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Making up the fittings for the bulkheads isn't all that difficult. On my friend's boat, they're made from marine plywood and have been glassed into place. The pipe he uses is just stainless steel 1" stanchion tubing IIRC.
They are for kids, and it is that or the floor. I have a fitting on another boat that is similar to a stanchion base with one side open for the pipe to lower into. Does anyone know of somewhere to buy something like that? I am afraid plywood would wear and possibly not be strong enough.
No ideas about your question, but wanted to say hey to a fellow T37 owner. Where you sailing out of?
We have two girls, 1 & 3, we have used the starboard sea berth with a net tied to the hand holds above and it has served well. I preferred something not so permanent.
I'm going to install a pipe berth in the forepeak (it's a big forepeak...seven feet long under the deck), because it is essentially a small workshop area to the port side and more or less empty to starboard. The pipe berth will be for a single crew to have privacy forward, or at least the option of it, but it will also be a "shelf" in which to stow sail bags, fenders, etc.
The only pipe bunks I've ever seen were on racing yachts - 2" thin-walled aluminium tube (carbon fibre tube on yuppy boats!) with webbing slug between. Wasn't all that comfortable, but I imagine it would be way more comfortable than cold, hard stainless.
We had several pipe berths on our last boat.. (she was born as a racer). Our kids used them into their teens and never really complained about them. Ours were as Hartley describes, large diameter aluminum tubes, canvas laced into them. They were custom made to fit each location as were the bulkhead fittings (basically just a plug&socket affair).
Each had an adjusting tackle to level the berths (useful for kids reading underway and to keep stored gear on them when heeled too)
We eventually replaced one of them with a fixed pilot berth, but those under the cockpit area remain.
Not too sure how one would fit into a production boat interior, though.....
I'd think you could just use regular galvanized pipe, male threaded at the end, corners made of female threaded 90 bends. 2 long pipes, two short pipes, 4 elbows and a canvas sewn with sleeves for the pipe -a couple of adjustable straps to the ceiling and there you have it.
Any hardware store could make the frames up on the spot.
No worse than sleeping on a cot - better if truly hanging as it would be self leveling when heeled.
"with one side open for the pipe to lower into."
Those fittings are usually called "pipe flanges" and the only ones I know of with the cut-out, are the ones sold for holding up closet rods. There ARE some really industrial grade closet rods and such out there, but it might be easier to just find some heavy pipe flanges and then cut out the top side with your choice of weapons: coping saw, circular file, dremel, angle grinder, plasma torch, etc. (Heck, any excuse for owning a plasma torch is a good one![g])
Try this. I find them alright comfort wise, but I'm a bit younger than some members...
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