V-Berth cushion

down stream

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
23
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
USFMLT2707F2
Vessel Name
Down Stream
We have just spent our first night out on out R25SC
Can anyone tell me if the cushion that sets below , the one that slides forward and back comes out and fits in the open space to complete the V-Berth or is it just a seat?
If it does come out what is the secret to removing it. (HELP)
Thanks
Down Stream
Gig Harbor, WA
 
Hmmm, never had a problem with it and I cannot picture what you are doing... Let me go look... Back in a second..

OK, you owe me big time for this as I had to remove the memory foam mattress to get to the factory cushions... I never had the one cushion down below so I had to look at it... There are two removable center cushions... Remove the top one and then the lower one will tilt up on one end to come up and out.... Then both can be put up top to fill in the center of the vee berth... I "assume" (that word) the 25 SC is built the same up front as my 25 Classic...
 
Make sure you put the smaller cushion forward and the larger cushion aft. On ours the smaller cushion tends to fall out when placed aft.
 
Thanks for the information, I am on my way back down to the harbor this morning to try this again.

Jim
 
I want to emphasize the previous post about installing the 2 cushions in proper order. The cushions have slight difference in width and I had an early painfull expereince when I stood on the rear cushion (which should have been placed in middle of berth). It appears the berth is designed with serval options to allow a step, seat, or storage depending on how you use the cushions
 
Pain is the Almighty's way of reassuring you that you are still OK... Dumb, but OK...



(the devil made me do it)
 
On the subject of the V-berth in a R25, let's talk a little about comfort. My wife and I (right around the magic age of late 50s to early 60s that so many folks are when they move to a Ranger) could not sleep on the standard V-berth cushions without tossing and turning due to aches in the hips and shoulders. There have been other posts about this, I recall Denny-o including the need for softer cushions in his list of improvements he offered to the Ranger factory...

My second day on the Ranger brought to Wally-world to buy a 1 and 3/4" king size piece of memory foam for about $80 which helped very little. I headed to my local upholstery & custom bedding shop (Nix Upholstery in Sanford, FL) for advice. They explained that memory foam compresses to almost nothing; its designed to nestle you in a womb-like state not "support" you. I made a template of all my V-berth cushions and they started work on making a 2 (like half-moons) covers to enclose a medium weight 2" piece of foam. Before they finished, we tried the foam and still had sore hips. Nix then added a one inch topper of soft foam, and that did the trick.

When you contemplate this (as sooner or later you must) you'll worry about head room as you sleep with your head under the back of the dashboards behind the AM/FM radio and the helm. Even getting up frequently in the night to visit the head (ahhhrgg, getting old is such a drag) I never once clobbered myself at 6'2." It is a little claustrophobic with a thicker pillow, but its worth it.

Next step was to buy king size flat sheets from Macy's. No one else sells them separately, you usually have to buy a fitted sheet and flat sheet together! Being unfamiliar with sheet buying (male, I guess) I was shocked to find out a single, mid-quality sheet cost about $60! I bought four and Nix made 2 fitted sheets for the entire assembly and 2 V-shapped flat sheets to go on top. This provided spares. I think I might, next time, get separate sheet setups for each moon shaped section so that my buddy (he prefers to sleep in the cave rather than with me in the V-berth-get a load of that! Some nonsense about snoring or whatever!) is with me he can drag one assembly into the cave as those cushions are just as hard as the V-berth. I'll pull out the Walmart plastic storage drawer sets and just stick them in the empty side of the V-berth.

I think Nix kept a pattern of my V-berth cushions. If you draw one yourself around your cushions, remember they nestle UNDER the cushioned side panels (BTW the bolsters are easily removable, just yank straight up). So the covered cushion(s) you have made need to be reduced 2.5 inches on both sides to fit AGAINST the bolsters. I'll try to post pictures in future of this solution to the factory standard very well made with excellent fabric cushions which are just too d__n hard.

Afterthought: If you involve an upholstery/sewing outfit, get them to reduce all your factory supplied curtains (except for the front two opening large side windows) by taking 2.5 inches off the bottom to neaten them up. All the curtains are one size, even though the windows are not. Don't forget the curtain in the bath, like I almost did... This is a huge improvement.

AfterAfterthought: The very nice cushion that you find in the cave to set on the dining table to make a berth is huge. It won't fit in a 30 ga trashbag without folding, and it takes up an entire dock box when you want to leave it behind. My house is in Mass and the boat is in FL so storage is a problem. Solution-Nix cut the thing in half, sewed on some nice fabric to make a hinge (which is concealed when the thing is opened) and now it fits in lots of places around the boat.
 
We concur... it takes at least 3 inches of foam to make a comfortable bed. We purchased a queen mattress from IKEA, took the foam out of the zippered cover, cut the foam with an electric knife, and reinserted it into the zippered cover. As far as sheets, we really like the Travasak that is cut to fit a v-berth. It has sheets that attach via velcro to the inside of the sleeping bag... easy to remove and launder. Our R21EC has a narrower berth than the R25, so it would be good to hear from others about the adequacy of the Travasak for the larger berth.

Texas Steve
 
We use the v-berth model Travasak in our R25, over a custom cut piece of memory foam. It's great. It fills the entire berth area and is quite comfortable for the two of us. The sheets are easy to take out and put in, so laundering is no problem. Another feature of the Travasak is the choice of thickness depending on the season. Just flip it over for more or less warmth.

Prior to boating, we had a standard Travasak for many years of tent, cabin, and yurt camping. It continues to hold up fine.

Cheers,

Bruce
 
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