For many of us, owning a brand new Bertram 61 convertible sportfishing machine is little more than a pipe dream. But as a reader asked me not long ago: what if you won the Mega Millions? Then, what would you buy? The Bertram 61 is certainly a muscle-machine that would be in the running. Jump aboard with us for a quick look at this boat on video.
The entire hull of the 61 is vinylester resin-infused and it has Kevlar reinforcement at the keel and strakes. The 188 square-foot cockpit has a Jacuzzi-sized livewell, twin giant-bluefin-sized fishboxes in the deck, and an exterior MFD mounted by the mezzanine. But the most unusual and impactful thing you’ll run across at first glance is the boats’ unique bridgedeck. Bertram took a page out of the center console yacht playbook, and designed it much along the lines of the latest uber-big CCs (like the Grady-White Canyon 456), including a centered helm console with a large and luxurious lounge extending out from the front. The J-shaped lounges to either side have backrests that can face either forward (for running) or aft (for bait-watching). And the helm and passenger’s seats are, quite simply, works of varnished art.
The three-stateroom, three-head cabin is utterly sick. Wood grain in the cabinetry is book-matched, and if there’s anything to rival those helm chairs, it’s the bar stools in the salon. A fantasy boat? Dang straight – now where do I get me those Mega Millions tickets?
Specifications:
LOA – 61’1”
Beam – 18’3”
Displacement – 92,450 lbs.
Draft (hull) – 4’10”
Transom Deadrise – 18 degrees
Fuel Capacity – 1720 gal.
Area Dealers – Total Marine, Stevensville, MD, (410) 604-6000.