The first in Bertram’s new line of outboard-powered boats sets a high bar, and offers a hint at what’s to come.
Bertram boasts one of the most ambitious claims in all of boatbuilding: “The sun never sets on the Bertram empire.” Easy to say, right? But with decades spent churning out vessels that can be found all over the globe, and a passionate client base to match, there’s some truth to that statement.
Yet it doesn’t tell the whole story, because the future once looked pretty dark. In 1992, financial strains forced the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Ferretti Group would eventually step in and revive the iconic American brand. Then, sadly, the larger-than-life founder, Richard Bertam, passed away. In the early aughts, Bertram would go on to design a couple sportfish models, but the overarching consensus was that something had changed. There were whispers that the new ownership was in the process of “Gucci-fying” the battlewagons.
In 2015, Bertram changed hands again, this time acquired by another Italian conglomerate—the Gavio Group, owned by Beniamino Gavio, an entrepreneur and owner of superyacht builder Baglietto. Here were all the same signs pointing to abject failure: a foreign group out of its element trying to bring a modern Bertram to life.
Except that isn’t what happened. Gavio could’ve moved the facility anywhere, including overseas, to keep overhead down. Instead, he chose to keep it in Florida, moving from Miami to a 120,000-square-foot facility in Tampa. “We believe that Bertram belongs to this country,” Gavio said in a statement. “[It] started in Miami, and we want to keep Bertram in Florida in order to preserve the connection with its history.” Next, the builder came out of the gate with three next-generation sportfish models that retain the same classic lines and seaworthy hulls of their original predecessors. But nobody—myself included—could’ve imagined the modern range would expand to include center and dual consoles. Well played, Mr. Gavio.
The history he alluded to was on full display this past February, as I found myself aboard the first Bertram center console built in over 30 years, the 39 CC, climbing the steep jaws of Jupiter Inlet. The sporty conditions, with 6- to 8-footers thrown into the mix, had me feeling like Dick Bertram racing aboard the Bertram 31. We were going at a steady clip, powered by triple 400-hp Mercury outboards to around 20 knots, just under their published cruising speed. The 39’s angular, deep-V design and wide beam never felt outmatched by the wave sets. Though we took some spray over the bow—this is a center console, after all—the only critique I had was that the wiper only covered about one-third of the windshield. That’s something you can reflect on from the security that comes with a stable ride.
Of course, those aren’t the conditions most owners will typically find aboard their 39. Though the boat has been designed with the hardcore offshore angler in mind, Bertram is fielding interest from a diverse group of would-be owners who will probably stick closer to the sandbar—but it’s nice to know it’s versatile enough to handle snottier seas.
The 39 I was aboard, hull one, was rigged with fishing add-ons: two pressurized, aquarium-style, 60-gallon livewells in place of the standard 40-gallon ones, with a bait prep station to port. It also came with over 20 rod holders, and a wide T-top that not only covers the console amidships, but a good portion of the walkways around the boat. Four helm chairs across will help set the 39 apart in a crowded market, as does a comfortable cabin accessed from a door next to the helm (with a separate head and shower). Together with the helm chairs, there’s enough seating for eight people to sit facing forward while under way. Forget the question of where to grab some bait. The biggest question future owners will need to wrestle with is “Do we invite family or friends?”
Bertram has engineered these center consoles from the ground up, so everything has been designed with a purpose—no growing pains here. Storage is integrated into most of the seating, including the berth and two compartments in the cockpit. On centerline, right behind a three-person bench seat is an easy-to-access locker housing the pumps, raw-water intake and a Seakeeper 3. “We’ve actually already had a service cycle on the Seakeeper, and they had no problem,” said Dan Hamilton, Bertram’s director of product development and program management. “They took the cover off, got to everything they needed and put it right back in the water.”
Hamilton is part of the brain trust overseeing the move to outboard-powered models. The last time we spoke, the 39 was still in tooling. Now, he’s hard at work on expanding the portfolio to include a 28 CC, 28 XC and 33 CC. Eventually, the range will include nine (!) different outboard models encompassing center and dual consoles from 28 to 50 feet. I asked him what, if anything, had changed on the 39. “Configuration-wise, I think we pretty much nailed it,” he told me. “We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback; some very minor changes on the interior as far as utilizing a little bit more space.”
