|
You don't have to have the windows.
That may be the most important message I can convey to hardcore anglers interested in the Bertram 700. I know a bunch of you are this very moment looking at the running shots of our test boat and thinking, "Phew! No real fisherman would have those on his boat."
So all you hypertestosteronics can relax. While the master stateroom hull-side windows are standard on the enclosed-bridge 700, they're optional on the open-bridge version that most serious anglers will order. And while I'm sure I'm not going to change the mind of a single manly skeptic, I must nevertheless admit that I think they're neat. They really open up what is usually the darkest area of any boat and provide views to the outside that are relaxing at rest and entertaining underway.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
|
Hard-core anglers will probably also sniff at another option on our test boat: the Mitsubishi ARG stabilization system licensed exclusively for powerboat use to the Ferretti Group, of which Bertram is a member. Not only do the two genset-size gyroscopes (two because of the Betram's size) occupy about half of the 700's lazarette and restrict access to her two standard 23-kW Kohler gensets (you must lay on your side to check their oil), they add nearly $195,000 to the price tag. But they also reduce roll (by as much as half, says Bertram) at slow speeds and at rest, a claim that rang true as I idled our boat in the middle of the Gulf Stream. I'm sure a lot of anglers will insist that such a technological panacea is only for the limp-wristed—despite the hazards of trying to stand up and fight a fish on a wet and pitching deck.
Remove these two items, and what do you have? A big, relatively conventional sportfisherman that with a top speed of 44 mph can definitely run with the big boys. And not just in flat water, thanks to her proven hull. In creating the 700, Bertram didn't start from scratch; it just stretched the 670, which it's been building since 2004. The 700 gains a foot in her engine room, two feet in her already-generous master stateroom, and three feet in her cockpit, which now includes a standard mezzanine. (It was optional on the 670.)
Adding waterline typically increases buoyancy aft, which should enhance planing performance. It certainly did on our 700, which not only accelerated briskly (see our test results) but did so without excessive bow rise. She assumed a 4 1/2-degree angle at 1250 rpm and then never varied more than a degree from it. Trim tabs were necessary only to adjust for asymmetrical loads and the effects of beam winds, a consideration on a boat with a full tower.
Our 700's admirable acceleration came courtesy of optional 2,000-hp MTU 16V 2000s that emitted a black cloud whenever I nailed the throttles. This isn't the first time I've seen these engines belch black smoke, but it certainly is the most egregious case of it, and I'm not certain if it's characteristic of the engine or a matter of adjustment. It's definitely an MTU issue, not Bertram's.
Speaking of test results, you may notice that the 700's sound-level readings are a little high—above 85 dB-A from 1750 to WOT (65 dB-A is the level of normal conversation). Most of this was not exhaust, wind, or water noise, but due to rattles emanating from the bin inserts beneath the three cockpit hatches. The cause was an out-of-spec prop shaft: a variation of .010 inch compared to the Bertram threshold of .006 inch. (Betram checks every prop shaft with a micrometer before installing it.) The real culprit, I was told, was the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that took place a week before our test, which necessitated using the faulty shaft so Hull No. 1 could make her debut there. The explanation rings true: Standing in the cockpit I could feel the vibration through my feet.
Even with the rattles, the 700 was a joy to run, especially in the Gulf Stream, where four-footers predominated. I had to keep reminding myself we were doing 30-plus knots as the big boat sashayed through the swells like a starlet walking up to receive her Oscar, leaving the bridge enclosure mostly dry. I was especially impressed the way she handled seas on her forward quarters—not a hint of jarring. I could have played in the Stream for hours had my arms not given out. Our 700's steering was glacially slow: 11 turns lock to lock. It seems Bertram was experimenting with a BCS electro-hydraulic system on the 700. The experiment now concluded, it will thankfully return to the 670's conventional engine-driven power-assist system.
|
PAGES:
|
1
|
|
 |
|