Up to Date

Bertram knew it was doing something right

with 91 boats sold in nine years.

Then it made its 50 footer even better.

By Bill Ando

When a sportfishing design is a success with fishermen there is usually no reason to rethink the boat. The engineers at Bertram agree with that, to a degree. The Miami builder took its successful 510—of which Bertram sold 91 units since its addition to the model line in 2001—tweaked it with a few changes that altered its appearance, enhanced its livability and renamed it the 511.

A modification to the sheer line drastically softened the yacht’s profile and gave it a modern aesthetic. No longer a hard angled step mid-way down the cabin side, the sheer line is now a gentle, more appealing slope as it dips down to the cockpit level and continues its run aft to the transom.
Also, two hull windows have been added, one on each side. They are attractive on the outside with their shape following the sheer. Inside, they serve to brighten the master stateroom to port and the starboard side’s twin guest cabin. This visually opens up the cabin spaces and gives the occupants contact with the outside world to monitor conditions. They also add to the hull’s structural integrity as they are reinforced into the yacht’s hull during the early stages of construction. As with the boat it replaces, all of the fiberglass is hand laid. From the keel to just above the waterline, the hull is solid fiberglass. From there to the sheer it is PVC cored, as are the deck, cabin sides and cabin top.

Specifications

LOA: 54’ 10”
Beam: 16’ 2”
Draft: 5’
Power: (as tested) 2 x MAN
1360CR   @ 1,360hp
Displ.: 66,895 lbs.
FuelWater: 1,040/185 U.S. gals.

Top/Cruising Speed: 39.7/31.8 knots

Range: 413 nm
MSRP: $1,650,000, base

Contact

Bertram
Miami, FL
305-633-8011

bertram.com

There was significant tweaking in the cockpit. Along the back of the 510’s aft bulkhead on either side of the stairs was a stand-up bait prep area. Aboard the 511 it’s softened quite a bit. Seating has been installed along what is now the mezzanine deck. It’s a comfortable place to watch the action or just relax on the way back in after a memorable day of fishing.
It’s a nice change but if an owner prefers, part or all of it can be turned into a bait prep area.
The final change, and perhaps the most notable, was the addition of wrap-around windows to the cabin front. Advances in technology and construction methods have builders returning to their roots and bringing back a forward windshield design that can withstand white water at the speeds it collides with in today’s high-powered boats. Bertram’s designers have applied these new techniques and successfully re-introduced a full-forward wrap-around window into the builder’s newest models. It will no doubt make its way into other models as they are upgraded. The window lets a lot of light into the saloon, in doing so removes the cavern effect that comes with staring at a large wall forward.
The weather was benign when I reviewed the 511. No wind to speak of and so no chop, hence, no drama, but that’s alright.  As tested, the boat was running on the optional twin MAN 1360CR V12 1,360 hp engines for a top speed of 39.7 knots and acted like it could run all day at 33 knots with no strain. It gets up on a plane at about 14 knots and it seems to be just as comfortable at the higher speeds. We took it through some S-turns at about 30 knots and it never hesitated. It tracked tight, even when we encountered a wake in mid-turn.
I wondered why the Zeus system wasn’t being offered on the 511. Bertram’s engineering department responded: “Zeus doesn’t offer the power required to propel the boat to our expected speed without going to three engines and completely changing our design rationale. Zeus, and the IPS system, are best installed in the aftermost part of the boat under the cockpit, then kill boxes in the cockpit floor are no longer achievable.” The boat performs superbly with conventional drives, no need to go wanting for a fix.