Handcraft Mattress owners, your input please!

[Scoxy]

We've done the home cut foam route, and with 5 inches of foam factory's standard stuff and a memory foam topper it was almost too soft, but worked well enough for the last few years. However, we're about to take the plunge and buy ourselves a fancy, "real" mattress for the boat. I've heard only great things about HMC's latex mattresses, and greatly appreciate their fabulous customer support, but if anyone has any 'personal experience' answers for me, I would love to hear 'em.
What model and thickness did you go with?
Did you get the fancy bamboo quilted pillow top?
Does the medium firm latex (4 ½” 5 ½” or 6 ½” with Pillow top) have enough give for the boney, achy hips of a relentless side sleeper?
And if you went with the hinged option, can you feel it?
I suffer from being a light sleeper - helpful when we've been boarded in the past, annoying on the daily - and so I take my mattress comfort very seriously. My fiance could sleep on a rock, as long as that rock is on the boat.

[nhschneider]

We ordered a custom mattress from Handcraft Mattress for our master stateroom - a 3" thick model - and have been delighted with it. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we chose to replace the four other mattresses on board with HCM mattresses as well, even though those bunks are rarely used.

As a professional insomniac, it seems like the slightest distraction will wake me up so I treasure what little sleep I get. We have been living aboard for almost eight years now and the mattress is holding up exceedingly well. Granted, it's an expensive option but one that we've determined to be an excellent value.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[blue otter]

I have done this with 4 inch mattress and the bamboo top......you won’t be sorry they are super comfortable and great for sleeping.....you will wonder how you ever slept on foam.

You will not even know the hinge is there

[a64pilot]

Are we talking about these guys?
http://boatbeds.com/products-categor...m-5/#more-3138

If so I have the one in the link, stupid expensive, and frankly not a bit more comfortable than old foam factory mattress once I put it on a Froli and a Walmart memory foam topper.
It is much easier to make up though, and the hinge in the middle makes it easy to access storage underneath the mattress, something that was not easy with the foam mattress and Froli.
My Wife likes it, comfort wise I’m unimpressed, but then I didn’t particularly like the Tempurpedic Mattress we had at home, I preferred my old water bed

It’s so God awful expensive I went to Ft Lauderdale to the factory and had them do the measuring, and it fits perfect, they leave about 1” all around so you can tuck in the sheets, blanket etc.

[OldManMirage]

Try this place too.

Military Supply House - Military Mattresses , Custom Size Mattresses , Any Size Mattress, 27" Wide Mattresses, 30" Wide Mattresses, 32" Mattresses Wide Mattresses , 34" Wide Mattresses , 36" Wide Mattresses , Narrow Mattresses , RV Mattresses , Campe

I just bought two 28X75" mattresses for my Cape Dory 28 for the bunks/settees in the salon. This is where I sleep, I don't even have one in the v-berth - I use it for storage.

So I wanted a mattress good for sleeping and sitting. They are quick to tell you that's difficult. But I got 6" thick with two different densities of 3" foams. I can easily flip them for whatever activity I need, sleeping or sitting.

And they will make them whatever and however you want. Very nice people ! They have pillow tops, bamboo whatever, just about all you can imagine.

[Scoxy]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Are we talking about these guys?
System 5 - Handcraft Mattress Company | Handcraft Mattress Company

If so I have the one in the link, stupid expensive, and frankly not a bit more comfortable than old foam factory mattress once I put it on a Froli and a Walmart memory foam topper.
It is much easier to make up though, and the hinge in the middle makes it easy to access storage underneath the mattress, something that was not easy with the foam mattress and Froli.
My Wife likes it, comfort wise I’m unimpressed, but then I didn’t particularly like the Tempurpedic Mattress we had at home, I preferred my old water bed

It’s so God awful expensive I went to Ft Lauderdale to the factory and had them do the measuring, and it fits perfect, they leave about 1” all around so you can tuck in the sheets, blanket etc.

I think we're looking at the solid latex foam ones, instead of the innerspring, but good to know! I did want to have them template it because I tend to overthink things* but their closest rep is 2 hours away and landlocked. Fortunately we just had the aft remodeled and the incredible carpenter who did the work has a template for us.
(*took me 3 hours to place two cheek blocks on our mast the other day, 1hr55m to be sure they were lined up perfectly, 5 minutes to install, another hour to question my placement)

[a64pilot]

If foam, go for “real” latex, be sure it’s real Latex, there are lot of foams that call themselves Latex that aren’t. I’d suspect if your buying from Boat beds, it’s real Latex.
Another issue with foam is condensation, it’s not a problem with inner spring, I assume due to the open airspace of the springs, not sure, but it’s not a problem.
A Froli is really a good investment in my opinion for a foam mattress, it makes the condensation a non issue cause of the airflow through the Froli. It also helps in the comfort part, but does add in mattress height.

