# V-Berth mattress - What to make it out of?



## neoxaero (Feb 18, 2010)

My boat didn't come with any cushions of any sort (Except for some lawn chair cushions on the Settee .....

Since its finally to a point where spending a night on the boat wouldn't cause me to die of dehydration I'm looking to make a decent mattress for the boat. 
I don't need it to be as comfy as a tempurpedic but close in comfort to a cheap air mattress! :laugher 

I was thinking about buying a 4" thick mattress topper from Walmart and cutting it down to fit correctly. 

I was also considering making settee and quarter berth cushions out of some 2" foam

Are there any other options out there?


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## genieskip (Jan 1, 2008)

2" foam is too thin for comfortable sleeping. 4" is minimum. Don't cut corners now since a couple extra inches of foam is not that expensive, even if you don't plan on sleeping on the settees or quarterbunks now. You might later on, or the next buyer might decide that having to get new cushions for those bunks makes his bid lower when you decide to sell. The expense and/or work is in the upholstering and the difference in cost of a 2' or 4' inch thickness is negligible.


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## MacGyverRI (Nov 14, 2007)

This place custom cuts for decent money.

dining room seat replacement, sofa cushion foam, window seat cushions, inexpensive foam products,


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

We do best with 4" firm closed cell foam and topped with 2" "memory foam" for bedding and the 4" alone for seating. Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## newhaul (Feb 19, 2010)

exactly as everyone else stated the cost diference is minimal and from experience making them for boats and rvs my family has had. Coushions are not the place to scrimp good cushions will increse resale value considerably more than the initial cost cheapper ones will decrese the resale value. 
good cushions will make the time spent on the boat much more enjoyable as well.


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## MacGyverRI (Nov 14, 2007)

newhaul said:


> Coushions are not the place to scrimp good cushions will increse resale value considerably more than the initial cost cheapper ones will decrese the resale value.
> good cushions will make the time spent on the boat much more enjoyable as well.


I was ordering from the link I posted then someone had a complete used set of 5" thick for $250 from an Irwin 36 or 37. Cutting them was easy w/ Stanleys snap a blade cutter.


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## neoxaero (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks for all the posts everyone. 

We ended up buying a 4" thick memory foam topper from Walmart and I used an exacto knife to cut it to the correct size and shape. I had enough left over to make one cushion for a settee and some small "throw pillows" for lounging in the cockpit.

All in all it was money well spent and I slept like a baby on Friday night. It was a bit cramped but my wife is a bed hog :laugher 

I'm definitely going to put a 4" topper on my bed at home and on the big boat when we get it to..


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

Two added points to mention in order to best maintain bedding comfort:
1) Take care to insulate the bedding from any hull condensation that can collect with a temperature gradient through the hull.
2) Never bring any salty skin or clothing from swimming or salt spray on deck into contact with the bedding. Once the salt is present it will continue to absorb moisture and keep the bedding damp. Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

We have a 4" latex mattress custom made and upholstered. We tried a memory foam topper, but I found it too hot to sleep on. They use the heat from your body to heat the foam so that it contours your shape.


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## Julie303 (May 19, 2007)

I have 4" foam and it left me with bruises until I put the Froli Sleep System springs under it. (I'm not affiliated with froli.) It's a bunch of plastic springs that go together like tinker toys gone mad. Results are like an innerspring mattress. It also keeps the foam off of the base so no condensation seeps into the foam. Love it!


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

My wife sews and we have a SailRite machine so we might be a bit more equipped than others... we bought a king sized latex mattress from IKEA (latex doesn't absorb moisture as much as memory foam and other foams do) for about $700. She then pulled off the outer covers exposing the several layers of shaped latex inside, cut them down to the shape of our vberth, cut and resewed the covers and put it all back together again. The result is a home type of mattress that's incredibly comfortable (different cushion points for head, midsection, butt, legs and feet) and perfectly fits our berth. It's great having the original heavy duty covers holding the whole thing together.


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## neoxaero (Feb 18, 2010)

I didn't think about the heat with memory foam... when my fiance and I slept on the boat it got down into the 30's and we were pretty toasty... I may need to think of something else come spring/summer time... for now I'm just. Going to enjoy this wonderful winterr weather we're having... its 75 today


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## nickmerc (Nov 2, 2008)

I have found that foam does not offer enough support for me. I have been putting my Thermorest camping pad on top of the foam cushions and it is more comfortable than my bed at home. I am in the process of trying to find a way to make a permanent air mattress on top of the foam that I can inflate when needed.


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## coreywoodworking (Feb 5, 2007)

Cutting Foam: Best to use a serrated knife or electric knife. It cuts so quickly.

I used an 8" tempurpedic and cut two inches off the bottom. I think it's wonderful and the heat isn't an issue as I'm a New England sailor. The other advantage of memory foam is that it hugs your body, keeping you in place as the boat rolls. Downside to memory foam is that it's open cell, so can absorb water. I use a piddle pad over the top and fastidiously keep water away from it.


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