Which is the better boat?
 

Have the fortunate choice of being able to buy a Cigarette bubbledeck or a Bertram 38 - both boats hull are Kevlar. Which is the better boat in moderate seas? Both boats have Speedmaster 3A's -the Cig has 750hp, the Bert has 550hp.
Which boat would you buy?

bertram not a lot of them around that would be my pick, espically with gas prices now . bertram all the way

If it is Really Rough all the time where you boat then the Cig all the way. If it's not Really rough then the bertram would be more fun. that cig is a big beast and needs big water to show it's stuff.

Cig
 

Cig

Cig

WHICH BUBBLE DECK CIG?

Which Bertram ;)

Rich, whichever one you pick - please keep us posted with pics and updates etc.....thanks! Both are absolute classics!

I think i know the cig.(bubble gum paint job?) That's the one I would pick, and repaint as fast as I could. Resale, equity...etc. The cig will protect you better in the long run.

We run a 36 Cig and it's outstanding. She's fun to run in all conditions.

how many bertrams do you see today and then cigs ,stand out

True, but there are only 2 or 3 Cig bubble decks in existence.

I believe there were only 11 or 12 Bertram 38 comps made. Very rare for sure.

Cig, and paint it in its Fayva Glory.

Hi there, did you have Dirty Pearl out in Long beach by any chance 4th of july weekend?

No we are doing some engine work, and then taking them to Sotler Engines for Dyno tune.

I'll throw my $ .02 in and say the Bertram. There were only 17 38 comps built and with the beveled deck styling are simply beautiful. They have a 20 degree deadrise as opposed to the 24 degree most deep vees had. The Bubble deck Cig is IMHO the ugliest thing on the water. But spend the $ as you see fit.

Wannabe

So - there have been a few opinions on here thus far - any closer to making a decision yet?

The Cigarette wins..
 

Firstly, I must thank you all who took the trouble to post a comment on the message board.
I have decided on the Bubbledeck against the Bertram. The Bertram has no drives, the top of the blocks were missing, Rain had got into the engine Bay and it only had a cradle. One minute the price was $16K, the next it was $25K. The Bubbledeck needs work but all the Running gear is complete - plus the current owner has been a pleasure to deal with.
Boat is being collected this coming week then onwards to Ft. Myers for a complete restoration to bring it back to its former glory before shipping back to England where I plan to race in the Marathon Races / Historic Class and prepare for the COWES to MONTE CARLO race in 2013 - all 2400 miles.
Will be making regular updates on this site with what is going on with the boat as it already has amazing history.
Here is another question for you all - Paint scheme?
The paint job appears perfect - although not to everybodys taste. Taking into account sponsorship logos how would you paint this boat?

Hope to update by next weekend - keep the comments coming - Thanks guys...

I think if your going to race Cowes you definatly made the right choice. the big Cig will be a Blast in those big Seas, Whereas the Bertram would be Iffy. Remember Smitty & Ted Toleman Stuffed Their Bertram there and Flattened the aluminum wind screen. The Big Cig will Fly like an Eagle.

Well there is already the Bounty Hunter hull - so other than these three schemes I'm not sure what other options there are if you want to re-create a famous bubble deck hull.....nice to have the choice to make! Looking forward to reading the updates!

the Cigarette bubble deck on Ebay for $ 38,000 , here on OSO also , is my friends boat in LA , I was interested in buying too but i just can`t do it now , lets just say i wired a ton of money to him a few years ago on a sight unseen car purchase, + my car arrived as promised. He was a big help, good luck .

Not that familiar with the bubble deck Cig, but i'll tell you one thing, I've seen Copper Kettle win some races in big seas with that Bertram.

Boat collected...
 

Now the real story begins!
The 39' Cigarette Bubbledeck, was collected by Bob Oetringer yesterday and is currently en-route to Ft. Myers where it will undergo restoration to full Historic Race Spec. Hope to have photos and info. as the project develops.

Would be great to hear from anyone who has any history / photos of the Boat. It is the Ex-Popeys / Bounty / Hunter / Flava Shoes - hopefully we will be able to determine exact history for Paint / vin Nos. etc.

The previous owner, Kimuel Lee has been a great guy to deal with. If anyone has dealings with this guy - you are lucky to be dealing with someone who is honest and trustworthy.

