Bertram Yachts and the Deep-V That Changed Offshore Boating

Moppie, the Miami-Nassau race and a new hull shape

Richard Bertram was a yacht broker and racing sailor in Miami when he commissioned a 31-foot raceboat on C. Raymond Hunt's then radical deep-V hull. Driving it in the 1960 Miami to Nassau race, he crossed the Gulf Stream in rough conditions and won by a huge margin. He kept winning the race through 1963 and finished second in 1964. That proof convinced him to put the design into production, and Bertram Yacht was founded in 1960.

The Bertram 31 that followed in 1961 became one of the most influential production powerboats ever built. Its sharp entry and constant deadrise let it run fast in a head sea when flat-bottomed boats had to slow down, and almost every offshore fishing boat since owes something to it. Richard Bertram left the company in 1964 to focus on brokerage, and the yard changed owners many times over the following decades, including a long period under Italy's Ferretti Group.

The convertible years and the Tampa revival

Through the 1970s and 1980s Bertram became a dominant name in sportfishing convertibles. The Bertram 54 Convertible, introduced in Miami in 1981 and built for about 12 years, is the model we cover from that era, and the name returned on a reworked 54 built from 2008 to around 2013. With its long foredeck, big cockpit and two-stroke Detroit Diesels on most hulls, it was a favorite of tournament crews and charter captains, and many have been repowered and refit.

In 2015 the Gavio Group bought Bertram from Ferretti and moved production to Tampa, Florida, and the two Bertrams we cover from this era show what the new company builds. The Bertram 35, now sold as the 35 Flybridge, debuted in 2016 on a Michael Peters design meant to look and run like the classic 31, with the first hulls built by Lyman-Morse in Maine before Tampa production began in 2017. Twin Caterpillar diesels give it a top end around 36 knots.

The Bertram 50S is the bigger statement. Introduced as the 50 Express in 2020 and since renamed the 50S, or 50 Sport, it is an express sportfisherman with an enclosed command deck, two staterooms, more than 1,200 gallons of fuel and a cruise above 30 knots on twin Caterpillar C18s, with MAN V12s optional. It is the natural modern alternative to a used 54 Convertible for crews who prefer an express layout to a flybridge.

The current range also includes the 61 Convertible and the 28CC, 34CC and 39CC center consoles. New Bertrams are a fraction of the brand's former volume, so dealer coverage is narrower than for Viking or Hatteras.

• Bertram 31, the 1961 deep-V that started it all
• Bertram 54 Convertible, a 1980s tournament classic revived from 2008
• Bertram 35, revived as a modern flybridge sportfish
• Bertram 50S, the Tampa-built express sportfisherman

Buying a used Bertram without regret

Classic Bertrams were built heavy, with solid fiberglass bottoms, which is why so many survive. But a 40-year-old boat is only as good as its last refit. Bertram 31s range from project boats under $40,000 to concours restorations with new diesels well into six figures, and buyers routinely pay more for documented work than for originality. The large owner community and specialist yards in Florida and New Jersey make restoration practical. Late-model 35s and 50Ss are a different purchase entirely, priced in the high six and seven figures, where Caterpillar service records and warranty history matter most.

Inspect the areas that age worst.

• Cored decks and cabin tops, especially around hardware
• Fuel tanks under the cockpit, often aluminum and prone to corrosion
• Stringers and engine beds on repowered boats
• Detroit Diesel or repower history on convertibles
• Wiring updates and fuel system compliance on older hulls