V Berth fill-in Discomfort

[Slowboat35]

My V berth has raised coamings to retain the two side foam inserts Trouble is when the infill piece is fitted with it's cushion in place the coamings make any thought of using the (sometimes highly desireable) middle space completely impossible.

I have no intention of removing the coamings so need to fill the depth with - presumably - foam, but what sort?

Anyone been here before?

 

[geem]

Just install deeper cushions and infill and use a mattress topper over the lot. Super comfy bed with no ridges between cushions. Works for us

 

[LittleSister]

Deeper cushions only work if you have the height above the berth to make that feasible/desirable.

I have the same issue, and aspire to design some cunning arrangement where the coamings can be quickly lowered or removed.

 

[lustyd]

Remove them and put some velcro on the bottom of the cushions?

 

[penfold]

Trim the height of the coamings? A cushion doesn't need more than 3/4" or so.

 

[boatiebert]

My V berth has raised coamings

Might help if you post a photo and/or give us some dimensions. We're not psychics.

I once saw someone to a useful hack with one of those IKEA sprung wooden slats kit. You can cut them to shape, they roll up to store, & it might raise the cushion high enough above coaming? I don't think they'll last for years in a marine environment but are birt cheap. Otherwise, there are high tech, bespoke version for boaties.

I don't have any & the foam doesn't move around. For when it might, I'd use lee cloths. You wouldn't want to be in a double bed in that kind of weather/sea anyway. It's easy to see how Littlesister's idea would work with a quick release system if you really wanted to keep them for looks.

 

[ashtead]

Would have thought raising height of infill panel is solution as from wat is said it sits to low if the retaining strips are too high . I guess there might be others out there with same make of vessel best placed to answer if type known ? Or just buy a cheap topper from IKEA and cut to shape with a electric carving knife.

 

[boatiebert]

I think part of the problem is that foam is weak at its edges, so regardless of its thickness or height, e.g. yoga or camping mat underneath, you'll still feel the coaming strips. So they have to come off.

At least if they told us which boat, we could look at a photo and work it out.

 

[Blueboatman]

New foam ?

 

[geem]

Deeper cushions only work if you have the height above the berth to make that feasible/desirable.

I have the same issue, and aspire to design some cunning arrangement where the coamings can be quickly lowered or removed.

We will never know unless the Op provides some photos. My cushions are 6” thick plus topper?

 

[fifer]

My V berth has raised coamings to retain the two side foam inserts Trouble is when the infill piece is fitted with it's cushion in place the coamings make any thought of using the (sometimes highly desireable) middle space completely impossible.

I have no intention of removing the coamings so need to fill the depth with - presumably - foam, but what sort?

Anyone been here before?

Haven't tried this but something like foam pipe lagging pressed onto the coaming but just make the difference

 

[Slowboat35]

Best I've got I'm afraid.

 

[Tranona]

i have always though V berth infills are a bit of a waste of time if there are high substantial fiddles like yours. On one boat I cut them down for most of the length, leaving just 6" or so at the head. Bunk cushions will not move because restrained at the head and wedged against each other forward. In your case would spoil the good looks of the cabin a bit but that's the tradeoff.

 

[Daydream believer]

Miles of room. You do not need an infill. If she is complaining of the cold, just buy the mistress an extra vest or a thicker duvet.
Alternatively, put a bit of carpet on the floor between the 2 berths & invite her to hop over to your side to keep warm?

 

[LadyInBed]

Along the Ikea slat path, I made a grid using loft pipe insulation tubes.
It works on all aspects, mattress is more comfortable and air gap reduces condensation under the mattress.

 

[dancrane]

Miles of room. You do not need an infill.

What crap, Daydream, even if you're joking. Life's too short to spend nights fighting for foot-room in a wretched V-berth. I pity your other half. The only use I could find for the Achilles V-berth was with the infill in place, when it was almost tolerable for one.

On bigger boats I've tried, the single halves of the V were still a hopeless prospect for getting rest. I wouldn't retain the fiddles in order to present a V-berth as a sleeping space for two bodies that don't want to share a bed, I'd treat the forecabin as a biggish single for use in port. The rest of the time it's storage.

I feel fortunate to have re-started cruising in a yacht that was so cheap. It would have been terrible to buy something bigger and far costlier, but designed on the same austere lines. Sorry I'm in a rotten mood - I just paid £20 for the worst pizza this century. ?

I'm not tall so for years I allowed myself to believe that long berths aren't vital. I hadn't realised how uncomfortable it's possible to feel, when either your toes or the top of your head keep finding the limits of the bed.

Little Sister, I thought I read once (perhaps you said) that the LM 27 V-berth is very short? I'd always thought I would want to turn an LM27 forecabin into a decent-size loo and shower with big lockers forward, and move the saloon berths astern to the beamiest part of the hull, to turn them into gloriously luxurious deep singles.

 

[LittleSister]

Deeper cushions only work if you have the height above the berth to make that feasible/desirable.

My cushions are 6” thick plus topper?

Call yourself a man?

I could have 6" thick cushions, but only if I removed the crew's feet and nose, or the lockers above the berths.

 

[Daydream believer]

What crap, Daydream, even if you're joking. Life's too short to spend nights fighting for foot-room in a wretched V-berth. I pity your other half. The only use I could find for the Achilles V-berth was with the infill in place, when it was almost tolerable for one.

No self respecting mistress would be seen dead in an Achiles

 

[dancrane]

It's the low headroom which was the main problem. All my mistresses are too tall.

 

[William_H]

One option comes to mind. If you can find really dense foam sometimes used for children's play mat. Cut a piece for each bunk plus a piece for the infill. ie cover everything but the wooden fiddles. Then you can fit a normal mattress across the top. Alternative to dense foam might be a raised platform up to height of the fiddles. ol'will