Situation desperate -- SWMBO hip-bone drama

[pugwash]

When we married nearly 40 years ago my SWMBO promised to come anywhere in the world in a boat with me as long as I never expected her to sleep in a tent or walk up a hill. Fair enough. It has worked well until now. in our 60-something years we're finding that our hip-bones are too tender and stick out too much -- especially, dare I say, SWMBO's.

The problem is hard bunks. We have flat plywood bases on which we lay squabs made of foam and various upholstery fillings. The question is, what can I do to give SWMBO's hip-bone a more comfortable hollow in which to rest?

I don't think a thicker mattress will do it, and anyway this would create bigger problems with sitting height under the side-deck.

I think I might cut out the ply, leaving an inch-wide edge, and replace it with some sort of webbing which creates a little (very little) sag. What is the simplest and most effective way to do this? Any better ideas floating around?

A solution to this dilemma is crucial to further voyaging!

 

[boatmike]

It's not the thickness of the matress that matters Pugwash it's the density. If you visit a good upholsterer he will be able to offer lots of alternatives and the best solutions are not actually foam but a sprung mattress. If you visit the LBS after Christmas you will see loads of people flogging alternatives. Ask youself why you should have anything different on your boat than you do at home? You CAN have a sprung base and you CAN have any variety of foam.

 

[Talbot]

By far the best answer is to ad a 2" layer of tempura foam on top of the existing mattress (also known as memory foam) this will help to protect those vulnerable bits.

 

[Stemar]

Webbing will allow the extra give, but it will need to be tight if you want give and not sag! If your bases are like mine, they're the lids to lockers, which means reinforcing space is limited, but I think you'll need some fairly substantial reinforcing if you go this way.

Would it be possible to lower the base under the hip area by a few inches and fill this with a good firm foam? - cushion foam rather than mattress. This would give resiliance where needed without sag or the need for meaty reinforcement all round.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Hip bones, bad joints, arthritis and needing sleep

Oh yes, I know about this /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I have found the solution for me, it works, it is easy to install, it is adjustable and does not weight a ton!



Click on the image for Victoria Yachting. I have just been posted this years prices along with the British contact. If you are interested I will dig them out later, a double is around £240.

Quick summary.

The springs have 3 levels of hardness, soft under head, medium everywhere else but hard under pressure points such as hips and shoulders. Because you can adjust them, if you are different heights each side of the bed can be different. There is absolutely no roll together and they keep air flowing under the foam.

I sleep better on the boat than at home and it has stopped my hips 'catching fire' through the night. I am sure you will understand that.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[Birdseye]

The obvious answer is to reduce the pressure under her hip bones. Do you think you could put her on a diet? Why not suggest it to her and let us know how you get on. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

To give another alternative, there are proper bedding companies who will make beds for boats ie proper sprung matresses or good foam (Dunlopillo) on top of a base of sprung slats.* Is she comfortable in bed at home? If so, thats what you need to duplicate. And if you cant get that lot under the deckhead, then change the boat. It will be cheaper than changing SWMBO, and more to the point will avoid single handing.


* I would phone Oyster to get a name of a bed maker. I cant imagine they give the buyer of a 500k boat just 3 inches of foam to sleep on.

 

[jerryat]

Hi John,

Just to add to the plethora of advice, may I suggest you have a word with the people at Putnams Foam, who are based at the Langage Business Park, Plymton, Plymouth (tel:0800 09600920) and seek their advice.

Before going off cruising a few years ago, we took our berth cushions to them for assessment, to see if we should replace them. Frankly, if they'd said yes, we would have replaced the lot (at great expense) but they didn't, instead they offered superb advice.

We had no idea there were SO many varieties, densities etc and we tried various compositions and grades of foam for those we did replace. We could try these different types in different combinations, by sitting/laying on them for as long as we wished. They provide bare 'beds' and chairs for this purpose.

I have no connection with the company, but if I wanted specialist advice, as you appear to need, that's where I'd go. Perhaps call in when you're next down to the boat?

HTH's

 

[steve_cronin]

slats work well....

...and you can get them from boat show small stalls or:-

IKEA!!

