all it is all part of the process and needs to be done correctly and safely.

[Back to the Site Directory]