GOAT: Bertram 28 Moppie

GOAT - Not the self fertilizing lawnmowers

So, I thought I was up on things, but seemingly not. This all starts with a conversation with some people much younger than me, I kept hearing "goat", I thought they were maybe talking about the original Pontiac GTO, called the goat for its handling for such a large and powerful muscle car, or Ford Bronco (Goes Over Any Terrain), but no, I am very much out of touch and it means Greatest Of All Time, the conversation went on and my idea of the greatest of all time, I think of perhaps Muhammad Ali, but my idea of GOATS and others seem far removed.

Anyway, back to what I do know about, boats. So I am starting a series of my boat GOATS, I am afraid you will probably have to look for your own photos for these posts as a lot of what I consider the greatest I do not have photos of or they are somewhere in my archives on actual photo paper and not digital. These posts are not full boat reviews like some I have written, more sort of reminiscing or waxing lyrical about boats that have stuck with me for whatever reason, logical or not.

We start this series with a brand that needs no introduction, Bertram from the USA. An old and well established company with race wins as well as hardcore fishing credentials. The boat that I will nominate for a GOAT badge is the 28 Moppie.

How did I decide this boat should be on the list? Well, where I work there is a large sales department, sales need photos to put on webpages, its hard to take photos and navigate at the same time, so I was duly roped in to move the boat about a bit, a few passes by the pier and so forth. The day came for photos and....the weather was not good, but things could not be rescheduled, out of the port I went, gently going over a few waves, there were so other boats out, I navigated into position and the photoshoot started.

As I went east and then west, with the waves, against the waves, I kept realizing I was going a lot faster than any of the other boats at sea that day and did not notice any slamming, in fact the faster I went the drier the ride was. That is the reason this boat should be an all time great, at the time of the sale it was already quite old, but it just cut through the chop where others feared to go, the quality of the navigation of this boat alone would put it on the list but it gets better.

Less is more

The Moppie is the cuddy cabin sports boat partner to the 28 flybridge or fishing model. What makes it unusual is instead of typical outdrive or outboard installation in a boat of this size is it has shafts, no even V drives, but straight shafts and, joy of joys pretty much everything that will need maintenance is readily accessible, floor panels come up, engine hatches lift open and bilges are easy to reach, I have been on boats quite literally twice this size that are more of a pain than this.

The cabin is what it is, more a giant locker, but there is a head. I also do not know of any boat of a similar size with a cockpit this big, it is huge, there is a step from the aft part of the cockpit to the amidships which is why I suspect those weird grab rails are there, to satisfy some sort of safety requirement, they are handy though for hanging ropes and fenders.

Fortunately this particular boat had not been updated, no refit or personalization, pretty much as it left the factory, no frills, no electronics, just good thinking, strong construction and a classic style that will not date. Buy one, you will not be disappointed.

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