Bertram33 User Forum

Do any of you SF owners have a dingy or tender that you keep aboard? I just bought a 9' Boston Whaler dingy, and I am considering my options of bringing it aboard. Any comments or opinions are welcome. My two initial ideas are a mounting on the swim-step or the forward deck. David Sumich Bertram33.com Forum Administrator

I'm no help but I'm looking forward to finding out how/what you did. Been thinking about the same thing

I`ll give my two cents , for what it`s worth.I`ve been struggling with the same question with the last boat and this one.On the last one I bought a 6 ft inflatable, added a D ring on the side and carabiner clips on the swim platform and tipped it up and tied it to the rear cleats. It worked out pretty well. This 6 ft boat also rolls up to store into a package I can carry easily. However it only carries two adults. This summer I bought a 9 ft rigid hulled inflatable for the Bertram and a new 15 horse outboard. If I put the 9ft dinghy in the cockpit , it fits but takes up all the room. The fore deck looks a little short for it and it`s just heavy enough that I`m afraid of a back injury lifting it. If I carry it on the swim platform like the old boat, it covers the name of the boat which is documented , so I`m thinking it`s not too cool. It`s also a little bit silly looking to me to have it hanging off the back while under way, even if it`s pretty functional there. So far what I`ve done is take the small 6 ft inflatable with me with it`s 3.3 hp motor and fold it up . It fits next to one of the engines , out of the way and inflates in a few minutes. The motor stows on it`s side in the rear compartment next to the genset. Works for me and a girlfriend , but that`s it. One more thing. I`ve tried towing it for a fairly short distance and didn`t like it much. Frank Price

I have B33C, not the sportfisher. I carry a Boat/Us 9'8" airfloor inflatable on my foredeck. Previous 2 seasons I just had it tied down to the deck with a piece of foam under the wooden transom. This season I was given an old set of pvc chocks. With the upside down inflatable mounted in the chocks I can leave the v-berth hatch open even in the rain. Since I don't have the engine boxes I can store the 4-stroke 5 hp Nissan mounted under the bridge ladder. Al 1978 33 FBC NITES OFF

I also have been looking....I am seriously looking at a folding boat called portabote here is the web site http://www.portabote.com i test rode a 12' however they make a 10' and an 8' i am looking at the 8' because it actually seems to have more interior space than a 10' inflatable. they all fold to 4" thick and looks like a surfboard when folded.you can set it up in 5 minutes and can store it anywhere really cockpit,side or bow rail, swim platform.The 8 takes upto a 3.5hp and the boat is supposed to be alot faster than an inflatable.the ride is probably not as good as an inflatable but it will not puncture and they say it is unsinkable...the one drawback i see is load capacity.however i think i can fit myself ,wife and 2 small children. Tim Stamm Photo Finish 1981 33' Bertram FBC

I also have a FBC rather than a SF, but I bought a 8 foot 6 inch rigid inflatable this past fall (its and AB) . Its very light at 95lbs and my wife and I can very easily haul and launch it from the fore deck. It leaves me with just enough room to not affect my access to the bow cleats. I doubt that you would be able to store an inflatable/dingy on the foredeck of a SF as there is not as much room. FYI: I've got a 4 stroke 9.9 for the inflatable. The boat flies. If I had to guess, I'll bet it does 20 mph with both the wife and me in it. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth

I have a hard bottom on Weaver davits and it is very easy to deal with. Seems like the way to go.

Doug , We should race next summer. With inflatables. What do you think? Frank Price

Actually, we have dingy races every Labor Day weekend at the backside of Cranes. Maybe next year you can plan a little more in advance and stay for the whole weekend next time. Its a lot of fun. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth

Doug, I`ll have to plan on that. Sounds like a lot of fun.I wonder if I can get a stainless prop for my outboard?????

Frank, What kind of rigid bottom inflatable did you get? Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth

I have a 13 Avon hard bottom, 35 merc and wheel steering. (for sale with a trailer). The thing flys, but I have to drag it. Took it to the Abacos 2 yrs ago, and it really hurt me fuel wise. So this year for the Abaco trip, I bought a brand new 11.2 with the blow up floor and a 15 Evinrude. Don't hit it if you are alone, it will blow over. But I can put it all in the cocpit and put it together when i get to wherever. So what are these Weaver Davits? Is it the ones you flip the boat up in the platform? E.W. Dugan

For anyone thats using the weaver davits, does the dingy get in the way when you are trying to dock? Doesn't it effect the way your stern lines come aboard? While hauling the dingy onto the forward deck can be a pain, once its up its in a very out of the way spot as opposed to always being off the transom. We spend a lot of time in the cockpit at the dock and I would think that it would be a nuisance. Regards, Doug L. 1986 33 Bertram FBC Queen Elizabeth

Doug, I have a west marine (zodiac)Rigid. 9ft.It`s the one with the enclosed hull, made of fiberglass. A bit heavy for me, I think it`s like 90 lbs.It`s also a bit squirley at speed.I want to get some of those trim tabs they make for inflatables , then maybe I could trim it up a little and get the bow out of the water.Now , the bow tends to act as a rudder on the front and it`s twitchy, to say the least.I get the impression that it wasn`t made to go 25 . Frank Price

Al and E.W., I see that you both have the inflatable floor boats are these the high pressure floors.How do you like these boats as compared to a roll up slat floor or a rigid?I have been going over all my options and what overall would be best for me... first -of all size is a big factor as yes i would love to have an 11' for capacity however we do not have a lot of space on our boats by the time you add dive gear and fishing gear and beer.i am thinking that yes an 8.5' will be tight for my wife and i and 2 small kids but it might be worth the sacrifice to be easier to launch and store either inflated or deflated. second-my own thinking says that the high pressure inflatable bottom is a good compromise of all the boat bottoms .are these fast? say an 8.5' with a 5hp would be sufficient? i have been looking at a mercury high pressure inflatable that is 8'9" and is half the cost of the zodiak or avon the quality seems to be as good.they show all the info on the mercruiser web site.i have already made one big mistake last week and bought a used sea eagle 11' boat i got a real good deal on it but it drives awful and is very slow it is the doughnut style with the motor mount hanging off the back chamber.so this was a lesson for me of what i dont want. Tim Stamm Photo Finish 1981 33' Bertram FBC