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!

decent sleep anyone?

9K views 37 replies 27 participants last post by  IslandRaider 
#1 ·
I have to find something different than the stacked foam in the v-berth. 6 months in and it's not working for tracy's back. does anyone have any suggestions? I know you can get custom-made mattresses but i understand they are damned expensive. i'm even thinking of getting a regular mattress and cutting it to fit myself -just wire and stuffing and foam covered in cloth. can't be too hard. has anyone tried this?
 
#2 ·
You're probably better off getting a pad of memory foam, since that is probably a good solution and a lot easier to cut to size..
 
#3 ·
Four inches of Memory Foam custom cut from a king size slab, to fit over the standard V-berth cushions, worked very well for us for the past 4 years. We always slept much better on the boat than on our Sealy Posturpedic $1,500 home coil-spring mattress.
 
#4 ·
Hoffa, I'm not sure of the "brand names" but we bought 6" memory foam, the kind advertised that you can jump up and down and not spill your wine (as if I leave my wine glass on my bed). We cut it for size for the v-berth, and had it covered with mattress material to make it look good. I personally think it's fine without being covered, but my "admiral" insisted. Two pieces, as we have storage underneath and need ease of access. It has been fantastic. I don't know that 4" wouldn't really work, but it really sleeps fantastic at 6". Good luck in your endeavors, we're really pleased with ours.
 
#5 ·
You will also benefit from making a futon frame-type set of slats to lift the foam mattress off the v-berth surface. This allows air to circulate beneath and discourages mould and mildew.

If you're made of money, you can buy this product:

http://www.comfortmarineandrv.com/products

but I figure it wouldn't take a genius to come up with a custom equivalent using tensioned coated wire or just a reworked wooden deck chair.

The only downside to all of these great ideas is you have to put in truly impressive "mattress fiddles".
 
#33 ·
Hoffa



Yes I have a pretty bad back...two ruptured disks...We have 2" memory foam over our posturepedic bed at home and its really not enough...I didnt want to spring for the 6" but we eventually will when the bed wears out..I"m sure 4" would be better then two but I will go for 6 as I dont want to have to buy it twice...when we were shopping for beds 10 years ago 6" was very expensive for even a queen..

But our hips and shoulders also feel better with the 2" we added last year...wish we had more..

IMHO...Go for 6" if you can afford it...
 
#8 ·
I re-did my cushions in my main cabin. The 3 sitting/sleeping cushings we used were 5 inch memory foam. While they did seem hard and very firm, under further review ( a nap ) they were more then fine.
 
#14 ·
Hoffa,
We use the memory foam over egg crate over PCI supplied mattress which is on the firm side as mattresses go.

I've visited on boats with custom crafted mattresses they were as good as my 2000.00 king sized at home - sorry to say I'm afraid when it comes to beds there is no substitute for money, you really do get what you pay for.

On the other hand, I spent 20 years sleeping on 1.95 mattresses supplied by the lowest bidder to the navy and had no problems - so maybe it is a age divided by cost multiplied by number or rums solution?
 
#16 ·
Considering the number in favor of memory foam, regardless of thickness... it might make sense to go that way. Besides, if the memory foam doesn't do the trick, you can get a mattress and use the foam on top of it.
 
#19 ·
Good ideas. guys!
For me, the frost that melts during the day and soaks the mattress from underneath is the problem... Building the slats to keep the cushion off the vberth plywood makes perfect sense. I have used large sheets of 1/8 inch polyethylene foam under the cushion, but water still gets in.
I don't like sleeping in a wet bed.
Now I have to take apart the vberth cushions every morning to keep them dry...
Even if I don't like thick mattresses, ( I prefer thermarest for cushioning) foam helps stabilize me when the boat rocks. I bet memory foam is even better at that...I will have to try it some day. Does it absorb water?
Sweet dreams...
 
#20 ·
There is a place here in town that sells foam and supplies for upholstery work. I'll bet there is something like it near you. (?) :confused: Anyway... I bought a slab of 5" thick regular yellow foam. They had different densities to choose from. I sat on the samples to help make up my mind. I think I went with a medium or firm density, I can't remember. I also bought, from the same place, some padding. It has a name but I can't remember what it was. It looked like a cotton ball but it was synthetic and it was in a big sheet. It was about 1"-2" thick. I used a huge carving knife (an electric carving knife works great) and cut the foam to size. I then cut the padding to the same size and layered it on top of the foam. I then grabbed an over size bed sheet and sewed a loop around the perimeter. I fished a drawstring through this loop / pocket, wrapped it over the foam and then drew it tight and tied it on the underside. The sheet does not need to be neat. I just use it to cover the foam and make it look nicer. All of my crappy sewing work gets hidden under the mattress. I throw this into the bunk and then make my bed as usual, tucking the sheets under the mattress. The sheets get changed as usual, but the drawstring thing almost never comes off. Sorry I'm so vague on the names and stuff. It was seven years ago. Any good upholstery shop or supply house will know what I'm talking about and will be able to help you.

