Bedding

[karen.reitzi]

My husband and I are buying a Ranger Tug R27 in the spring. We have never slept on a boat and I think some sort of topper or mattress is essential to our comfort. He thinks the cushions in the berth will be comfortable enough and is worried about what to do with the bedding during the day. His plan is to fold it all up and store it in the compartments under the cushions so we can use the table.

Neither of us can sew so we need a plan that is pretty simple.

Are the cushions comfortable enough or is a mattress topper essential? We are not planning to sleep on the boat every night. How do you store your bedding?

 

[johnbenj]

I just added the Yacht Beddings kit for the 27 and it is 100% worth the expense. Can't recommend the Yacht Bedding product enough.

The cushions in the berth are not comfortable for sleeping. I have slept on the boat two nights with the factory cushions and would never do it again without some extra padding.

After adding the Yacht bedding I spent last Friday night aboard with the new mattress, topper and it is (almost) as comfortable as my bed at home. Yes, the price seems expensive when you order it. But the quality of craftsmanship and simplicity are so worth it.

It is a simple and high-quality solution. The mattress fits the shape perfectly and it is very high quality. The sheets are fitted and comfy. The quilted topper is fitted, heavy and durable, and I will choose to leave in place. I don't think you will feel the need to remove or roll-up the bedding.

 

[knotflying]

Several options. The least expensive and easiest is buy a good memory foam (King Size) and cut it to the shape of the v-berth. Take out all the cushions and lay them on top of the memory foam as they sit in the v-berth and then just trace the outside profile and cut with a long sharp knife or an electric carving knife. Then simply cover the entire mattress once installed with a sheet tucking it in at the edges. The problem with this method is access to the compartments under the topper can be difficult and you always have to leave the center cushion installed. We cut our topper for each cushion and then made fitted sheets for each cushion. And then there is the professional provider of such products.

 

[rpmerrill]

The living and storage space in the R-27, or any boat is precious enough already. I tried a different tack.

I brought the v-berth cushions home for the winter. Then I disassembled them... pulling all the staples was a project in itself. The upholstery industry makes a nice little prybar that helps a lot. (Take it easy. It is sharp and will draw blood in the blink of an eye.

After that I used an electric carving knife and a long serrated bread knife to shave about an inch (or inch and a half) off the top of the existing foam.

Then on top of the existing foam I applied a 1-1/2 inch layer of memory foam. A little bit of spray adhesive helps to keep it in place. Then re-installing the covers on each cushion goes pretty easily with a staple gun. The result turned out great. A big improvement. And it looks stock but feels great.

Final tips: Looking back I think it would have been easier to rip the old 3 inch foam off and apply a new layer of 1-1/2 to 2 inch foam to the plywood. Don't go with one big 3 inch layer of 3 inch memory foam! It is not stiff enough and you will sink down to the hard plywood. As I implied above you could start with a nominal 3-1/2 inch stack of foam. The memory foam is pretty compliant and the covers will pull it down nicely. I used a hand powered staple gun. It is good exercise for these ancient fingers but I'm sure Harbor Freight has a power staple gun that would work. A queen size memory foam mattress topper for about $50 or will provide enough material to do the job if you plan your cuts carefully. I think I had to do one small patch. (Down by my feet... you'd never see it or feel it.)

Sleep tight next spring!

 

[CaptainMatt]

We could in no way sleep on just the boat cushions. We checked into the custom bedding and felt that was too expensive so we purchased a dual layer memory foam mattress topper package from Amazon (king size) for $130. We then cut the memory foam to fit the v berth, put the mattress topper on and then king sheets and voila! It is as comfortable as our bed at home (and I am a very picky sleeper with a bad back that does not take kindly to firm mattresses) and we sleep great. I can get the exact Amazon item for you if you're interested. Good luck and enjoy your new RT!

 

[CAPTCRUNCH]

At my age, the main problem getting a good night's sleep on Gadget is that the head is at the other end of the cabin.

 

[scross]

As others have said, the factory cushions in the v-berth are not comfortable. I too bought a king topper on Amazon and cut it to shape. If you search, there are lots of threads on the relative merits of a latex topper vs memory foam.
If you go that route, the topper is pretty much on all the time. Way to bulky to roll up and stow away after each nights use.
We bought this on Amazon and, after about 80 nights of use, it’s proven very comfortable: LINENSPA 3 Inch Gel Infused Memory Foam King Mattress Topper

 

[Wee Venture]

Add two votes for my wife and me to the Yacht Bedding column. Their topper is very comfortable, very professionally done and fits perfectly. It is a bit pricey but we figured it was worth it for something that supports us for 1/3 of every full day on the boat.

John

 

[SJI Sailor]

I can +1 both the Linenspa toppers (have that on a non-boat bed) and the Yacht Bedding mattress and sheet/comforter set (on the boat). The simplicity, perfect fit, and quality of that custom set have all been worth it for us and I would buy it again.

 

[Red Raven]

+1 for Yacht Bedding. We also were resistant because of the difficulty in accessing storage areas under the V-berth. We slept for two seasons on the factory cushions (I like a very firm bed), however, eventually we decided it was too firm and went with the Yacht bedding topper solution. Very happy with the decision. The topper and bedding stay in place full time. We only store rarely used items under the fore cushion and side storage areas. They can (rarely be accessed one at a time by folding the topper back in that area to access the desire locker. The central area works as a great storage area that can be accessed fairly easily and Is perfect for cool beverage storage in the NW as it stays pretty close to water temperature. We never store the topper anywhere else. Not really an option.

Our boat is an R27 Classic without a V-berth table so it may not apply to the R27 OB but I can’t imagine needing to use another table other than the dinette or cockpit.

Curt

 

[vertigo]

At my age, the main problem getting a good night's sleep on Gadget is that the head is at the other end of the cabin.

Turmeric and fish oil pills will take care of that lickety-split!

 

[BB marine]

The best move we did with all the custom upgrades was to have a mattress made for the V-berth. We spent 3 months on board this fall and sleeping on a comfortable mattress was must. Also having access to storage was a must. We had a mattress, sheets, and comforter made for the V berth. I made a mattress base and extra shelves. It was an upgrade and worth every penny.

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[Brian 27 OB]

Another recommendation for yachtbedding.com

My wife and I are 40 and slept on boats a bunch over the years. Slept on the R27 cushions for a couple nights while the bedding and pillows were being made. Since having them now I couldn’t imagine going back to just the cushions. But if we never had the topper and bedding made we probably would have been okay.

 

[Gin]

Another +1 for yachtbedding. Got the system for our R27 after several uncomfortable nights. Then got the system for our R31 that followed the R27 before even taking delivery. Had no desire to sleep even a single night without it.

 

[karen.reitzi]

I am trying to decide whether it is worth it to buy custom bedding for our new R27. If I buy the custom bedding do I have to also get a custom blanket or can I just buy one at Target?

The Boat Galley recommends Quahog Bay Bedding. Has anyone worked with them? They have CinchFit sheets for what they call a Universal V birth. Does that really work? I've seen other companies with sheets that are made for a V Birth. How well do those work?