Few production boats can trace their lineage directly to a race-winning forebear. The Bertram 35 is among the handful that can.
The story starts with Moppie, a 31-foot offshore racer conceived by Raymond C. Hunt. That boat reshaped the way sailors and engineers thought about running through heavy water. Built around Hunt's deep-vee hull geometry, Moppie proved that a vessel could drive cleanly through breaking offshore conditions rather than pounding its way over them. When Richard Bertram founded his company in 1960, that hard-won insight formed the cornerstone of everything he intended to build. The commercial potential was obvious to him from the outset.
Bertram and Hunt worked together to translate that hull philosophy into a range of fast, capable pleasure boats, and buyers responded without hesitation. The 35 Convertible arrived in 1970, by which point Bertram had already done much to define what a serious sportfishing platform should look like. The 35 sharpened that definition still further. Its flybridge, spacious cockpit, and a below-decks arrangement that balanced fishing utility with real cruising comfort laid down a template that competitors spent years trying to match.
The original model stayed in production until 1986, and during that run the design crossed the Pacific. Arch Spooner had established International Marine in 1958, and in 1970 the company began constructing the Bertram 35 under licence at its Melbourne facility, a 120-hectare operation in the suburb of Scoresby. The volume built was considerable. When that licensing arrangement concluded in 1989, International Marine relaunched the line under the Caribbean name, yet the underlying hull continued in production for more than 50 years. Fifty-plus years in continuous production is not incidental. It is about as clear an endorsement as the market can deliver.
In the United States, Bertram passed through a succession of owners before the Ferretti Group acquired it in 1998 and the Gavio Group followed in 2011. Through all of those transitions, the boats kept coming out of Tampa, Florida. The 35 itself never really went away, with a redesigned Mk II arriving in 1981 and a contemporary re-release reaching the market in 2017. Among those who know the model thoroughly, however, the Mk I carries a particular standing. As the original generation, and widely considered the most honestly built of the three, it commands genuine respect from knowledgeable owners.
This 1979 example is listed through Parker Marine Group, priced to sell, with the vendor open to realistic offers.
The white hull wears blue and red stripe trim just above the waterline, the canvas work is blue throughout, and a teak swimming platform at the transom makes boarding and water access easy. The classic Bertram proportions sit comfortably with that colour scheme, and the overall picture is of a boat that has been well cared for.
The cockpit is set up for serious fishing. Rod holders are distributed around the transom, storage has been thoughtfully arranged, and a fighting chair is positioned and ready for when something significant takes an interest in the lines. The setup is purposeful and practical.
The solid fibreglass deep-vee hull carries 19 degrees of deadrise at the transom, the geometric detail at the heart of this design's reputation for a smooth, predictable offshore ride. The boat was repowered in 2008 with twin Cummins 6BTA 5.9 diesels, a combination that has become the benchmark repower choice for this hull among owners prioritising reliability and range. Fuel capacity sits at approximately 1,033 litres.
Below decks, the layout follows the classic galley-up arrangement. Forward, a large double V-berth with a custom mattress fills the stateroom. The head includes a stall shower and vanity storage. To port, an L-shaped galley is fitted with a 115V Princess three-burner electric stove and a Sharp microwave. The lower helm occupies the starboard side, and a full-size sofa bed completes the salon.
Finding a well-preserved Mk I with a documented repower history is increasingly difficult. This example offers both.
For more information or to arrange a viewing, contact Dave Radford at Parker Marine Group: 027 257 7071 or dave@parkermarinegroup.co.nz
LOA: 11.88m | Beam: 4m | Hull: Solid fibreglass deep-vee | Deadrise: 19 degrees | Power: Twin Cummins 6BTA 5.9 (repowered 2008) | Fuel: 1,033L
