Factory V-Berth not level in 1984 C30?

[patrickkidd]

Hi there!

Is it just me or is the bow end of the v-berth higher than the aft end? It seems like the factory molding is a couple of inches higher on the bow end, although I don't have a level to check.

I am asking because the PO added some slats and plywood, I think to fight moisture. It would be nice to remove them now and regain some inches now that I have the froli system.

Thanks!

 

[The Garbone]

Yup, I think there may be slight differences from boat to boat but on our 78 it feels bow high. I may just get a few hundred feet of chain in the anchor locker and all will be good.]

 

[Launchpad McQ]

Finally! Someone else notices! Patrick you have no idea how much thought I've put into this. I average about 10 nights/month sleeping in the V-berth on my 1979 Cat-30. I assumed that since nobody else made mention of the issue, my boat was unique. At first I remedied the "bow high" condition by sleeping with my head at the bow so I wouldn't wake up with a headache. I wasn't thrilled with the solution because I didn't like sleeping with my head in the 1' wide area at the bow and also I routinely woke up having slid down the v-berth during the night to find my feet dangling over the edge.

After about 6 months, I finally decided to bite the bullet and replace the moldy, smelly, v-berth foam I had been sleeping on and decided it was an opportune time to fix the slope. My original idea was to purchase a 10-12" thick memory foam mattress and "shave it down" towards the bow thereby leveling the sleeping surface. I quickly realized that shaving down memory foam wasn't really possible. I found some wedge shaped memory foam mattresses for sale online (marketed to help alleviate acid reflux symptoms) but I couldn't find one large enough for our unique v-berth dimensions (82" wide at the 'head'). After that plan fell though, I even considered purchasing some Ikea bed frame wooden "slats" to raise the head. Unfortunately none of these solutions seemed affordable, or even effective.

After many more poor nights of sleep, I noticed that not only was my v-berth not level, my boat was listing slightly towards the stern when looking at the boot stripe just above the waterline. After a little more online sleuthing, I realized my boat didn't possess the optional 25 gallon ($349) water tank under the v-berth. Without the additional 208 lbs of a full water tank, and a small danforth anchor in the bow locker, the boat was noticeably tilted. My solution was to buy a bunch of 60 lb sandbags from Home Depot and place them in the sail locker under the v-berth. Total cost...$13.

P.S. I'll be interested to hear about your experience with the Froli system.

 

[mortyd]

years ago practical sailor said the froli was the least expensive and best soiultion to softening hard surfaces like our v berth. happily, they were quite correct.

 

[patrickkidd]

Finally! Someone else notices! Patrick you have no idea how much thought I've put into this. I average about 10 nights/month sleeping in the V-berth on my 1979 Cat-30. I assumed that since nobody else made mention of the issue, my boat was unique. At first I remedied the "bow high" condition by sleeping with my head at the bow so I wouldn't wake up with a headache. I wasn't thrilled with the solution because I didn't like sleeping with my head in the 1' wide area at the bow and also I routinely woke up having slid down the v-berth during the night to find my feet dangling over the edge.

After about 6 months, I finally decided to bite the bullet and replace the moldy, smelly, v-berth foam I had been sleeping on and decided it was an opportune time to fix the slope. My original idea was to purchase a 10-12" thick memory foam mattress and "shave it down" towards the bow thereby leveling the sleeping surface. I quickly realized that shaving down memory foam wasn't really possible. I found some wedge shaped memory foam mattresses for sale online (marketed to help alleviate acid reflux symptoms) but I couldn't find one large enough for our unique v-berth dimensions (82" wide at the 'head'). After that plan fell though, I even considered purchasing some Ikea bed frame wooden "slats" to raise the head. Unfortunately none of these solutions seemed affordable, or even effective.

After many more poor nights of sleep, I noticed that not only was my v-berth not level, my boat was listing slightly towards the stern when looking at the boot stripe just above the waterline. After a little more online sleuthing, I realized my boat didn't possess the optional 25 gallon ($349) water tank under the v-berth. Without the additional 208 lbs of a full water tank, and a small danforth anchor in the bow locker, the boat was noticeably tilted. My solution was to buy a bunch of 60 lb sandbags from Home Depot and place them in the sail locker under the v-berth. Total cost...$13.
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P.S. I'll be interested to hear about your experience with the Froli system.

The froli system has been absolutely fantastic. I also have a 1 inch memory foam one layer on top of my stock Catalina cushions. Those two combined make one of the most comfortable bed so I've had in a long time. However this could be because the hardness is exactly what I was looking for. Your mileage may vary