[SVOurSabbatical]

We purchased 3 mattresses from them in April 2017, out of Ft Lauderdale. Love, love them. We did go with the inter spring mattresses. The System 4 for our owners berth (has the bamboo cover) and (2) System 5 for the guess side. All have the hinge option. Cannot feel the hinge at all. Several of our guests have said it was one of the most comfortable nights sleep ever. Great customer service. Because our mattresses get narrower at the foot, we also did the custom mattress pad for all 3. Happy with those also. While expensive, we’d purchase from them again.

[Dougtiff]

I'mo my second HMC mattress, both 6" with bamboo cover and a hinge, the first one lasted 6 year's, as i sold the boat with said mattress, i assume still going, as it was in excellent shape, with no breakdown in the LATEXT foam, the second one i'm now using is 4 year's old and still great !, they are spendy, but worth the investment, if you want to take care of your back, i also had fitted mattress covers made, great service, lucky to have this company doing business.

[Dick Manning]

We're now completing our 2nd boating season and are more than satisfied with our Handcraft mattress. It is a 3" latex foam rubber quilted one piece filling the entire V-Berth area of 92" at the head end, 7' long and 24" at the toe end. We're kicking ourselves for not doing this when we bought the boat in 2010 - and then dealing with the factory V-Berth cushions. We also purchased a fitted bottom sheet from Handcraft - helps a lot when changing bedding. We love this mattress - now laid over the factory cushions. Sleep well!

[Mike Banks]

I have used most kinds of mattresses on board from inflatable plastic ones (comfortable but they do not absorb, so soon get wet from condensation UNLESS one has another ventilated mat placed on top of them. Then they are OK--and CHEAP.

My other mattresses, usually foam or coir as I may have mentioned in some post at some distant time, sat on a set of laths mounted on formers, with a computer-fan at one end, to push air through the bunk frame from one end and to allow it to exit through holes drilled in the other. Only a small amount of air flow is needed to keep mattresses fresh and dry--and free of mould and bacteria.

That is the secret of any bedding aboard--the under space must be ventilated. The WORST thing one can do is to put a mattress directly onto a plywood base. The plywood base, such as a wing-deck, is OK as long as the mattress sits on a lath frame above it while fresh air passes beneath.

If the vessel is spacious enough, for a single berth hammocks have their place too. Folded blankets replace a mattress, and the whole is easily lashed and stowed, and out of the way for the rest of the day. Less movement, and once one is used to them, good sleep.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Scoxy

We've done the home cut foam route, and with 5 inches of foam factory's standard stuff and a memory foam topper it was almost too soft, but worked well enough for the last few years. However, we're about to take the plunge and buy ourselves a fancy, "real" mattress for the boat. I've heard only great things about HMC's latex mattresses, and greatly appreciate their fabulous customer support, but if anyone has any 'personal experience' answers for me, I would love to hear 'em.
What model and thickness did you go with?
Did you get the fancy bamboo quilted pillow top?
Does the medium firm latex (4 ½” 5 ½” or 6 ½” with Pillow top) have enough give for the boney, achy hips of a relentless side sleeper?
And if you went with the hinged option, can you feel it?
I suffer from being a light sleeper - helpful when we've been boarded in the past, annoying on the daily - and so I take my mattress comfort very seriously. My fiance could sleep on a rock, as long as that rock is on the boat.

Don’t know who made ours. Hinged, can’t feel it. Added memory foam for my crappy back.

[a64pilot]

For the kind of money they cost, you ought to go visit the factory and lay on each one and pick it out.
Their sheets etc are insanely high priced, but we did get the waterproof topper.
Did the same for the Posturpedic at home too, and glad we did, cause within a week of buying it the cat got ticked off at us for leaving for a weekend and peed right on it, which I have to believe if it got into the foam you would never get that smell out.

[Tornadosailing]

I looked at all the various brands of custom mattresses. Then I bought a memory foam mattress on Amazon that had great ratings. Also bought an electric kitchen knife. Cut it to size, added a waterproof mattress cover, and sleep like a baby.

[a64pilot]

How well did the electric knife work?
I ask as Sailright sells a knife for cutting foam, but for one job it doesn’t make sense to buy it and haul it around forever and never use it again.

Never mind I see Sailright has a video showing you how to use a Kitchen Knife, and they sell the foam knife?
https://youtu.be/wqodjNexy7w