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Bertram 50

Discussion in 'Bertram Yacht' started by roadrun1, Jan 18, 2012.

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  1. roadrun1, Jan 18, 2012
    #1
    roadrun1

    roadrun1 New Member

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    I am looking at a 50 bertram with Detroit 12v 71s and no tower.
    Does anyone know what I can expect for speed and fuel consumption?
    Has the size of the cockpit changed from 88 to 1996
  2. JWY, Jan 18, 2012
    #2
    JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    Loren is the Wikopedia of Bertram. Be patient and he'll chime in with answers.
  3. YachtForums, Jan 18, 2012
    #3
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Like Wikipedia, I think Loren went dark today in protest of the SOPA act. RoadRun, had you placed this thread in the Bertram forum, not only would it be seen by anyone doing a search, it would have been better indexed by search engines, both internal and external, therefore giving you a broader scale of response. I'm moving this thread to the Bertram forum.
  4. Ormond Bert54, Jan 18, 2012
    #4
    Ormond Bert54

    Ormond Bert54 Senior Member

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    So, 12V71TI engines ... or 12V71TA? Do you know which horsepower rating? 800hp, 850hp? Probably 22-24 knots cruise and 55gph or so?

    I have a 1984 with the 12V71TI engines .. Currently getting approx 20 knots cruise at approx 60 gph. (fuel consumption could be worse ... Will know more this summer!)

    Wish I could provide more information. The older these boats get, the harder good info is to come by.

    Why don't you show us some photos of the boat.

    My 54 originally had the crusty old overhead electronics box. I was very happy to remove that and fit a very nice low electronics console by Glastech in Miami.
  5. Trinimax, Jan 22, 2012
    #5
    Trinimax

    Trinimax Senior Member

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    they have a 50 down here with the 900hp 12v71 ddec and I believe that at 1850rpm she gets a 23-24 knot cruise. I dont have any fuel burrn numbers and I dont think the cockpit size changed throughout the years it was built, the only thing I do know is that in the later years an in deck fishbox was added, while the earlier years there wasnt one.

    hope this helps and good luck with your buying the boat

    GMax
  6. SHAZAM, Jan 22, 2012
    #6
    SHAZAM

    SHAZAM Senior Member

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    Cockpit size is unchanged from 88 to 96.
  7. saltysenior, Jan 22, 2012
    #7
    saltysenior

    saltysenior Senior Member

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    the in deck fish box was there in early '88....another bertram engineering wonder.....if only one person aboard,and something goes wrong in the aft lazeret,get ready to swim.:eek:
  8. roadrun1, Jan 23, 2012
    #8
    roadrun1

    roadrun1 New Member

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    I would like to thank everyone for their responses. All information is helpful. The Detroits are 900 HP. I would also like to know your opinions on how these boats are when drifting. We do a lot of sharking and have heard stories of snap-rolls in a beam sea.
  9. Loren Schweizer, Jan 23, 2012
    #9
    Loren Schweizer

    Loren Schweizer YF Associate Writer

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    From DD's propeller load curves, these engines consume -per pair- 48 GPH @ 1800 RPM, 64 @ 2000, and 96 @ 2300.

    It was never Bertram's intent to power the 50 with 12V-71s because of the tight fit not lending itself well to production boat building...but Mr. Penske wanted to compete with the 10 cylinder MANs, so a boat was commissioned by Richard Bertram, the dealer, with the two-strokers. They ran and tested that boat extensively, trying to prove to the factory that it was viable. As memory serves, the boat ran about as fast as the MAN-powered version, albeit a tick faster if really loaded up with tower, dink, cases of grape.
    As Viking would go on to show with their 50/53 of the same period, the horsepower-to-weight ratio of the MAN 10s & 12s showed the 12Vs the door.
    Full disclosure: I'm a Detroit fan.

    Handling in a beam sea? The wide-chined hull of the 50/54/60 offered a pretty flat ride, esp. compared with the earlier 42/46. Caveat: add a tall tower in a short period seaway and things change. Fuel load and how much extra onboard stuff are also factors, as are maybe it's calm to me but not so much to you.
    You could do a lot worse in a fifty-footer.