Boat test for the 2004 Bertram 630 Convertible with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2004 Bertram 630 Convertible.

“After all the testing I’ve done on this hull, I’m impressed with its performance in calm as well as adverse sea conditions,” Mullian told me. I’d have to wait for another day to check his claim, as test day saw only a calm sea. However, I can report that my 630 displayed outstanding tracking during my time at the wheel as well as excellent handling, especially through a series of 360s at speed, during which I noted a drop of less than 200 rpm, a sign of an efficient hull. As for backing down—well, more on that later.

Mullian also told me that the team computer-analyzed four different hull designs before coming up with the one that combined the fastest speed with the best seakeeping. They obviously chose well, as I noted an average top speed of 47.3 mph and a comfortable cruise speed of more than 40 mph at 2000 rpm with the optional 2,000-hp MTU 16V 2000 M91s. And that range Ferretti wanted? I calculated 536 miles (0.32 mpg) out of 1,849 gallons, including a ten-percent reserve at that 40-mph cruising speed.

Ferretti also had the Bertram team look at improving construction. The bottom is still solid below the waterline, with Klegecell-cored hull sides, deck, and superstructure. But instead of a conventional stringer system, which is molded, then pumped full of foam and secondarily bonded to the hull, Bertram uses a giant casting sculpted out of high-density, 14-pound foam blocks that are encapsulated and laminated to the hull using longitudinals measuring about eight inches wide. In addition, the thwart members that continue up the hull sides to within ten inches of the sheerline are spaced closer together than on the 60, leaving fewer unsupported areas.

The same kind of thought that went into increasing speed and strength was also given to interior comfort. The 630 is offered with a standard three- or optional four-stateroom layout. To provide more room, Bertram designers increased the beam above the waterline at about amidships; traditionally Bertrams have beams that are continuous from amidships to the transom. “On the 630 we kind of ‘pooched’ it out at the center to give the boat a little more room, gunwale to gunwale, in the center of the boat,” Mullian explained.

That’s why the roominess was so noticeable in all three quarters aboard my 630, whether I was in the forepeak, amidships master, or starboard twin-berth quarters. I also noted lots of stowage spaces. There were two full-length cedar closets, two cabinets, and a pair of drawers in the forepeak’s centerline queen berth. I found a three-drawer, two cabinet credenza along with a pair of cedar closets, two night tables, and a free-standing cabinet for the entertainment center in the master. And the twin-berth quarters had a full-size closet and ample drawer space.

There are other places aboard the 630 where roominess is evident. One is the bridge, where the expansive helm offers the skipper a vast array of electronics that disappear into the console at the push of a button. Forward of the helm there’s also a seating area for about eight, with stowage below.

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