Sail Life - New mattress for the vberth, part 1
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- Опубліковано 16 лис 2024
- The old mattress in the v-berth aboard Obelix is the original mattress from 1973... yup, it's 42 years old! It's worn out and not at all comfortable to sleep on. It's got to go before I move aboard the boat :)
Sailrite video: • How to Make V-Berth Cu...
Link to the tarp I'm using: www.jemogfix.dk...
I am always impressed with your simple innovation solutions to real problems. Like placing your pencil against the mahogany slats in order to trace that guideline on the v-berth area in order to cut the plastic sheeting to the correct dimensions.
Hi Mads good luck on cutting the foam ! maybe you could sale the electric knife to someone like me that roast a lot of pork shoulders , sorry I already have one though LOL . Your boat is looking more awesome every time you do a project on it !!!! thumbs up !!
Hi Madz
I have not commented for some time - so thought I better do so now.
Keep up the good work.
Once you have the new mattress complete it will be a great conversational topic. Particularly with any young ladies - after all you cannot properly test out a new mattress on your own.
Norman Boyes Haha :) I've certainly missed you comments, Norman! Your sense of humor is awesome :) I'm afraid I'll remain single a while yet (unless I find a young lady that shares my twisted dream)
Mads, Here on the Chesapeake most of the custom foam/upholstery shops use a very tough vinyl material for the areas of a settee cushion or mattress that will be in contact with the wood supports. I suppose this accomplishes two goals; first, it is more durable than the more supple top fabric and second, it is water-proof. So, if there is any condensation then its not going to be absorbed by the fabric and then the foam. Might want to think about that for your mattress if you're not already too far along.
Greetings from Oregon!
I used an electric carving knife for cutting foam in my upholstery shop. Be very careful, as the blade(s) are free on the end, which can deflect easily. A regular foam cutter has a shoe type arrangement on the end of the blade, which prevents any deflection. Another good option is to use a band saw. If you have a nice woodworker friend with a band saw, a generous bribe of some cold brewskis could realize some good results. The table on the band saw can be tilted to whatever angle you need. That's going to be easier to do with a band saw.
Also, if you do use the carving knife, invest in a can of silicone spray. Lightly coat the blades, and they will slice much easier for you.
I haven't used a hot wire on foam rubber. Doug Jackson has been using one for sculpting styrofoam on SV Seeker. I believe he made his, and it looks pretty simple. I'm not sure what kind of edge you'd get, if it would be a hard skin on the cut area or not. A wire cutter could be set up on a flat table, with the wire suspended in a frame at the correct angle. It might be worth a try.
I highly recommend wrapping the foam in dacron. This gives it a nice loft, and protects the fabric from the abrasiveness of the foam. It comes in a roll, and just spray glue it on. Cut it over-size so you can cover the sides as well. Use a running mattress stitch on the sides to completely cover the foam. I use a 1 inch (sorry, I'm American, metric is a foreign language) and split it in half to get a nice 1/2 inch layer. Any irregularities in the corners of the cushion cover can be filled with scrap dacron, and an ice pick can be inserted through the cover and be used to manipulate the dacron around. The fabric will heal itself, unless it's vinyl of course!
To stuff your cover after you make it, use a really big plastic bag, shove the cushion inside, close the bag around the hose of your trusty vacuum and suck the air out, which will collapse the foam. Shove the thing into the cushion cover, and let the bag go. You'll then only need to pull the bag out, leaving the foam inside the cushion cover. You'll likely destroy the bag, but it works like a champ. If you spray the cushion with silicone spray, it makes it much easier to get the bag out. Be sure to use a fabric type silicone spray from a fabric store.
Transparent tarp! What a great find! I know what you mean about the temperatures inside a cramped space on a boat. I can't work on mine without a sweat band. Sweat running into the eyes while doing a fussy job is mucho frustrating.
NOT trying to delay you! But, you might think about using 2 layers of foam as we did on our boat. One high density (thin) and the second one on top of that. Makes for a more comfortable and longer lasting mattress. See youtube video on how we did it.
Love your channel, looking at doing this project myself also. Where is part 2? Would love to know how it worked out. Keep up the great work!
Look forward to seeing the process as it is one of the projects for me to do on Maverick!
Nice work mate - Waiting for part 2 :)
Nice Video Mads. I´ll upgrade my old mattress with a so called "Topper", made of memory foam. It´s 8cm of thickness.
These toppers are comming from the trendy boxspring matresses.
Keep up the good work. :)
Mads, check out a product called "Froli" they are a type of spring that will go under your mattress for more support, but more importantly they provide a much needed "Air Gap" to help fight condensation and mold. They are not very expensive, I do not have them yet, but a friend of mine uses them on his boat and they work great.
deltarat64 I've had a bit of a crush on that product for over six months now ;) Sadly it takes up more space than I'm willing to part with (3.3 cm). The new mattress is already 2 cm thicker than the old one + 1 or 2 cm for a "top mattress". Aboard my next boat I'll use Froli for sure! :)
***** I understand about the "headroom" , one thing he used his left over Froli springs for is to support his Settee cushions. Sure something to keep in mind.
