bunk or coffin?

[vas]

hello all,

whilst reorganising well hidden and misused space in the middle of the boat in order to fit the stbrd fin stab assemby, I realised that I can re-use the aircon air handler unit together with the surrounding area used to simply route cables through into a bunk bed. A tight bunk bed, a very very tight one!
That's how Alf's Navigator stbrd cabin is setup.
Its going to be an enclosed space on three sides, with the one long side open to the rest of the cabin (with a twist but I wont get into that yet)

Length will be 1.8m (I know I'd really like to be 1.9m...)
width will be 570mm (okay, don't mind that)
height from the top of the mattress to ceiling will be 450mm (that's pretty close to the definition of a coffin to me...)

So, Q is, should I go ahead or not? Seems that all handbooks suggest 900mm height, or 700mm, haven't found anyone suggesting less tbh!
It's going to be part of the stbrd cabin which has a decent single and is going to be used occasionally by a friend of my daughter. There's also an infill that makes the single into a tight twin. I'm thinking that worse comes to worse, they'll be using the space to lay their rucksacks/clothes/general silly bits and probably the dog will love it...

cheers

V.

 

[alant]

hello all,

whilst reorganising well hidden and misused space in the middle of the boat in order to fit the stbrd fin stab assemby, I realised that I can re-use the aircon air handler unit together with the surrounding area used to simply route cables through into a bunk bed. A tight bunk bed, a very very tight one!
That's how Alf's Navigator stbrd cabin is setup.
Its going to be an enclosed space on three sides, with the one long side open to the rest of the cabin (with a twist but I wont get into that yet)

Length will be 1.8m (I know I'd really like to be 1.9m...)
width will be 570mm (okay, don't mind that)
height from the top of the mattress to ceiling will be 450mm (that's pretty close to the definition of a coffin to me...)

So, Q is, should I go ahead or not? Seems that all handbooks suggest 900mm height, or 700mm, haven't found anyone suggesting less tbh!
It's going to be part of the stbrd cabin which has a decent single and is going to be used occasionally by a friend of my daughter. There's also an infill that makes the single into a tight twin. I'm thinking that worse comes to worse, they'll be using the space to lay their rucksacks/clothes/general silly bits and probably the dog will love it...

cheers

V.

Used to have similar sleeping quarters on the BT Challenge yachts, extremely claustrophobic & difficult to get out of in a hurry.

 

[rafiki_]

Used to have similar sleeping quarters on the BT Challenge yachts, extremely claustrophobic & difficult to get out of in a hurry.

I'm over 6' and don't remember having a problem on the BT Challenge yacht? Sorry Vas, doesn't help you. I would rather sleep in the saloon or cockpit than your coffin! How big is the dog?

 

[Bouba]

I wouldn’t feel comfortable in it, in fact any old person who needs to get up in the night to pee would be in trouble. However there is another factor, the height from the ground. If it’s too low or high then anyone who is not a contortionist would struggle but there would be a perfect height where sliding in and out of the bunk would be easy an feel natural

 

[BruceK]

Sounds like something my small children would delight in, especially if it had a privacy curtain. Can you say "fort" but otherwise as Bouba has suggested unless it's of a height one can do a sort of forward roll into will be nasty for an adult. Save it for the grandchildren as and when they come.

 

[vas]

thanks for the comments!

claustophobic sure it will be...
Access should be okayish as it's 550mm from floor with three drawers in front to help you slide in.
I wouldn't expect a grown up to go and sleep there, kids are still in their teens, so going to be daughter and her friends.
Did think of the "castle" concept tbh Bruce
Paul, dog is small, 400mm long, 6kg or so (probably 5kg later today after the haircut she's having...)
I hope I wont have any grandchildren for at least a decade (preferably 2!) else we have a problem

Trying to remember what's the clearance on the top bunk in the liners going to Crete that I've used a lot. I feel it's like 400mm ABOVE your head when lying flat.
Looks like I'm going ahead, even if not used as a bed now from daughter's friends, there's often smaller kids onboard who would love that space.

I'll also try to modify the floor of the lower helm (which is right above the pillow side of this bunk) and hopefully give half the length of the bunk another 100mm or so. Trick is doing it without dismantling half the craft again!

cheers

V.

 

[jon and michie]

I stayed on a jack up rig a few years ago with similar head room - not good the first few mornings when my alarm went off and thud of my head hitting the ceiling
Jon

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I would say why not? So long as this coffin bed does not impinge on the space within the rest of the cabin then why wouldnt you do it? For sure its seldom going to be used but you never know when an extra berth, even a small one, might come in handy and in any case for the rest of the time it will be a useful storage area. It sounds perfect for storing 2 sets of golf clubs!

Btw many congratulations to you, vas, on the article in this months MBY! I have only skimmed through the article so far but it looks like an excellent account of your mammoth project. Its a hell of an achievement:encouragement:

 

[Nigelpickin]

In another life I was a Submariner.
Sounds like the bunks in the forward mess on an O Boat, (submarine), of which I don’t have the fondest memories...
Most crew mates would suffer from ‘coffin dreams’ fairly regularly, wake up violently kicking and flapping arms and legs in a morbid panic....mind you it was more comfortable than the first bunk I had, perched on top of a mk8 torpedo....

Good for luggage and kit imho....

 

[Lloydroberts]

In another life I was a Submariner.
Sounds like the bunks in the forward mess on an O Boat, (submarine), of which I don’t have the fondest memories...
Most crew mates would suffer from ‘coffin dreams’ fairly regularly, wake up violently kicking and flapping arms and legs in a morbid panic....mind you it was more comfortable than the first bunk I had, perched on top of a mk8 torpedo....

Good for luggage and kit imho....

Add "hot bunking" and it ain't an attractive experience, I'd bet.

Vas.....I'm with Deleted User.

It'll be a handy use of space.