Stabilized bed platform

[a64pilot]

My wife suffers a little from seasickness, but like most, its transitory, meaning it goes away.
However, watching something swing will get her sick sure as anything. Sitting on a stationary platform watching the room move around would I'm sure make her sick.
I think this thing would likely make people more sick, not keep them from being sick.

Think about it, the best way to get over being sick is to go on deck and watch the horizon as its not moving

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by ranchero76

That's actually funny one, I have to comment that
Please don't take it too serious

Originally Posted by Adelie
A. By definition sailing itself is old tech whether mono- or multi-hulled.

I must mention that round wheel is also very old tech. Should we stick to stone edge technologies because of that?

Perhaps I didn't articulate this one so well. This technology is not about making the sailing better but seems to be about allowing people to sail that would be incapacitated if the technology didn't work. Most of these people have developed enough aversion to the sea already that the bed isn't going to cox them offshore ever. This bed looks an aweful lot like technology for technology's sake.


B. Such a bed would be a significant power load meaning additional battery and generating capacity.

Per manufacturer specs it draws 200W (and OP mentioned this). On modern boat with powerful solar/battery bank it's no problem at all. My OP also suggests that such bed makes sense on bigger and more expensive catamarans (say, over $500K, or 1.5M+ new boats)


C. Also it adds electrical, electronic and mechanical complexity to the vessel, read another very significant maintenance item.

Hmm...Have you seen (or even thought, for that matter) electrical, electronic and mechanical complexity, let say, Lagoon 560? Or Rapier 550 (sh*t, even I scared of that one!)? Or Leopard 58? Using your logic, all these boats should not exist at all because they to complex. Not sure why manufacturers not aware of this and keep making them?

D. Such a bed would only allow people people with severe seasickness issues to be aboard as passengers, in moderate or worse conditions. If they are restricted to the bed in any but the most benign conditions they are not going to be productive members of the crew.

In my opinion, such bed can give huge relief from seasickness, a specially during first days at sea after long breaks. Ep.106 Delos nicely demonstrates this. Everyone just dying for the first few days, with no place to hide or take a break.

E. The bed would be a significant addition to any vessel but especially on a multi-hull which is more weight sensitive.

Once again, OP gives number - from 100 kg, including wooden bed frame. Hmm, never thought that 100-150kg can be "significant addition" to the 20000kg (or more!) boat. Maybe I'll have to go back to school, refresh my knowledge of phisics.

E. Such a bed would occupy significant volume, especially on monohulls which tend to be more space constrained.

Hmm...I don't really know what to say. This bed can be manufactured in any size (twin/queen/king) and takes just a little more space than regular bed of same size. A little higher, but it's not a problem for any modern bigger boat. And I was thinking I posted this in multihull thread anyway...Am I lost here?!
Yeah you're lost, the mechanism requires what looks like about 12" of extra space under the mattress, and given the movement of the mattress would require extra space over the mattress so sleepers wouldn't bang into the overhead, let's call it 20" total. 20" vertical plus the area of the bed is a very large volume of storage to give up on anything shorter than about 45'.

I stand corrected, this technology would be fine on boats so big (20ish meters and up) that would not be adversely impacted by the weight and space requirements owned by people that could afford to run a generator all night to power it and have paid crew that can maintain it. Of course the people that can afford such large expensive yachts with paid crew tend to let the crew do the passages themselves and only fly in to destinations for daysailing in good weather and wouldn't need the beds anyway.

Using your wheel analogy, I agree that high technology steel belted radial tires have made wheels great for comfortable high-speed travel, but this tilting bed technology is to sailing what free-spinning hub-caps were to wheels.

[ranchero76]

Originally Posted by Adelie

I stand corrected, this technology would be fine on boats so big (20ish meters and up) that would not be adversely impacted by the weight and space requirements owned by people that could afford to run a generator all night to power it and have paid crew that can maintain it. Of course the people that can afford such large expensive yachts with paid crew tend to let the crew do the passages themselves and only fly in to destinations for daysailing in good weather and wouldn't need the beds anyway.

So you insist that 100-150 kg is "too much weight" for let say 17m catamaran? Yes, storage under that bed might be sacrificed, but 56ft cat has enough space on it.
Regarding "run a generator" - there are 60' catamarans allowing to run AC overnight without batteries. They have 55-65kWh battery banks on them. In comparison, this bed will use 0.2x8=1.6kWh per 8 hr sleep.


While this bed is not cheap (I've contacted manufacturer and...well it's not cheap at all ), I see it start appearing on new big cats in near future.
At least on these over 1.5M new.

To these who keep telling that "it will be awful to see walls moving around" - I should remind that bed usually used for sleeping, not for wandering around. I'm personally sleep with my eyes closed, and can't see the walls during the sleep. What about you, guys?

[a64pilot]

I bet you could do it with a 500 lb pendulum, no electricity and always "on"

[senormechanico]

Imagine this while you are in the middle of an offshore passage.

The boat's moving a bunch when halfway asleep, you step out of your stabliized bed in the middle of the night to take a pee.
The moving boat will bash you awake very quickly if it doesn't knock you out first !

