Bertram Yachts has built sportfish and high-performance powerboats in the United States since 1960. Many mariners know Bertram for creating the first production boat with a deep-V hull.
Bertram Yachts History
The company got its start with the passion of Richard Howard Bertram. Born Feb. 4, 1916, he had an interest in competitive sailing since he was a child, which continued through college, and throughout his entire life. While in his 20s, he cultivated his varied boating interests into Richard Bertram & Company, a yacht brokerage company that he opened in Miami, Florida in 1947.
The company’s lore tells of a day when Bertram was at a sailing regatta and noticed a hearty and capable 23-foot-long boat making its way in adverse sea conditions. Bertram learned that it was a C. Raymond Hunt build and asked the designer for the plans. In 1960, Bertram built that efficient boat and christened that 31-foot boat with his wife’s nickname, Moppie. The Moppie was a fast and competent competitor and soon raced into history as the start of Bertram Yachts.
Bertram’s design and boat-building company grew, and by 1962, production was underway on a 25-foot boat. The following year, the company built 38-foot boats and an inboard/outboard 20-foot model hit the water the next year.
The Financial and Ownership Changes Through the Years at Bertram Yachts
Eventually, financial changes led Nautec to buy Bertram, and fairly soon after, they sold Bertram to Whittaker Corporation in 1968. After weathering serious financial challenges, Bertram Yachts was forced to close in 1993.
But in 1998, Bertram Yachts was revived by Italy’s Ferretti Group. Another major transition occurred in 2015 when the Bertram company was purchased by The Gavio Group, one of Italy’s top industrial groups, with assets in road concessions, infrastructure construction, transportation, logistics, technology, and energy – and a focus on shipbuilding. The Gavio Group operates three boat-builders – Bertram Yachts, Baglietto Shipyards, and Cerri Cantieri Navali.
Gavio Group continued to grow the Bertram brand with a move of production facilities to a 120,000-square-foot facility on Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. The property includes a service center, haul-outs, paint capabilities, repowers, and refits for a diverse range of boats up to 120 feet in length.
The preference for many serious sport fishermen, many Bertram owners have joined the Bertram-Hatteras Shootout – both as a social and competitive fishing tournament between yacht owners of both Bertram and Hatteras, as well as involvement in the Bertram Rendezvous.
In 2000, founder Richard Bertram died at his home in Stuart, Florida. He was 84.
Top Bertram Yacht Models