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I don’t wax nostalgic,
especially when it comes to boats. Since I’ve been messing around
in ‘em, I’ve watched them become better built, safer, easier
to handle, and yes, more affordable. I think ahead, not of the past. Well,
usually. I can’t look at a Bertram tearing out of an inlet without
remembering the sight of the original 31-foot Moppie, which blasted
out of Government Cut to win the 1960 Miami to Nassau race. Crewing aboard
an ancient Huckins being delivered to Miami, I was close enough to history
to see the rooster tails on the horizon. So I have a connection. And every
Bertram that’s been built since Richard Bertram parlayed that win
into a company that made his name synonymous with quality has a connection
with Moppie.
Even on Bertram’s
40th anniversary, its new 390 Convertible has a visceral relationship
to her well-established heritage. Sure, the 390’s styling and lines
are pure 21st century; her sweeping cabin sides and near-teardrop-shape
windows (solid shatterproof glass) reflect the influence of the Italy-based
Ferretti Group, which bought the company in 1998. But close an eye, like
I did, and look at her hull from the sheerline down. That sharp entry,
topped by a subtle spray-deflecting flare, gradually softens to a 21-degree
transom deadrise, a real deep-V hull and a concept the company has relied
on during its entire existence. As a matter of fact, the 390’s hull
is an extended version of the company’s successful 37-foot convertible,
which debuted in the late 1980s. Why change a good thing?
It’s what you don’t
see, however, that lets the 390 earn her namesake. Her 476-gallon fuel
tank is immediately forward of her 480-hp Volvo Penta TAMD 74 EDC diesel
inboards (with 21/2-inch stainless steel shafts and dripless, water-cooled
shaft logs) not only as a sound barrier between the machinery space and
the living quarters, but also to minimize the effect of changing fuel
load on trim. The standard 8-kW Kohler genset, immediately abaft the engines,
is also on the 390’s midline, also for reasons of stability. Stability
is important because, like every Bertram, the 390 is aimed at serious
fishermen who want a long-legged machine that can take them far offshore
and get them safely home, no matter what the sea state.
And if you’re in
a pounding, boat-beating head sea, there are other factors you need to
consider: Foremost among them, the boat has to be strong. Here, too, Bertram
combines common sense with practicality. The bottom is solid glass using
unidirectional 17.08 knitted fabric, but the hull and cabin sides are
Divinycell-cored; the weight-savings topsides also contributes to overall
stability. The shoeboxed hull-to-deck joint is bonded with 3M 5200 and
stainless steel screws on three-inch centers that self-tap into an aluminum
backing plate.
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