Yes, a slatted undermatress is available from IKEA.

The slats are easily cut to length and slot together with the plastic ends provided. Since they don't increase the height at the edges, your seating headroom should be virtually unaltered.

Oh yes. the price - around £11 per set.

Steve Cronin

try this:- IKEA Slatted Bases

 

[graham]

Talbot has the answer. My mother was suffering from sleeples nights at home due to hip pain.One of these so called"memory foam" matresses transformed her life. You cant enjoy life if you cant sleep comfortably.

If you spend a lot of time on the boat I would have new bunk matresses made out of it.Its pricey though so 2 inch overlays may be a good compromise.

 

[charles_reed]

Try

a 2" memory foam pad over the existing bunk mattress.

I just changed to just that and guarantee that it works - but it's not cheap.

 

[pappaecho]

You can get memory foam mattress toppers with zip covers, and these solve the problems of bony hip bones et al, and being able to wash the covers at the end of the season - the memory foam does not wash too well aparently.
Bought in Dreams furniture store in Southampton for not a lot of money

 

[Nick_Pam]

A £10(ish) single bed duck & down mattress topper from Argos.....
At that price, if it ever goes manky, you can replace it!

I am...errrr......considerably heavier than my partner and this solution has made a huge improvement for both of us both on the boat and at home...


Hope this helps...


Nick & Pam

 

[eebygum]

Cheapest source of memory foam is off ebay, I've just bought TWO 36" x 76" cover mattresses at 99p each !

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...N%3AIT&rd=1

both arrived in the post this morning (£15 postage for both). I intend to trim for my two single berths. they do lots of other sizes as well.

 

[pvb]

OK, own up...

[ QUOTE ]
I am...errrr......considerably heavier than my partner

[/ QUOTE ]
Which of you posted that? The signoff was "Nick & Pam", but one of you must have typed it. We need to know!

 

[Nick_Pam]

Re: OK, own up...

It wuz Pam.....and I have her permission to lie!!!!!
Nick

 

[VicMallows]

Boatmike,

<<Ask youself why you should have anything different on your boat than you do at home? >>

I have a water-bed at home .... essential for MY back (though it gives SWMBO a bad hip). Now, a water-bed on the boat sounds a really fun idea /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously, I understand the problem. In the old scout camping days when you had nothing under you than a rubberised groundsheet it was standard practice to dig a hip-bone hole in the ground. The trouble was of course you had to lie in the same position all night.

Vic

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Not to poo poo your suggestion Nick, but we tried this first, exactly the same from argos too. No luck for me, found through the night the feathers just part leaving me in the same situation.

Glad you are having more luck, maybe different circumstances.

 

[pugwash]

Thanks to all...

...sympathetic and great advice, so Scuttlers really do have hearts! I will explore these various alternatives but I have a question about this square-webbing stuff. It looks ideal and I'll track it down at the Boat Show, but the berths are shaped, the outboard side tapering towards the feet. Don't know if this would be a problem. SWMBO and I are enormously cheered.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Re: Thanks to all...

If you look at the photograph shown, it is not too clear but there is a fair amount of adjustment available. Below the blue plastic springs there is a criss cross lattice work made up of cross shaped pieces of plastic. Two legs have 3 holes the other two have 1 stud each. This allows you to spread the distances by 3 variants.

I have as much as possible fitted them all as close together as possible which is how they appear in the photograph, but around the transom to bunk where there is the odd angle I have been able to make slight alterations to the lattice work to get it to fit nicely.

Also, down the edges where there is an angle we cut the legs of the lattice to have the centres right up to the edge, it is hard to explain, but the simple answer is yes it will fit none square bunks.

The best analogy I can think of, zoom in on a photograph until it pixleates, you will see curves made up of square pixels, with gaps, like a staircase, that is what happens down the edges. It does not make the mattress sag as the gaps in reality are very small compared to the actual support given.

I bet you wish you had not asked now /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[whisper]

Re: slats work well....

Ikea sell a "basic" and a "better" and a "best" system of slatted beds. Being a cheapskate I've tried the first two but not the latter. The "better" is in fact slightly better than the "basic" and costs about £8 more.