Bertram Yachts is Back! New Design Unveiled at FLIBS

Bertram Yachts has a new beginning. The iconic boat brand is re-emerging with a new owner, new leadership and a new design inspired by the legendary Bertram 31.

“We only have one chance to get this right,” Bertram Yacht general manager Susan Davids said during a Nov. 6 press conference at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show promoting the Bertram 35, slated to debut at FLIBS in 2016.

“We have big expectations. People love their Bertrams, and we have to live up to that reputation,” Davids told a group of editors from Active Interest Media’s Marine Group earlier last week.

Davids and Tommy Thompson, head of product development, unveiled a rendering of the new boat, which Thompson described as a “35-foot Bertram 31.” Thompson also acknowledged the high expectations involved in bringing back the revered deep-vee design that company founder Dick Bertram made popular five decades ago.

“We are being held to a very high standard,” he told the gathering. “This can’t be just any boat. It has to be a Bertram.”

Michael Peters Yacht Design of Sarasota, Fla., designed the boat. It will initially be available in two configurations — one for fishing and another for cruising.

Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding in Thomaston, Maine, will build the prototypes.

Of the upcoming Bertram 35, Denison Yacht Sales yacht broker and son of founder Richard Bertram, Morgan Bertram said “The new Bertram 35 is a fantastic boat.  Michael Peters interpretation of what a present day Bertram 31 would be hits the mark for me.  The prototype will use Caterpillar C-7’s which will have her breaking the 40 Kts barrier with ease.  The beam is 12′ 5″, Draft 2’6″.  Her dead rise is 22 degrees at the transom so she will be a rough water boat, a true Bertram.  The hull will be infused and utilize a structural grid system to give the hull a solid backbone.  The boat can be set up for cruising or fishing but the base boat is comprehensive. Some options are Seakeeper and bow thruster.”

Last March, Bertram was purchased from The Ferretti Group by Argo Finanziaria, a division of The Gavio Group, a family-owned Italian industrial company headed by Beniamino Gavio.

Gavio bought a Bertram 54 in 1999 and he promises that the new Bertrams will be simple and strong.

“I’m not going to make an Italian yacht,” Gavio said back in February. “I’m going to make an American boat.”

After the announcement at FLIBS, enthusiastic Bertram fans greeted Gavio with handshakes and well wishes.

“It feels fabulous,” Gavio said of the reception.

Source: TradeOnlyToday