Bob Oetringer has also been a great guy to deal with - his knowledge on historic Race Boats and sound advice is a god send.

Finally, I must pay a special thanks to David Wade of David Wade Marine. Without David none of this would have happened. He has been of immense value and help looking at the boat twice prior to purchase. Anyone who needs any Mechanical / Marine help in the Baton Rouge / Louisiana area please give him a call.

All these people make the World a better place - being based In Guernsey, Channel Islands, part of the United Kingdom I put my trust in them all and have been rewarded handsomely. Once again I send my thanks.

The story will continue...

awesome!!! can't wait to see this!

Congrats on your purchase.

Nice one Richard C, I am VERY jealous!! I have been watching that boat for months, willing and hoping that enough money would come my way to do the deal. Good luck with it my friend! Your not by chance the Richard C that would have powerboat connections with Poole are you?? I live there and had a bit to do with Bounty Hunter last year. By the way, in case you did not know, BH now resides in Poole and is in VERY good condition. Regarding the colour scheme/sponsorship – there were only 2 bubble decks made, BH and yours. BH was built for Billy Martin in 1978 and was delivered as ‘Bounty Hunter’. This boat was then sold to Michel Maynard the following year, who ran it as BH first and then ran it in the same colours but called it ‘Fayva Shoes’. I saw it being built at Cigarette in April ’78 and then saw it at a few UK based races over the next couple of years, such as Cowes, Needles Trophy, etc.. I have quite a lot of info/photos on this one but not yours. I do however know that your boat is allegedly the faster of the two. Instinct/logic tells me that if you are taking the boat to Fort Myers, then the same guy restoring yours, is the same guy that recently breathed on BH…..say no more! One thing is for sure though, he will be able to tell you all about the history of your boat and he does still know the original crew who built them in the first place, smart choice!

I know for a fact that BH was laid-up in red gelcoat and has remained that colour all her life. I’m not sure how your boat started life but I know that Al Copeland ran it as ‘Popeyes’ and it is the same boat that was/or became, Halter Racing. The give-away is the air scoops – BH has the more rounded ‘Moroso’ scoops, yours had the flatter style.

To answer your question; THE BOAT HAS TO BE REBUILT AS POPEYES!

I am very surprised about your comments regarding the price of the Bertram, this leads me to conclude there are two currently on the market since I’ve been drooling over one of them as well!!!

I would love to see your boat, both before and after the restoration and it will be totally awesome to see it alongside BH next year. Its fair to say that you appear to have beaten me to something I would have dearly loved to have done! I’ll be at Cowes in a couple of weeks if your going, maybe see you there………….

Here are the pics........you can see the plug for the hull and deck, taken at the factory in '78.

here is a pic taken of BH's hull at the same time........

Ratman72, do you have any more pictures of 188th St?
That 1st one brings back memories...

Sadly, only this one. I think I have a couple of the Magnum factory as well somewhere, since I visited both places on the same trip. I also recall a photo of a stretched bell jet ranger, which I assume was being use by Don Aronow at the time......I'll have a look to see what I can find.

Test Run...
 

Thanks to all for the kind messages.
Boat is going back in the water for a test drive - next week. Want to check her out before we start changing bits over.
Hope to have photos end of the week.
Please keep the information coming on the Boat - really appreciate it

Christian,

It looks like the lower picture was taken at Signature powerboats of Tommy Adams.

Can you post the pic of the Pantera that was swamped on the beach?

Jeff

Hi Jeff, that confused me for a while - like how the hell does someone on OSO know about that??

Yes, I'll get the pictures from Ian and get them uploaded, probably next week.

I'm really sorry I never had a chance to meet you when you were over, it was my son's birthday and I had the outlaws staying with me!! I've seen the pics you sent Ian, there's some really cool stuff there and I look forward to hooking up sometime in the future!

Brgds

Christian

Here you go, enjoy!
 

Ratman 72

Help me out here please. Will you put up the very magnified picture of the circa 1970 Maltese Magnum Race Team Decal which I was given back then and had sign written onto the side of Magnum Tornado. Lets see if anyone else here ever had one or knows of it please

KALAAZAR

Thants about the best I can do tonight............

That pic is just a blurr to me, can't make anything of it. any non-magnified versions?

Sorry we will work on it and try again.