[boatman61]

Brought to mind the gimballed saloon table in Captain Ron..

[Factor]

Again seriously, have any of those that support this concept ever actually slept on a cat?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Factor

Again seriously, have any of those that support this concept ever actually slept on a cat?

It was posted in multi hull, but I do not think anyone thinks it has anything to do with hull numbers.
I think it was put here under the idea that people that can afford large Cats could buy this, plus a big Cat has room for the thing and possibly the electrical system to support it.
I spent a week on AquaCat, a large live aboard diving Cat, bigger I believe than most any sailing Cat, and it was not motionless

[s/v Jedi]

I highly doubt that this bed moves fast enough to compensate for the quick, jerky motion of cats. Also, most cats are overloaded without these beds but I agree a 50'+ cat could carry a couple. When I watch stabilizers in jet plane wings at work, I think those move swiftly enough so it must be possible.

[downunder]

Does anyone have any real evidence that this bed can cure sea sickness.

Seems to me that it could be just an unsubstantiated claim.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

No, I wake up to Pee every two hours, is there a difference?

Yep, sleeping like a baby is more like peeing then waking up every two hours

[ranchero76]

Actually, I searched Internet for something like this after I saw video of pool table on cruise ship with this mechanism. It worked AMAZINGLY.
I contacted manufacturer of bed platform in OP, they replied that it basically manufactured according to application (required roll and pitch angles etc). So reaction speed will be adjusted to required level too, I'm sure.
For me - it looks like good temporary relief in rough seas during long passages. We're not talking about small movements while living at anchor here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aE5oszXyQ

[Runeme]

Originally Posted by ranchero76

Actually, I searched Internet for something like this after I saw video of pool table on cruise ship with this mechanism. It worked AMAZINGLY.
I contacted manufacturer of bed platform in OP, they replied that it basically manufactured according to application (required roll and pitch angles etc). So reaction speed will be adjusted to required level too, I'm sure.
For me - it looks like good temporary relief in rough seas during long passages. We're not talking about small movements while living at anchor here.

First of all, I have to apology for not having identified this forum earlier. I am working as Chief Sales Officer for the company in question, and I am pleased to clarify some of the questions raised in this thread.
I myself have been sailing as engineer on Navy- and merchant vessels, and I personally surely do not have any need for a stabilized bed. Still, we are all reacting differently to the vessel movements and I respect that some people are more sensible to the movements than other.

• The stabilized bed is actually a spin-off from our stabilized Billiard table. Some cruise vessels reported that crew where sleeping on our stabilized billiard table to ensure proper sleep and “cure” seasickness (for a period). Thereby the idea of a bed.
• We have commercially delivered stabilized platforms for billiard tables since 2002 and for beds since 2004. Without positive feedback, the company would be history years ago.
• The platform is stabilized by the use of sensors and electric actuators (no hydraulics).
• Our platform neutralize roll and pitch movements, and sideway forces (acceleration free – in contrast to a gyroscopic/gimbal/pendulum platform). An illustration of an acceleration free platform is a waiter balancing a tray, tilting it slightly when starting, stopping and turning, to avoid the drinks sliding off the tray.
• The platform is "fast enough" to neutralize typical movements onboard displacement hulls from abt. 30m in length and upwards. Other hull types- or sizes will need to be thoroughly evaluated case by case.
• Size of the platform (for a chair or a complete cabin), and the roll/pitch angles to be eliminated will determine the height of the platform. P.t. then the lowest height is around 30cm, and the weight of a typical double bed platform is around 70 kgs. (Side plates, wooden frame etc will be needed for a bed with or without stabilizing platform).
• Max (peak) power consumption is 200 watts, noise level around 36dB (sound-comparison to a fluorescent lamp).
• An “entertaining” endorsement is that STABLE technology is highlighted as the #18 of “Outrageous Acts of Science” by Discovery Channel in 2017 (https://youtu.be/XNBVzdkp-AU).

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by ranchero76

I thought during long passages even in relatively calm seas like this it would be not bad idea to have a little more stable bed.

https://youtu.be/4vNGYmscXyE?t=4m42s

Check out that jib leech in the opening shots.

I'll bet his sailmaker loves this guy.

[Pizzazz]

What happened with this technology? All big yachts seem to have gyro stabilization these days for passenger comfort. At the same time, it is difficult to justify Eur 50k expense to stabilize the boat for the typical weekend cruiser, who would most often choose to go out in good weather. My interest in this is to have an area of the boat where 1-2 guests can rest (you always have a couple of guests who ruin the whole trip). So, the options are:

- Gyro for the whole boat (Eur 50k)
- Some stabilized platform, it could be a bed, chair, lounge chair, Eur 5k?)
- Plain old hammock (Eur 50)
- You just send the person swimming around the boat

How about one of these hanging egg chairs, that can be attached to the radar arch or any other suitable point? Then, there has to be some dampening system that can be adjusted to the sea state (ideally, you need a spring and a shock absorber). Or it could be a captain's chair. Someone must have created a cheap, reliable system, suitable for boats, with different settings for anchor, low speed, high speed? Any ideas?