Bertram33 User Forum

I have been eying the charter boat across from me at the marina in Cabo and starting to get some dumb ideas for my 35'. The charter boat is a convertible with the rear bulkhead removed, turning it into a day boat, just like the photos of the one in the other thread. I never intend to spend the night on my boat, whether it be in in Oregon or down south in Cabo. I am wondering how hard it would be to remove the rear bulkhead. Before I bought my boat, the previous owner removed the factory bulkhead and replaced it with a glasstech bulkhead and sliding doors, so it must not be too hard. Anyone have anyone out there done this or have an idea on how hard it would be to do? Thanks, Mike C mike@colbachlaw.com

I love the idea, I looked at a 39 Hatteras that was built that way at the factory. There was a 37 Bertram built that way for sale on the west coast listed on yachtworld. It might still be listed as things are not selling very well now. A few weeks ago Glass Tech had a newer 36 that they removed the rear bulkhead on. The project looked very involved in that they completely redid the interior, removing all non waterproof materials and replacing them with fiberglass designs. The job has been going on for quite sometime. It is worth considering if you are caught up on life's other projects and are looking to start another one. You would end up with a nice custom boat. Good luck, Robert

What would you gain by doing it?

Mike... Assuming a B35 is built similarly to a B33.. these links are to pictures that might be of some help.. maybe. I got them by doing a search here on the boat name "Fish Stix", which was owned by Dave Topfer and badly bamaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The first link is to a set of pictures here in the "Slide Show" section, the second is to the boat salvage site where she was auctioned off. If you look carefully I think you can see that there are a series of screws or bolts that hold the aft bulkhead in place. I believe they are put in from the exterior and tie the bulkhead to some sort of frame system. I have been working on my aft bulkhead lately and have the complete inner skin of Formica stripped and have the inside surface of the 3/4" plywood exposed. The outer surface of the plywood is a layer of Formica as well. http://www.bertram33.com/images/slide_s ... horror.htm http://usauctions.com/ItemDetails.aspx?ID=6583 I would be very careful about removing the cabin aft bulkhead.. the whole flybridge is supported by this bulkhead aft and the window posts on each side, just aft of the windshield, and possibly the fixed part of the windshield itself. If you made such a modification I suspect that your insurance carrier would have fits unless you had a naval architect's blessings.

Mike, Check out the pictures of the Ocean 37, it's intersting what they did. I think the biggest benefit would be in building in tackle/prep/freezers/ as the lower section of the open bulkhead. Incorporate some seating for watching baits would also be a good idea. Structurally, if you could keep support posts on either side of of a center walk way or creat an arch where the bulkhead is, that should be good enough. -John

Pepper out of Manasquan has no rear bulkhead and no support posts. I ma not sure if they really support anything. Other then the hardware for the door or doors.

I removed them and rebuilt (rot) several years ago - remove the outside trim, remove the screws across the top and bottom and there are two bolts in the pilaster on the sides, had to go through the pilasters on the outside and the electric junction area on the stbd interior and remove the cabinet on the port interior to get to them. I don't think they support any weight however may provide a bit of lateral stability. Also handy to remove stbd to repower. BR, Alan.

Thanks for the info guys. I really like the idea of a wide open cockpit salon, as my boat is used 100% for fishing. There are a ton of boats in Cabo that have been converted into day boats and it is a great way to get out of the sun, but still have quick access to the cockpit. The coolest boat I have seen yet is a 35' convertible (unknown hull) that was turned into a flybridge walkaround with no rear bulkhead. I can't think of a better fishing platform, especially for livebait fishing for school tuna. I am just kicking ideas around for off season improvements, as boating in Cabo has distracted me from my idea of jumping into a big convertible. Mike C

Not trying to be an a$$, but is it that hard to walk through the sliding door? I would think it would be more work to pull the bulkhead out than it would be worth. Maybe I'm missing something?

Doug, You must not do too much school tuna fishing. When we have five tuna hooked up, the 92 square foot cockpit gets real small, real fast. It would be nice to have more deck space, as things get real crowded in a wide open bite- We have had to quit fishing a number of times this year because we had too many albacore stacked on the deck and we could not walk anymore. It would be real nice to have my tackle station and cooler inside to free up space. As a pure fishing boat, an express style is hard to beat, but I don't want to give up my flybridge. The open boats are real popular down here in Cabo and they are great to fish out of. It would also allow me to be closer to the action, as I have a lower helm. If it was not a nightmare to reverse, I can't see any real harm in giving it a shot in my 35' I fish up north. Mike C

Mike, All things considered, remember some day we all sell our boats. If any of us do something out of the ordinary to alter the boat the pool of buyers will be quite a bit smaller than with a factory maintained boat. On the other hand like I always say "Boating is not a team sport"

Mike, You're right. I don't fish though I don't think many of the tuna guys on this coast ever have your problem of having too many tuna stacked on deck. Around here it seems as if you got a couple you'd be lucky. Must be some serious fishin' in the NW!

Like I said Pepper is a 35 with no bulkhead. They probably do 100 trips a year. They fish tuna hard. The boat has one seat on the flybridge, all business. The salon has a microwave and that is it. Seating down both sides that double a beds. I think the boat has been repowered 4 or 5 times. I think she has 480 cummins in her now.The boat has lots of custom fiberglass work. One feature is reverse chimes like the 31B. Custom exhaust ports. They may be big enough to crawl into. The boat is kept in perfect condition. A real beauty. Removing the rear bulkhead is not a big deal. Tricking out the salon is another undertaking $$$$$

480's! Wow. Any idea what they cruise at?

Any speed they want to! Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com The weak will inherit only whatever the strong are willing to let them have! "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Cummins 6Bs - 315HP Wilmington, NC