Ultimate relaxation on deck with a Hammock anyone???

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benlui

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Has anyone here ever set a Hammock up on the deck of their boat for some extended relaxation? Ive bought one, and i intend to use it when in sheltered anchorages. I intend to tie one end to the boom whilst swung out over the water, and perhaps tie off the other end either with a halyard from the top of the mast or else somewhere else near the bow. Has anyone else done this? and if so how?
With a good book in one hand, and lets hope the bowline works out or ill be taking an unexpected swim.........
 
I've got one, made by Bosch and (rather bizarrely) i got it in a french DIY shop free with a drill from the same manufacturer. Several eminent forumites have used it on the boat, actually in mid-atlantic on transat passages. You need to be able to adjust the lengths at each end quite accurately, and also be able to damp the swinging, so a rolling hitch is good to allow adjustment of the hammock height as the knots tighten, and keep head and feet at same height.

Once on board the hammock it's an idea to have someone keep an eye on you in case you fall off (or fall asleep and then fall out), and of course this assistant should also play the right music on cockpit speakers for you, and supply suitable cocktails. The right music includes fleetwood mac "albatross" and a suitable cocktail is a Mojito.
 
We have a couple of cheap ones that I bought in Jersey some years ago. I tie the foot end around the forestay and the head end around a shroud. That allows both to be spread at the same time. The advantage of this system is that any tendency of the knot to slide down the shroud tensions the fabric of the hammock. Some padding around the rolled headsail avoids any significant crushing of the cloth. If in doubt, you only need to set them high enough that the lowest part of you is just clear of the deck - not far to fall!
 
Using the end of a swung out boom and a halliard wouldn't work. Firstly, it needs to have two fixed points and secondly, how would you get in or out if it were over the water? Get a 'proper' one, not one of these net garden thingies.

I was thinking of rigging one between forestay and mast but doubt there would be enough distance between the two on my 35 foot boat (less on yours). I spent many years kipping in one during my time with the Grey Funnel Line and if it's slung right (almost horizontal when empty) it's impossible to either fall off or fall out. Only half hitches are required, not bowlines or rolling hitches.
 
I have a couple and have been tempted to find a position for them ...

I certainly wouldn't do it via swung out boom and halyard - that is asking for trouble I reckon.

Another addition to boat inventory that I've come up with at vastly less cost than the Chandler copies .... standard garden parasol - the tube fits a standard winch handle socket ....

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Couple of light lines just to stop "fly-aways" and bingo !
 
I think this may just be me but I see a hammock, think that looks really comfortable, lie in it for a couple of hours and later find I have back ache for a couple of days. A couple of years later I repeat the experience, thinking the first one must have been due to how the hammock was strung, but no the same thing happend, a couple of days of back ache. So after repeating this experience several times in various idylic locations around the world, have now come to the conclusion not to try again. Unless of course it looks particularly comfortable... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
If you have a feeble back to start with a hammock is a recipe for chronic back pain for many days to come. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
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I was thinking of rigging one between forestay and mast but doubt there would be enough distance between the two on my 35 foot boat

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My mate has a hammock between her forestay and mast - on a Leisure 23SL. It's comfy enough for extended sunbathing/reading.
 
Back ache depends a lot from how one is using the hammock: if you lay, say, parallel to the hammock (head towards one end and feet towards the other hand) then yes, it is very likely that after a couple of hours the back will begin to ache; if on the other hand you lay diagonally in the hammock, the body will be able to remain absolutely straight (as when one is laying in bed), just try /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

There is absolutely no problem in sleeping even with one's belly facing downward, body absolutely straight.
To get the idea
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Of course a "serious" hammock is needed, ie better if dimensions are for two people, *without* the two pieces of wood that keeps it open, and *without* the small rope that sometimes runs all around the perimetre of the net

I slept very comfortably for one month while slowly coming down the whole amazon river in boats like this
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Well we bought a couple when we first went down to the Med., thinking that we'd spend many lazy hours watching the world go by.

The reality, as expressed in earlier posts, is that that unless you can get substantial tension on the things, they sag horribly and become very uncomfortable in a short time. And yes, backache is a problem if you're in them for too long.

We tied ours to the second forestay (rolling hitch prevents any sliding down) then back to a shroud, but despite hauling on the ties as hard as possible, as soon as one leapt in, the things pulled the forestay/shroud in and down it sagged. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Frankly, they're a waste of money IOHO. What isn't, is the suspended canvas 'chairs' we saw being used a fair bit (in the Med. though not in the Caribbean for some reason) which is hung vertically from the boom/inner forestay. These were very comfortable though way out of our price range, and on our little boat we could only have fitted one anyway!
 
This is a Mexican hammock, up to 250 kg or three people fit in it. I tie it between boom end and mainstay, held up with the 2nd genoa haliard. The boom swings out slightly to clear the sprayhood, getting in and out is easy as you can stand on the cockpit sides.
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I’m surprised at the response this post has had. Obviously, a Hammock is more popular at sea than i thought. I think it will work on the boom. But perhaps this is more work than other means. But, if the boom is secured over the side, I don’t see why this wont work. My boat is under 30ft and in terms of getting in and out, this wouldn’t be a problem for me as only 70% of the hammock would lie over the water, and im quite agile and fit myself. I’ve bought one on eBay (a Brazilian thingy) looks like a good one and wasn’t cheap, so when i have this done ill put up some pics and see if it works or not with the boom scenario.......
But I think TCM i agree with you, good music, and more importantly a good cocktail and someone to replenish it when your done sounds like a fantastic way to spend a sunny evening!!!
 
Having owned and used both mexican and Brazilian hammocks i would recommend Brazilian as they are woven cotten. They are less vulnerable than the Mexican net type as seen in the previous photo. If you break one thread in that type you have a pig of a job to re thread and knot it.
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Well hung hammocks
 
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