Good luck on the move onboard.
Hi Madz,
Thank for the video and the information. I would still like to know about your wire crimping pliers and the wire striping pliers that you used in your previous video. Can you please tell what brand they are? We are about to start working on our boat and I like your pliers better than the pair that I have.
Keep up the great work!
Mike
Hi Mads.... as always I enjoy your uploads. In regards to a suitable mattress tester ? Some years ago someone did a survey and it turns out that Nurses make great sailing partners !!! I guess they already have great bedside manner and come in handy if you are a clutz (clumsy).
Just a thought that you might want to consider when cutting foam to get yourself a silicon lubricant spray to help the electric knife slice through and not heat up or tear the foam. I worked for a rubber and foam shop for a while and this is what we used to make a neat cut. You spray the blades and away you go. Hope it helps you. Also, I hope that you were able to get yourself high-density foam and the firmness hard, otherwise you will find it will break down quite fast. And if it is too hard then you add a latex overlay onto it to help with breathability and softness. Considering you have problems with your back it may help tremendously. I assume you would have already checked this out, but just in case I thought you might like to know. By the way, we love watching your youtubes. But it would be nice if you didn't swear in it, please. Overall keep up the good work and we look forward to more and more youtubes. :)
Hi Mads, where is part 2 of the video?
Genius! How long did it take you to figure out the hole in the plastic? You have a talent my friend. I recently saw someone on these channels use a hard plastic floor mat as a stand off under the cushions and mattress. This allows air circulation and prevents moisture and mildew.
Nice vid. Are you planning to use a mattress underlay (Hypervent/Froli etc) to combat moisture? If so, the thickness of whatever system you use can change the mattress shape quite a lot due to the taper on the V berth sides. Also, if the mattress is cut too close to the berth sides then arranging bed linens can become a problem.
Old Matelot Thanks :) I'm planning on experimenting with wooden slats under the mattress (more about that in a later video). If my measurements are correct adding that 1 cm (in height) will give me about a 5 mm gap on each side. I can live with that :) I prefer to be able to remove the slats if they have no effect and not have a mattress that is too big :) I would love to use something like Froli but 3.3 cm is too much. I've seen a lot of good reviews of the Froli system and aboard my next boat I'll give it a try for sure :) Space is at a very high premium in my tiny v-berth ;)
I had trouble with my knife. I didn't keep the foam pulled apart enough ruined the oscillation of the knife. If you keep the foam from pinching the knife. it should work good.
bigblockcutlass123 Thanks for the tip :) I should get around to cutting the foam either today or tomorrow :)
Covering up duct tape with duct tape. Bloody brilliant.
Du gör ett fint jobb. !!!
Not sure if it would work well on that kind of foam, but a hot wire works great on other foams. Just search youtube for hot wire foam cutting.
Tip! If you use nylon fabric you can "melt" the seams together. No sewing. Then turn it inside out. Okay, some sewing but just the zipper. Hiding ugly hand stitching under the zipper, no one will no, shshhhh
The Thing Or better yet, find a sewing club. You can "borrow" the ladies machines and perhaps find a boat crazy girl! :)
Have you tried out the material? I.e. put it on your bed at the house and attempt to get some sleep? Wouldn't want to put in all that work if the foam is not to your liking, also has Jökull approved it? :D
I agree. I would put a layer of memory foam on it.
Li Quorice I placed the foam on the floor and took a nap. It was perfectly fine :) Also I'll be adding another piece of thin foam on top (and sheets). Jökull prefers the cabin sole. It's the same here in the house (he prefers the floor). I bought a nice basket for him a few years back. He hardly ever uses it. I think it has to do with all that fur :)
Leo Crow Personly I'm not all that crazy about memory foam. I've been sleeping on foam mattresses the majority of my life. I did have a matress with memory foam for about two years. I acturally prefer plain old boring foam. The guy in the store surgested I go with the 12 cm thick foam. I've had a 10 cm thick foarm matress before (same density) and that was perfectly fine. So I opted to go with the 9 cm because I want to add a thin matress ontop (not inside the boxing). That way the matress will look as new when I need to sell the boat :) Plus there is another benefit but we'll get to that in one of the upcoming videos ;)
+Sail Life electric knife works really well for cleaning fish.
***** I agree.
I do not like how after an hour or so, if you sleep on your back and roll over, the pattern of you body in the other position remains for some time. This makes it feel uneven. I can tell where I was laying and where I was not laying, it feels unnatural. I like a foam mattress than if you roll over, it instantly resets to normal. Memory Foam does not do that.
There is also the sinking feeling when you first get on it or if you switch positions during the night. It is so noticeable to me, I put the cheap foam topper on top of the memory foam and added a quilt or two to counter that sensation.
Mads,
No memory foam or gel?
I use my electric knife to carve the turkey on Thanksgiving