Grade & thickness of foam for berths

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Ribbit. I have arthritis and I have found a dense foam layer on the bottom very important to keep one from bottoming out and causing dumbness and sore spots. Dont even think about going cheap! A nice memory foam layer on top improves overall comfort. But too soft and you wont have enough support which will cause compression to your nerves and vascular system.

Thanks so much SD (and Ann, was thinking I perhaps needed some sort of carpet spray adhesive).

I think the D45 Katherine mentioned above might be the ideal base layer then.

My first thought for comfort was memory foam, but possibilities of improvement with a foam that provides lots of gentle 'moving pressure points' seems to be something I must try.

I could always do the other V berth with D45 base foam, and then put memory foam on that, so I can see which works best (or if sleeping on the moving pressure points is difficult but working, I can switch between both the berths to make sure I get some sleep now and again too).

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

Tried a search on this and got nothing which surprised me. I will be replacing berth and cockpit cushions this spring. Seens to be a confusing choice of thickness and density choices. What have you found that works?
I am looking at settee berth, mattress for bunk and cockpit seats. seats are just for bases, already done the backs and found it very easy to do if you use a rigid back and simply staple the fabric in place instead of sewing covers.

You have a choice of boat foam which drains well and closed cell foam. Anything else like latex or open cell furniture foam should be avoided like the plague. Except latex or memory foam for mattresses. But never let them get wet.

Boat foam is a single durometer and is not ideal. You'll sink in if you maximize comfort and it will feel hard for a stiffer durometer. I avoid it as it doesnt layer well.

I build my cushions using several durometers of closed cell foam. Hard on the bottom 20 - 40%, medium for all but the last 10 -20%. Then soft on top.

You'll need to try a few combinations as durometer varies between suppliers.

If you wrap the top soft layer down the sides you'll have a very high quality cushion.



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[wrwakefield]

Since this thread has taken a side focus on sleeping mattresses, I thought I'd mention Carolyn at The Boat Galley also published a recent, related post that may be of interest to some of you.

FYI

Bill

[Painted Skies]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

I could always do the other V berth with D45 base foam, and then put memory foam on that, so I can see which works best (or if sleeping on the moving pressure points is difficult but working, I can switch between both the berths to make sure I get some sleep now and again too).

In our campervan I used a gel memory foam topper that came with a nice quilted cotton cover - making it unnecessary to bond it to the foam layer to make it part of the mattress sandwich; i.e., it just floats on top of the upholstered cushions and the cover keeps it from shifting under the sheet and mattress pad. I got this exact same 3" memory foam topper on eBay for less than $100 including shipping, although you can pay full price on Amazon. If you wanted to use this in a v-berth, it would take some tricky modifications.

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

Since this thread has taken a side focus on sleeping mattresses, I thought I'd mention Carolyn at The Boat Galley also published a recent, related post that may be of interest to some of you.

Thanks, Bill, for this link - excellent article on the subject. The only thing I would add to it concerns cutting foam. If you use a bread knife or electric knife (or even better, a Bosch foam cutter) - spray both sides of the blade occasionally with a light coating of silicone spray... then it will slice through the foam like butter.

Cheers, Katherine

[Sea Dreaming]

For those of you wanting to just cut a topper and don't want to buy an electric knife or foam cutter: I have had success using a rotary cutter and 2 boards to cut foam up to 3 inches thick.
I put the foam on a piece of plywood, then used a long piece of 1x4 to compress the foam along the edge I wanted to cut. Then I cut with the rotary cutter. The key is making sure you compress the foam straight down and don't allow it to wiggle. Use your body weight to hold the 1x4.
Its not as accurate as an electric knife, but it can be cheaper and works well enough.

[Mark Stillwell]

Great post! Let me a my 2 cents!

We did similar research, tried different options and share with others at the marina, who choose different options.

We like Sailrite.com for good information.

For our cockpit, we choose 2" dryfast with Phifertech cover. We have 3" at the helm. Stern seats are 1.5" closed cell as it floats if it falls overboard.

We've made cockpit cushions for others, and some like the 2", some the 3". All like the dryfast foam. Some like the phifertech, others like Sunbrella.

It all comes down to personal preferences.

For mattress, our 2003 Beneteau 393 came with about 2" of foam. Not a good option! We added a 3" memory foam to both the aft and v-berth. The aft cabin came from online and is great!! sleeps as good as mattress at home. The v-berth was from Wal-mart, on sale for about half of the cost of the aft cabin.

You get what you pay for!! The v-berth is ok, but not as good as the aft cabin.

We re-appostered the settee and used the original foam as it was in good shape.

Good luck!

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Painted Skies

...
If you use a bread knife or electric knife (or even better, a Bosch foam cutter) - spray both sides of the blade occasionally with a light coating of silicone spray... then it will slice through the foam like butter.
...

Thanks for the tips, Katherine!

Good to know...

Cheers!

Bill

[Xantho]

I use 4 inch dryfast foam from the foam factory. Here is the link.

The Foam Factory, Outdoor Foam, Dryfast Foam

They have a softweare tool where you input the measurements and the cut out your berth cushions for you.

[nicholson31]

Does anyone use anything under the mattress for condensation? I have seen those wooden strip like devices, almost like a bambo blind, layed out underneath for air circulation. Looks easy enough to make up something to that effect, nice to know if they work or if there is something else that works.

[Xantho]

If you use Dryfoam available from the Foam Factory there is no need to put anything under it since air and moisture pass right through the foam.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Painted Skies

............Despite the fact that I had access and the ability to make my own sleeping berth cushions, I opted instead to have a custom mattress made by a commercial company. ...........

I think that's good advice and that's what I did on my boat. We spend nearly one third of our lives sleeping and a mattress is not a good place to "cheap out". Think of it as an investment in your health and well being.

I have never regretted spending good money on my boat's mattress.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

....... My first thought for comfort was memory foam, ..............

Memory foam seems to retain heat close to your body. Fine for a house where you have AC, not so good on a boat where you may not.

[nicholson31]

I understands Ribbit's point of view, my wife also suffers from severe Raynaud's, even in the summer she would use a hot water bottle for her hands and feet.
We use memory foam also for that reason and it could never be too hot for her, me I go on deck alot!!

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by nicholson31

Does anyone use anything under the mattress for condensation? I have seen those wooden strip like devices, almost like a bambo blind, layed out underneath for air circulation. Looks easy enough to make up something to that effect, nice to know if they work or if there is something else that works.

Nicholson31,

I have been using Hypervent on the last 3 boats in cooler climates over the last 20+ years or so and it is great. One trick I learned is to also extend it up the side(s) and end(s) of the mattress [just to the top of the mattress... this stuff is stiff and scratchy...] anywhere the mattress is against the hull, bulkhead, furniture, etc. This greatly improves airflow.

The Froli sleep system also works well, and has the added advantage of letting you customize your comfort. It is also the most expensive of the lot.

Dri-Dek also works, but is not as thick so air flow is reduced. I prefer Hypervent as it is thicker and costs less.

I'm sure you will find plenty of discussions on this and other forums regarding this topic and these solutions...

I hope this is helpful.

Cheers!

Bill