I think it’s the most comfortable bed ever and my girlfriend agrees. One thing to look out for though, foam is made from petroleum products and thus is very expensive right now. :eek:

Good luck and sweet dreams.
 
#26 · (Edited)
There is a place here in town that sells foam and supplies for upholstery work. I'll bet there is something like it near you. (?) :confused: Anyway... I bought a slab of 5" thick regular yellow foam. They had different densities to choose from. I sat on the samples to help make up my mind. I think I went with a medium or firm density, (an electric carving knife works great) and cut the foam to size. upholstery shop or supply house will know what I'm talking about and will be able to help you.

I think it's the most comfortable bed ever and my girlfriend agrees. One thing to look out for though, foam is made from petroleum products and thus is very expensive right now. :eek:

Good luck and sweet dreams.
We have a place here called Galaxy Foam (click link) we used 4" med/firm. more comfy than any bed i've ever slept on. they will send you samples of different firmness. I highly recommend this stuff!
 
#21 ·
Certified bad back, 2 ruptured, 2 bulging disks.

I cut up a 6" Futon mattress to fit the couches and sleep on them, works great. You should rotate and fluff them every few days since they will pack down. An 8" mattress is better than a 6" thick.
 
#22 ·
The real problem with most traditional futon mattresses is that if they get wet... you're basically screwed... they absorb water like a sponge and then mildew and rot set in.
 
#23 ·
Another opinion form another back pain sufferer....

I used to be able to sleep in our V berth without any problems - not any more. I believe that a lot of the discomfort comes from the way V berth cushions are designed... the 3 cushion layout with two triangular cushions going most of the way and then that little cutout cushion meant to allow access to the foot well under the V berth. (It is a footwell isn't it? Or exactly what is it? On our boat it's a great place to store the laundry bag and extra shoes... :p )

Lynn Pardey mentions changing their cushion layout in one of her books. She had it changed to just 2 cushions: one that goes full width of the V berth to half way up and one that goes the rest of the way. That way the seams of the cushions would fall about hip height instead of running half way down the length of the bed and then that little cutout which always seems to have the seam somewhere around my mid back.

Well, next time we get new cushions I'm going to try a simular design. It would still allow acess to under the V berth, but cut down on all those seams and zipper edges digging into my back...

Also since boat cushions fit exactly into the space (and boat spaces are NEVER square), you can't flip the cushions, so they tend to flatten where the body weight is heaviest;) . And that makes them uncomfortable after a couple of years too.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Walmart (shudder) carries a 6" mattress pad that is a combo of 3 1/2" of regular foam with a 1 1/2" memory foam top. King size runs around $130.00. They also carry 8" and 12" solid memory foam pads in their online store (they will ship free to your local Walmart). Despite despising Walmart, I think I'm gonna pick up one of these 6" pads since I am fed up with slipping part way down between the cushion seams. I've already tried 1" thick egg crate foam, and have added a 1" memory foam on top of that, but over time they both start sinking into the gaps and they tend to bunch up and get lumpy...and I'm tired of having to smooth out my mattress every night before bed. Problem is that down at the foot well of my '80 Hunter 33' that 6" pad will take up most the the remaining vertical space available...I'll have to store the V-berth cushions and use just the mattress pad.

ahhh...and as an aside.
TIP: I heat up an 8" cast iron skillet on my stove, and rub it around under the blankets before jumping into bed...a cheap alternative to an electric blanket for warming up the bed during these cold winter nights.

Cheers.
 
#36 ·
ahhh...and as an aside.
TIP: I heat up an 8" cast iron skillet on my stove, and rub it around under the blankets before jumping into bed...a cheap alternative to an electric blanket for warming up the bed during these cold winter nights.

Cheers.
Something that works much better than an electric blanket, is an electric mattress pad. They heat from the bottom up, and depending on the size have heat controls for each person just like blankets. It could be used on the hook just to get the bed warm, then turn it off before you get in to save on electricity. We have one at home, and I wouldn't want to do without one if I could help it.
 
#25 · (Edited)
We have 6 inches of high density, anti-mould, foam laminated to 2 inches of memory foam for that cozy feel. It is custom shaped to fit our pullman style berth (tapered edges etc) and covered with a custom mattress cover in a colour we chose. Cost-$500. We were advised against solid memory because it has too much give and we would feel the structure underneath. My biggest complaint is I can't get myself out of bed now. We have nicknamed it the paralyzer.


GaZZzzzzzzzz
 
#27 ·
We bought the stoli system at the Miami Boat Show two years ago, best investment ever, we use the Stoli System under a 3" memory foam and it sleeps better than our home mattress. It 's not very expensive and you can adjust the firmness, as an added benefit it aerates under the mattress so it helps with mold/mildew as well.
 
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