We hate V berth , howto convert?

[chakil]

Hi all,

We are looking for a sailboat to liveaboard but we have a problem which I guessits very common. We don’t want a multihull because of the mooring feed and no more tham 40-41 for the same reason.

My wife hates V berth and even if I can convince her for now ,it will be a deal breaker in the long run. So not many options left in this case.. Options are Jeanneau 42DS or 41DS , Bavaria vision 42..
We also checked many 2 cabins versions but all have low aft cabins..

I don’t want to spend all my budget on a boat and keep some aside to buy a motorcycle and maybe a campervan. So 41DS and Vision 42 seems over priced in this case.

I am planning to cancel all the wardrobes in the front cabin and extend the V berth as much as I can and trt to make it an island berth.. I am not sure if it is doable. What are your thoughts? How mucj would it cost? Anyone tried this before?

I saw the new Beneteau 40.1 , seems to be much better than V berth..


Thank you,

[Stu Jackson]

Many boats in that size range have walk around berths in the fwd cabin.

[gonesail]

check out the catalina 385 .. nice boats .. she might like the island berth

[JPA Cate]

Very few people sleep forward while under way. I've slept all nights for roughly 40 yrs. in a V-berth on one boat or another, even sometimes, under way, if it is a downwind run. One gets used to it, and to making the bed on your knees. If your good lady wife really wants to be with you, she'll find things to make it easier. I made fitting bottom and top sheets for our V-Berth, and we filled in the V on the last one, so the "head" of the bed was wider. You don't even have to sew in the fitted part if you don't want. Make a small cut in the bottom hem, and install a drawstring, and tie it off. (Usually sleep aft, or amidships if there is too much motion on: I get that old "baby will fall" instinctual reaction and have to go amidships.)

However, if it's a deal breaker, you need to look at some other boats. Do, however, bear in mind that boats are tradeoffs, and space over what one needs for sleeping 8 hrs or so per night in the sleeping area means storage space and/or living space will be curtailed.

Ann

[RickG]

Center cockpit sailboats frequently have big aft cabins. Some examples are: Pearson 422, Morgan Out Islands, CYS 44, Endeavor 42...

Cheers, RickG

[SVHarmonie]

For forward cabins, the Caliber 40 in some layouts has a Pullman Berth that I like a lot, especially compared to a v-berth.

I'll double up on the recommendation to consider a center cockpit design. The aft cabin is a nice choice for a live-aboard.

I would strongly suggest NOT buying a boat with the intent to just start ripping it apart. There are a LOT of different boat designs out there, ONE of them will pull on your heart strings.

A major refit like you describe will cost a LOT more than you think, and take a LOT longer than you plan. Unless you are a VERY skilled finish carpenter, it is also very likely to end up reducing the resale value of the boat. It also requires quite a lot of knowledge about how the boat is put together. In most boats, a lot of the "furniture" is actually structural. You can't just remove it without knowing how you're going to replace the structural strength it adds.

[chakil]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Many boats in that size range have walk around berths in the fwd cabin.

I forgot to mention , she does not want CC.

[chakil]

If you eliminate the CC option , the only boat seems to be 42DS which I am not in love with.

[JPA Cate]

Then why not buy a few years old Catalina 27 or 30, and find out if the two of you even like sailing? If for any reason, you guys find out you don't care for sailing, it will be easier to get out of without a huge hit. You're going to have to learn to love a compromise either way. With luck you can sell it for about what you paid for it. JUst don't get into making expensive additions.

Ann

PS. When I met him, Jim had a 30 footer. We sailed it to HI from San Francisco and back, before deciding we wanted a bigger, stiffer boat for cruising. But if we'd decided we didn't like sailing, [I sure as heck didn't like being seasick so long!] it would have been less of a hit to get out.

[Fore and Aft]

How about a Hunter 45? The aft cabin is huge and I was pretty impressed when I surveyed one. I also surveyed a Beneteau 50 that had a huge bow cabin with seperate toilet/shower. Even the Bavaria 46 has a good size forward cabin although not as good as the previous two yachts.
Cheers
https://au.yachtworld.com/boats/2006...ckpit-3597335/

[Pete7]

Or the Moody 45 with a interesting layout. Are you thinking new btw?

If second hand a Trident Warrior 38 has an interesting layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2wJMj6-X68

[mvweebles]

I went the other direction. We have owned our 1970 Willard 36 trawler for over 22 years. It had the head forward in forepeak and a smallish double Pullman bunk to starboard meaning one person had to crawl over the other for the inevitable nocturnal pee run. As part of a larger refit - and with access to inexpensive skilled labor in Mexico, decided to flip the layout and go with a vee berth and move the head aft to where the double bunk was. As you can see by the pic, it's underway as I write. Being a trawler, even a small one, has a much fuller bow than a sailboat so the vee berth is more or less two good sized single bunks of 28 inches wide and 6'6" long. Total cost is in the $10k range in Mexico. An island berth was not practical given available space. Having done these types of modifications over the years, larger ones like these usually end up as total gut jobs with bulkheads re-tabbed into the hull, etc. Not for the feint of heart or wallet.

While there is the obvious concern of sleeping distance between us, the many benefits we considered beyond ease of access to the head include there are opening ports above each bunk so better cooling at anchor, we each have a reading nook that is less likely to disturb the other at night, and the layout works better on the rare occasions we have a guest aboard, especially a third crew for longer runs as the vee berth is two single bunks. Storage is an even swap, though did trade some hanging locker space for drawer/cabinet space.

As an observation, I'll echo what others have gently said. OP has put impossible constraints by saying no to CC and must be under 42 feet due to slip size. Perhaps consider a powerboat? 42 feet is the sweet spot for trawlers (grand banks 42 is iconic, as is the 36) and would fulfill your wish list except for the sail part. Heresy, I know, but a common evolution

Peter

[chriskilmer]

Sorry if repost. I recall seeing a v-birth renovate that didn’t seem all that problematic. It would end up something like an offset full-size bed. think the original head suffers from the alteration, however.

[chakil]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

How about a Hunter 45? The aft cabin is huge and I was pretty impressed when I surveyed one. I also surveyed a Beneteau 50 that had a huge bow cabin with seperate toilet/shower. Even the Bavaria 46 has a good size forward cabin although not as good as the previous two yachts.
Cheers
https://au.yachtworld.com/boats/2006...ckpit-3597335/

The mooring fees over 41ft is not sustainable for me.. For the short term I can pay for it but I have to think for the long term..

[chakil]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Or the Moody 45 with a interesting layout. Are you thinking new btw?

If second hand a Trident Warrior 38 has an interesting layout.

What a nice boat!!!!!
If it was not that old I would definitely go for it..
We don't want to go for an old boat like this one which I would love but I am sure it is a trouble maker every day