SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

V berths

6K views 21 replies 18 participants last post by  Flybyknight 
#1 ·
Due to budget we messy not be able to get a catamaran, and may have to settle on a 34 - 37 sloop. The question its how many people that stay on board for several months at a time sleep in the V berth ?

I'm trying to get something with an island berth like Hunter legend but I can go cheaper if we slats sleep in the Caribbean berth .
 
#3 ·
Lived aboard our CSY33 full time for 10 years now; v-berth is the only cabin so of necessity that's where we sleep, except on passage, when we're either in the sea berths in main cabin, or cat-napping in the cockpit.

Only issue with v-berth is making the bed with traditional sheets; we recut king-size sheets into triangles to fit easier: Life Afloat Archives: Square Peg, Round Hole
 
#5 ·
Our V berth is one of ther largest for the older traditionalsetup. It can accomadtae 8 ft llemgthwise easily. We usually sleep in the V when at anchor or in our slip.

Dave
 
#6 ·
V berth .....I am sure I have one of them on the boat but have not seen it in a while. I think its under those sails, jerry can, fishing gear, tools, etc. Must have a dig around in the pointy end and have a look if it is still there. I'll let you know if I have a v berth once excavations are completed.

ATB

Michael
 
  • Like
Reactions: Flybyknight
#7 ·
Lol ferretchaser. .. I'm just afraid that sleeping in some of the aft berths we've seen may make some kind of dormant claustrophobia kick in. .. Some of them on the 34 and 36 boats won't even let you sit up in bed.. I can see many knocked heads in the middle of the nights in those berths.
 
#8 ·
Our v-berth is not spacious, and you do need a certain amount of flexibility to get in and out, but it's very comfortable and cozy.

I had custom sheets made and put memory foam over the cushions, very comfortable. I don't really make the bed... never did on land either.

There are two of us, and a dog... but I make the dog sleep on the shelf at the bow. Sounds worse than it is... her bed is made of memory foam too. Usually though she sneaks down in middle of night.

I'd prefer a more normal bed... but I'd also prefer to win the lottery.
 
#9 ·
I have a Catalina 36 which, by all accounts, has a pretty fair sized V berth. When I lived aboard many years ago, my GF and dog & I got along fine. Recently, I find it a bit claustrophobic. I'll wake up at some point and momentarily panic like I'm in a coffin until I realize where I am. After a few nights, though, I'm fine. I keep a night light on in the salon so I can get my bearings if I wake up in the dark. Silly, but it helps.

Mike
 
#10 ·
V-Berth on our old 34'er I found a bit cramped in the front end tootsie department. 40'er has wide enough shallow end of the V to sleep head forward in cooler weather though bit stuffy in mid summer. Whichever way I sleep fine on the bigger boat whereas on the smaller I'd often end up sleeping on one of the settees.

If on board for extended periods I could easily survive on the 40'er but unless I was by myself I'd find 34 too cramped.
 
#11 ·
On our Caliber 35 LRC, I love our queen-size vee berth. It is well-ventilated with a huge hatch above, that opens the right way, plus an opening port. We have a tufted topper mattress topper, which makes it really comfortable, and sheets that tufted topper made to fit. Nice! (the berth is actually bigger than our old-fashioned double bed at home) We use the vee berth at anchor/mooring/slip.
Our aft quarter berth is roomy for one, cozy and friendly for two. At least it has good headroom.
I cannot sleep in an aft berth that has no headroom (like a lot of them).... I get claustrophobic, especially if no cross ventilation.
If rocking and rolling, of course, the midships berth is best.
 
#13 ·
Trouble with small (35' and down) v-berths is that they are invariably pushed so far into the bow that unless one of you is significanlty shorter than the other it is simply impossible to get comfortable. At least that is how it is for me and I'm not overly tall (just under 6 feet).

Otoh, we tend to hit the sack at different times, me first, and I'm up and about every couple of hours especially when anchored so a Pullman is a tadge inconvenient.

In the ultimate boat I'd definitely have an island type. (Why an island I wonder ? Surely more of a peninsular.)
 
#15 ·
Deb and I slept in the v-berth of our Columbia 26 for 14 months. Yes we banged our heads a bit, and were constantly in contact with each other, but sleeping was what we did when we were exhausted from the fun we were having. If we waited until we had a boat with a big cabin, we still would be waiting. Tonight I will sleep in our big bed and in the morning I will scrape the ice from the windshield and go to work. I would much rather be sleeping in the v-berth and sailing south in the morning.. :)
 
#16 ·
Another plus of the Pullman is that we can sit up in bed reading leaning against the bulkhead. That is where I am right now.

Downside of a Pullman is one person has to crawl over the other. This works out for us though as my wife sleeps against the hull because I am more likely to get up in the night.
 
#17 ·
Yep you are right there. I have a Pullman berth midships and after a night out, I sometimes crawl all over myself to get out of my bunk.
 
#18 ·
I think the whole V berth issue is going to hinge hugely on what boat's under discussion. The C34/36 have very large, roomy V berths with pretty decent in/out access, most Benes under 34 feet or so have the 'pushed forward no room for feet' syndrome big time, esp the late 80s early 90s models.

We have a fairly long V berth but narrow forward - it's our guest cabin and there've been no complaints.

Our aft is a quasi pullman.. sleeping fore and aft, with side access over half its length. If the inside sleeper has to get up it is a 'crawl over'.. I sleep on the easy-out side just to be able to check things at night easily when anchored.

The aft berths on the C-34 and 36 (and many others, Hunter included) are athwarship these days. No worries on calm nights but I do wonder at that motion as opposed to sleeping fore and aft. Sleeping across the boat is also not on as a sea berth, of course...
 
#19 ·
Disclaimer: I served on submarines and small boats.

Pearson 30 here, and no troubles at all. I'm 5'11". The mattress became more comfortable and supportive when I lost weight.

The aft part of the V-berth has standing/sitting headroom.
 
#20 ·
Our V-birth is the domain of our son, and has been since he was 18months old. Both my wife and I like to sprawl out when we sleep, and there is just not enough room to do that up there. We currently have a bed that spans both settees, so we have a near queen sized rectangular bed. The downside is that we have to dis assemble our bed each morning. Our next boat must have a decent aft berth, because we have yet to see an acceptable v-birth among the boats we are looking at. We will just have to live with the headroom problem!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top