Selecting new mattresses

[Bluewater Mom]

Hi there. Refitting our 55' cutter. Wondering about mattresses. Are futon mattresses a good or bad choice? Worried about the density of the mattress even though cotton is a nice breather. We also have some marine grade mesh underlay for the mattresses to keep airflow going as much as possible, but we are new to life aboard and dont want to have to replace all our new/ moldy mattresses in 6 months. Any tips or help would be muchly appreciated! thanks

[h20man]

I had some made by Handcraft Mattress Company. Excellent outfit.
HandCraft Mattress Company

Top Quality and comfort.....

[svpattyd]

We use the froili system under our foam mattress. We used to sleep on a futon at our house. We like the froli system.

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[jerrycd36]

We are very happy with our custom mattress from Verlo and it rests on the Frolii system which gives us a boxspring-like feel in addition to allowing air circulation.

[sarafina]

Oh a froli with a 4" memory/firm foam combo mattress cut to fit the berth... sleeps like a dream.

overstock.com has good deals on mattresses with free shipping. Ours is a serta.

good luck!

[Intentional Drifter]

I second Handcraft Mattress. We came from a Temperpedic at home, but we both ended up preferring the Handcraft on the boat. They're not cheap, but they are custom made to your berth, and nothing beats a good night's sleep.

ID

[Bluewater Mom]

thank you all for the input, i will check out the recomened products, but as we have been given a futon for free, I just need to know if anyone has used a futon aboard and if it's feasable or not? will it go mouldy or milew or does it handle a moist atmoshpere okay. It's quite comfy too as it has a memory foam topper. would like to use it if we can.

[captncruise]

A Futon needs to be aired in the sun regularly as they do tend to absorb moisture.
After many ears cruising and caravaning I find high density foam performs well.Just like conventional mattresss you can pay a lot for a mattress and find your sleep is disturbd by something else.

[Pblais]

Futon would not work.

For all the upholstery, curtains, and mattresses in the boat you want NO natural fibers what so ever. They quickly become pretty stinky and don't wear well at all. Wool may be the worst but cotton is right up there too. Towels and sheets in cotton are fine since you can wash them regularly.

The shop that did our boat has a story about a customer that was insistent they wanted the fabric all to be "blue jean cotton", After three years they ripped it all out. Not because of a fashion whim but it stunk so bad.

We really like a high density foam under a layer of memory foam. High density foam isn't cheap but it will last a long time and is used in commercial grade upholstry. Cheap foam breaks down very fast. Don't use laytex it's a natural product too. We cut the thickness down a little bit for the rest of the cushions.

If you get some help you can make a custom combination of layers to make it really comfy and maybe save a little money too.

[JJB]

We've just replaced all ours recently, we have a local company here called Makin Mattresses, they will custom make it to any spec you give them, they weren't cheap but they are so nice.
Here's the link.. Be warned the site has an annoying auto play jingle. Mattresses & Beds | Adelaide, Albury, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast & Newcastle

[bstreep]

We love our memory foam. The mattress "systems" are a layer of memory foam on top of 2 layers of high density foam. Buy the better foam mattress off of fleabay (higher density 5.5 or more). Buy it oversized, and cut it with an electric kitchen knife to size. It's REALLY simple to do. I can't believe folks have custom ones made. If you use it daily, you DO need to make sure the bottom can breath. For occasional use, a solid surface is fine.

[Bluewater Mom]

Fabulous!! Thanks again! It's nice to know that I can come here and get real answers from real people who know what's going on!! Thank you everyone. I guess we're off to the foam shop!

[sarafina]

Do check and compare to this one. We have it and love it. I would be surprised if a foam shop could beat the price!

Serta Rejuvenator 4-inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper | Overstock.com