Preferred Berth

[Jammer Six]

What berth do you prefer?

Most of the owners I run into prefer the port after berth.

One couple uses the V birth.

Which do you prefer, and why? Is the one couple weird?

Enquiring Minds Want To Know!

[sailcruiser]

It depends. Typically tied up in a slip I'm in the salon or v-berth. The v-berth is a pill to climb into at current setup. When real tired I crash on the settee. If relaxing sometimes the double berth when the table is dropped. (Nice when I read or just relax on a crappy weather day.). If at anchor or underway the quarter berth since I don't own lee clothes yet.

Basically I'm all over. I hope once I get a proper mattress and not a mountain of foam the v-berth will be less of a headache.
SC

[sailorboy1]

I'm sure a lot of this is really about boat size as that determines what type of berths you have. My wife and like out aft awthship berth that is larger that a queen. We partially (mostly) moved up from our Cal-39 because of the aft berth that we called The Cave.

[Dockhead]

I have seven berths on board, not counting the salon. I have slept in every one of them.

The main cabin on my boat is the aft one -- my boat's a center cockpit. It has its own heads compartment, lots of hanging locker space, two settees, etc., and is obviously much better than the others, so naturally that's where I usually sleep.

But I regularly give up my cabin when I have guests on board who are a couple, so I sleep in different places. My favorite other place to sleep is in one of the pullman berths in the cabin which is aft of forepeak, across the corridor from the forward heads. These are single bunks with lee cloths, one over the other, and offset somewhat, following the line of the hull. They are very long and very comfortable, and sleeping there is like being back in the womb. You have privacy even if someone else is sleeping in the other one.

I know a lot of people like to sleep in the forepeak; I don't so much, personally. It has a big plus in that you can hear what's going on with the ground tackle when you're at anchor, but everything else, including the shape of the space, is a minus, especially the motion, at anchor or underway. My forepeak is the guest cabin; it's pretty nice with an island bed and direct entrance to the forward heads, but I confess I don't love it very much.

My father's boat has only two interior spaces -- the main salon and the forepeak. When he and I are sailing on his boat, he always sleeps in the salon, and I get the fairly cramped forepeak. He doesn't care about privacy; the salon is the space which he prefers (and on my boat he gets the forepeak ).

Everybody's taste is, of course, going to be different.

[denverd0n]

I like the v-berth when at anchor. Gets the best breeze through the hatch. Of course, I live in Florida, and prefer to sail no further north than home, so I'm mostly in fairly warm areas where getting a breeze is important.

[Kettlewell]

Like others, it depends. We've got a nice double in the aft cabin, and the motion and breeze back there is delightful at anchor. Even offshore it is usually very comfortable there unless things get rougher, and then it is hard to wedge yourself in. Offshore we have two parallel settees on opposite sides of the main cabin that have lee cloths we can rig. Those are the best rough weather berths. The V-berth is also very comfortable on our boat, but maybe a tad less comfortable than the aft cabin. If we have guests or our kids are onboard they usually get the aft cabin and my wife and I take the V-berth. The V-berth is a better place to monitor things on a windy night--you can just pop your head up the hatch and take a quick look around without even leaving bed.

[Pelagic]

More or less the same set up as Dockhead.

We primarily use the master aft cabin the majority of the time…It has a tapered queen on stbd. side and a wide pilot berth on the port side. Since it also has my private office there, I don’t offer it out to guests

The 2 forward doubles share a large head and shower and is for guests. However, the main salon is designed to become a very comfortable larger than queen berth when the table telescopes down.

Fitted with a privacy curtain, it is preferred by couples, who will use the fwd. doubles only as a day berth.

At anchor, when the wind is up or I want to keep an eye other boats nearby, I often sleep in the Pilothouse with one eye on the radar and the instruments. Good visibility and awareness and is my favorite place.

On a long and lively offshore delivery we actually prefer to sleep in the salon berth for night time off watch, as it has the quietest motion. If there is another couple, we just switch sheets and pillows at watch change.

All bunks are fitted with high canvas lee cloths.

[zeehag]

master stateroom. i have a pullman berth there, and 2 berths in main saloon--i read there.

[Kettlewell]

I forgot to mention that we have a pilothouse seat that is where the offwatch will often bed down if there is an anticipation they may be needed soon--for example, I will sleep there if we are dealing with lots of shipping traffic that requires a second set of eyes and ears to keep track of things.

[GrowleyMonster]

I currently only have one berth! "Sleeps Six!" Yeah, okayyyyy.... where the port side berths were, is now a shower and space for the new galley. When the new galley is done, the starboard lower berth will be lengthened aft and will be usable. The upper? Please dont make me laugh and spill my bloody Mary. Currently i only have the vee berth available but for a 27 footer the Cal has a fairly roomy one. I sleep crossways when my boat bunny isnt aboard, and the forward part is a catchall for clothes and my laptop.

[BlackOak]

I sleep all over the boat. Rough weather at anchor, its the floor. Wishin I had a couch like some of yall have, i'd sleep on it all the time. Calm seas its the vberth. I have tried out the quater berths, but its a bit of a hassle getting out of it. These old bones dont bend like the use to. Must admit that my first 3 days at home, had a hard time sleeping in a real bed that wasnt moving.

[The Garbone]

I really like the quarter berth on my boat. I have an camping air pad in there on top of the cushions and I find it extremely comfortable. I will crash in the quarter until the dog wakes me at about 2am for its constitutional and then I join the wife on the folded down dinnette. It's pretty good but can be cramped for 2 adults.

Our vberth is ok for one but a bear to access so we just use it for storage.

[svBeBe]

Aft port queen size berth most of the time. Forward starboard twin size berth when at anchor in tropical heat because it catches the most breeze through large forward hatch.

Current trend in yachts is to have a centerline berth. While that is much easier to make up and to get in and out of, I would never own a boat with a centerline berth. Not suitable at sea (even with lee cloths) or in very rolly anchorages. Much prefer to be able to snug up against the hull in those situations.

Judy

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by BlackOak

Must admit that my first 3 days at home, had a hard time sleeping in a real bed that wasnt moving.

Heh, heh! I know exactly what you're talking about!

When I meet land people, and in the course of the conversation it comes out that I'm a sailor, they often ask -- don't you get seasick? And I always say -- no (because I have never in my life had the slightest twinge of seasickness), but I do get land-sick!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

Current trend in yachts is to have a centerline berth. While that is much easier to make up and to get in and out of, I would never own a boat with a centerline berth. Not suitable at sea (even with lee cloths) or in very rolly anchorages. Much prefer to be able to snug up against the hull in those situations.

Judy

Of course, a double on one side and single pilot berth on the other side, is the saltiest configuration for a master cabin.

However, centerline berths work perfectly fine as long as the matress is split into two parts. You just rig the leecloth between the two halves, and you're golden