Boat beds

[Whiskey2]

So far I have managed all of five nights aboard at one go and after one or two nights have bad back ache! I solved this problem at home by buying an expensive, firm mattress. What do you liveaboards do? I can't be unique in needing a good firm bed...

 

[Trevethan]

Not quite living aboard, but currently refitting with an eye to do so. I have been looking at matress solutions and two things struck me, a) foam is bloody expensive, b) its not that comfortable. I think that we are going to go with a futon mattress.

The biggest issue that we have is the damp, so in order to counter this we have made the bed in the aft cabin from 1.5% x4" pine slats with a half inch gap between slats. On top of that goes coir matting, on top of that goes two Japanese woven reed mats and on top of that an 8 layer deluxe futon mattress. I'll stuff some foam inserts into the gaps where needed.

The locker under the berth has no door, we'll fix bungee cord across to stop things escaping.

We sleep on a futon at home (due to my stiff back) so this should be just as good. Disadvantage is that the mattress needs turning from time to time (heavy!) and it s abit pricier that 5" foam, but much more comfortable.. Nice and firm!

The coir and reed matting allow plenty of air to move about so I am not at all worried about mildew.

regards,

Nick

 

[Boatman]

Try looking at mattrasses in Europe they are not the same as the UK, and don't suffer from the damp so much.

 

[Pelican]

Hi!
I have the same problem as you -a bad back - as I was changing the bunk/seat cushions recently I asked my doctor if a combined sitting/lying down cushions do exist and she told me no- but suggested getting fairly firm cushions for sitting on and at night to have a roll out upper mattress for sleeping. I bought a rather expensive roll out made by an American firm called Bay Jocobsen (which have a special foam filled pockets to take the weight of ones body in the right places -keep it warm and massage you at the same time)- these are quite expensive but have made all the difference for a comfortable sleep for as an LA if you get out of your bunk and are unable to straighten up - it's a royal pain! If you need an address for this mattress let me know!

Pelican

 

[chrisc]

Ikea do these thin mattres's that go on top of normal mattress
come in several (3 ?) thicknesses we have one of these but have cut
corners so that it fits in front cabin ,machined cut corners with sailmakers sewing
machine and put on top of foam mattress .very comfy .

 

[heerenleed]

Re: Damp worries

If there is one thing you should worry about, it is damp. You obviously do not live aboard. I do, and I know from everyone else who does that there is no such thing as a battle against cold, but there definitely is one against condensation. Best is to use slatted bottoms for your bunks. They are available to fit in boats bunks and may be cutted to size. On top of that, use any matress you feel comfortable with. But do make sure that there is an ample layer of circulating air under it. We even installed a radiator underneath our double bunk just to keep moist out. In combination with the slats it works perfectly.
Good luck



Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Netherlands

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Damp worries

hence the slats, the coir mat (cheap semi disposable) the reed matting and finally futon. Also why locker door under berth is removed to encourage ventilation. Considering fitting small 12v fan underneath too to push air about.

 

[heerenleed]

Re: Damp worries

Good idea to leave out the locker door underneath the bunk. I did this too. If the locker is formed by the hull itself, do put a layer of rubber carpet underlay against the hull. Simply use a photo glue which comes in a spray version. Simple. It takes care of all condensation. Of course, every bit of air moving around helps.
cheers



Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Netherlands

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Damp worries

I insulated inside the locker under the berth with underlay that you use with hardwood floors. (a fire retardant closed cell foam about 1cm thick) glued it using "spray mount" Quite cheap £15 for a 5x1 metre roll.

Over that I have laid rubber backed carpet. Cutting it to fit was a nightmare!

I'd like to put a heat source underneath, but she doesn't have central heating as yet. An eberspacher vent underneath would be ideal.

I am also considering a humidistat controlled ventilations system. A UK companmy makes a system that sits in the bilges and when humidity reaches a certain level a fan turns on and discharges the damp air overboard, letting less damp air from the cabin flow in, letting nice fresh air from outside fill the cabin. sound like a great system, but I wonder if, when used the eberspacher all it does is pump nice warm air to the bilges to be replaced with cold air from outside?

 

[Guest]

Cannot advertise,"V...air" ,but they are based in King's Lynn, and in our personal and professional capacity the product works and it's money well spent. They have advertised in the yachting/boating and caravan media.

You might get an idea from http://www.mmg-sportssystems.com

 

[heerenleed]

Re: Damp worries

Nick,

It seems you made an overkill of your insulating job. Well done. I really don't think this will cause you any more problems now.

About a heat source, please read my post on heating. It is some twee weeks old and you can find it in the Liveaboard Link as well. I'm not a great fan of Ebersprächer or Webasto. What heating you install will very much depend on the size and weight of your boat. Whatever brand you purchase, do try and fit a water heated system and add a heat exchanger. Run an air duct underneath your bunk. You don't need to dedicate a complete air outlet to the locker underneath the bunk, as you live in your cabin and not under your bunk. Just punch some holes in the air duct, that will be sufficient to replace any damp air from under the bunk.
We added a automatic relay time switch to out central heater's water pump and connected the fan of the heat exchanger to it. It now only runs when the heater switches on and continues till 10 minutes after it switches off. This avoids too much cold air being blown into the boat. I regret I did not install a heat switch to the heat exchanger which would switch it on only if the water in the system is warm enough. I consider changing it.

I am not aware of the automatic vent sytem you describe. I think it might work in summer, but in winter I think what you want is to dry the air as much as possible before blowing it into the bilges. If you heat cold air, the relative humidity goes down considerably.

Anyway, I could not care less about the damp in the bilges. I don't live there. But the lockers are another story, as are bunks. What we did was run the water pipes of the heating system through all the spaces we suspected of getting damp. Now, in winter they are always warm and dry. We used tylene water pipes, easy to cut, to bend and to install. If you ever decide to install a water heated system, do get back to me as I have been given some valuable advice which turned out to be as good as I hoped for.



Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbeergen, Netherlands

 

[Guest]

Well, we have lived aboard Foolish Behaviour for 2 years now, mostly in the Caribbean.

The answer to your 5 day bad back is simple and cheap......

Forget new mattresses, just sit it out for a week or two more.

You will become "Boat fit" aftr a couple of weeks.

You may notice other ailments, such as very sore wrists, this comes from constantly going up and down through the companionway hatch. This two dissappears.

So don't worry, just bear with it. I promise you it wil go away AT NO COST!.

Jim

 

[cynthia]

What a cheapskate I must be. To make the mattress more comfortable I've placed a couple of mega cheap, high density, camping mats underneath. Very easy to fit, remove, get into lockers underneath etc. Can't comment on damp as currently not living on board, but getting a good night's sleep in comfort!