Professional BoatBuilder - February-March 2018

22 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER

BUILDER PROFILE: Bertram

are glued in place.  e engineroom is

one continuous piece. Blackwell said the

aim is to keep panels small. “ ere are

two lams in chafe areas where we run

piping and hosing,” he said.

continuity.”  e grid is bonded to the

hull with Plexus methacrylate structural

adhesive.  e grid is  lled with 2-lb

expanding urethane foam to deaden

sound and keep out water.  e  anges

 e 35 has a full-length structural

grid made up of biaxial glass; the ¾"

(19mm) longitudinals have bridges that

go across to carry transverse loads,

which, Blackwell said, “gives us

retro boats but still have a distinctive

Bertram look.  e 35 is a pretty boat, a

unique boat, but how much can you

retain and at the same time make it a

modern 21st-century boat? All the

moldings are di erent; how you trim a

boat is di erent.

“I approached it with what I thought

was a real gentle hand, of saying, look,

you can miss it by trying to be too

novel. You have to respect what’s there.

We got hired because we wanted to do

a retro version of the boat and not just

another boat of that size that didn’t pay

homage to the original boat. The dif-

ficult part was how to move forward

and not subject yourself to failure and

criticism.

“If you look at the drawings side by

side, the 35 is a totally di erent boat.

Much bigger. Much taller. None of the

window rings are even similar.  e

forward  ybridge and long cockpit

were essential to keep the proportions

correct.

“ e 35' Bertram deadrise is 21°,

which we feel is a good compromise

for a true deep-V hull, down a bit from

the traditional 24° of the original 31.

While the original 31 is legendary for

its ride, it is also known for its wetness

Bertram 31, 1961

Bertram 35

Left—In the foreground is the

mold for the 35 structural grid

and at left the cured part from

it. Through the years, this long

building hall was occupied by

CSY, Wellcraft, and Lazzara

Marine. Below—Blackwell

points out a limber hole for

water drainage in the 35’s

structural grid.

Bertram171-ADFinal.indd 22 12/29/17 4:42 PM