My Bertram Story
This site contains links to historical brochures of the various Bertrams
built since the late 1960's because I wanted to share with others who
are as obsessive about Bertrams as I am! My collection turned into a
genuine hobby and I would pick up brochures at every opportunity.
I have been compiling this library of brochures since the early 1970's
when my family purchased our first Bertram...a Bertram 26 Sport
Fisherman. Our family of five spent nights on this boat and fished the bays and Gulf waters of Texas.
My obsession and love for Bertrams really took off with the purchase of our first Bertram 35. It could sleep
all of us in air conditioned comfort and Mom prepared great meals. My father named our first several boats
"Que Pasa" which means "What's Happening?" in Spanish.
When we placed 3rd in the Poco Bueno Offshore tournament everyone
referred to us as "the little gas boat with a Mexican name". Our 35 was
dwarfed by the larger yachts that frequented the tournament. That
278 lb blue marlin brought some good money!
Prompted by the earnings from that tournament, we decided to
upgrade to a Bertram 46 which has been my favorite of all time. The
size, the roominess, the lines, the comfort. Man, we were the king of
the docks in the late 70's in that beauty. Unfortunately, the late 70's brought some tough economic times and my
favorite Bertram did not stay in the family too long. But definitely long enough to etch a permanent love into my brain!
Fast forward to 1984 and we were ready to get back into Bertrams. The new 35 II caught my father's eye and we
had such good memories with our first 35 that we jumped into it. We decided to try a new boat name and my dad
got a little too clever. Can you read the name in the photo? It's a made up word that
reads "Five Of Us" only spelled as one word. Very few, if any, actually understood it but
we had fun with it. One Spring Break we traveled from Rockport, Tx down to South Padre
and back. Fun trip!
My parents moved to Ft Lauderdale, Fl in the late-1980's and purchased a Bertram 28
to play around with. That lasted a while until my father found a deal on a boat he had
loved for a long time...a Bertram 42. He bought that boat in 2003 and we brought it across Lake Okeechobee
and down to Ft Lauderdale. We took this boat to Bimini several times and also to Nassau. Such a solid and
comfortable boat.
My adult years took me to the Texas Hill Country and lake activities while raising
the kids but my mind never strays too far from the thought of being on those
beloved Bertrams. A man can dream...
