Reconfiguring forepeak / eliminating V berth

higgs · Feb 17, 2014

If you ever have guests for an overnighter you are going to need that berth. With chart plotters and computers a nav station no longer needs much space. When you go to sell, getting rid of that v berth is going to hurt your resale value.

Old Skool Neil · Feb 17, 2014

For a different idea have a look at the Bristol Channel Cutter. It has a workbench and the head up there.

centerline · Feb 17, 2014

LawyerBob said:
Pondering if anyone has reconfigured their forepeak and got rid of the v berth? What odd you do up there? Any pics? My islander 28 has has two sette berths and a quarter berth. What is doesn't have is a nav station. Been pondering pulling out the v berth building a nav station and storage up there. I really don't see ever using the berth for sleeping, so it seems like a lot of wasted space.

Dumb idea?

"wasted space" on a sailboat??? any space available anywhere is a valuable storage area.

if the V-berth is not being used for storage, then you surely dont need a nav station cuz you are not out long enough or far away enough to need it... and with the points already made, coastal cruising is almost exclusively done using electronics.

if you had the boat loaded full of provisions and gear, and the V-berth was stuffed with extra sails and equipment for a long passage, then I would say a nav station could be handy to hold your charts, but then at this point you dont have room for the nav station. so the dinette will have to do.

put up some lee cloths or lee boards in the V-berth area so stuff will stay put and load any extra gear in there... but make them removable so if you ever do need the extra berth space, it will be there.

personally, my idea of wasted space on a boat is "any space, over head, below foot or otherwise, that doesnt have something occupying it because the person in charge doesnt know how to manage and create from, all that is available".... but this only applies when more space is actually needed. just because the boat isnt visably stuffed to the gills, doesnt mean it has a lot of wasted space in it

all the obvious storage spaces get used up rather quickly, and then you gotta get creative if you dont want "stuff" invading your living space... you can put an impressive amount of stuff in a boat in a manner that is organized and secure, and still leave a reasonably comfortable amount of living space, but it takes creativity and determination to accomplish it.
once the system is in place, its very easy to manage and keep orderly.
some boat owners that have a good storage system DO have their boats stuffed to the gills, although it doesnt look like it... cuz they know how to do it to get the most out of it....

and its well worth the effort...

Eddie7045 · Feb 17, 2014

If you make any alteration you will need to leave

any bulkheads intact so that you maintain structural integrity. Also I would make any changes in such a way that you could easily bring it back to the original configuration if needed, say, in the event of resale.

rgranger · Feb 18, 2014

A nav station that far away from the cockpit might not be that useful. But you could always just take out the cushions access holes in the existing structures for locker space and hang cargo hamocks and the v-birth is instant storage mecca. Then if for some reason you wanted the v-birth back, just put the cushions back in and take out the cargo hammocks. Easy-peasy.

zeehag · Feb 18, 2014

if you truly feel like modifying it will work, try thinking about placing pullman berth in forepeak with an opposing nav station, or incorporating the two into one item for a slide out berth and nav station.....can make stowage below the berth and desk could have that nice lift up top for stowing nav implements inside.....

shemandr · Feb 18, 2014

I think a Nav station is a waste of space on the 30'ish boat. There's nothing wrong with the front of the boat being light in terms of sailing performance.
Pullman berths should make a comeback in that size boat. Very versatile. And, I'd way more like a work bench than a Nav station.

dscribner · Feb 18, 2014

I have an aversion to making changes that can't be undone. No tattoos on MY butt! That I can see anyway. What I would do is build some modular lockers that slip into place and screw down with a minimal number of screws. Keep the cushions under your guest bed. So, if Aunt Tillie finally overcomes her fear of water and wants to experience the mythical quiet anchorage, 10 minutes with your DeWalt and you're back in business.

Don

Stu Jackson · Feb 18, 2014

Why?

What would you use a (the) nav station on your boat for?

This is a real question, I'm not kidding.

We have a nice nav station on our boat, flat top. I have rarely, if ever, used it for its intended purpose. I keep 99% of my tools inside its opening lid, which makes them remarkably handy. I used a kitchen utensil separator and some plastic storage bins, plus a wire hatch holder to keep the lid up.

If I want or need to spread a chart out, and we do use them, I use the much larger saloon table.

Just wondering what your need is.

kito · Feb 18, 2014

I am redesigning the nav station on my H30. Basically taking out the huge nav table and putting in a hinged table large enough for a lap top. If I do use charts, the dining table will work just fine. I guess transfoming the v-berth into something else makes sense if it's not large enought to actually sleep comfortably.

Benny17441 · Feb 18, 2014

The best use for the V-Berth if not used for sleeping is to convert it into a storage area. A hanging locker and shelves will go a long ways to store things and keep the rest of the cabin clean. Our Nav station has always been the dinning table where we can spread out a chart and work on it while having a cup of coffee. The named Navigation station for the boat is utterly inadequate for that purpose but makes a nice end table with storage in it. Even the intended way that you are supposed to sit on it is quite ackward. All the electronics that we have we need them in the cockpit and not inside the cabin. So I would vote for a storage area.

Jackdaw · Feb 18, 2014

Replacing the only place a couple can sleep on a boat will greatly affect its value. I agree that most 28 footers are day sailed, and rarely slept on. But think of the next owner. Sailboats are aspirational purchases. Even if the next owner NEVER slept out with his/her significant other, the fact that they COULD is important. Removing that option removes part of the dream.

Plus Islanders have such nice woodwork downstairs.

Barnacle Bill · Feb 18, 2014

The shelf across from the head on an Islander 28 is considered to be the chart table albeit too small. But, with the use of today's GPS and chart plotters, nav stations are not so important anymore. Or you can use the fold away table in the main cabin as a nav station. If you bastardize the forepeak you will have a hard time selling the boat because that is one of the most used berths on a boat that size usually.

just lucky · Feb 19, 2014

I think shelves and general storage is the best use of most v births, never been much of a cave dweller I guess, we have a full queen size bed, our heads against the port side with sliding panels under a soft folding mattress that rests in a slot on the starboard berth. on that berth we have a table for two that could accommodate two more if we pull the bed out a bit from its lounging position. presently in the process of extending the width of the counter. the original is not very cruiser friendly.

Tim D. · Feb 19, 2014

Bob, I just reconfigured my Ariel though there still is enough room up there to throw a pad and sleep. I use the quaterberths for sleeping. The Vberth area has the MSD and cold storage as well as the volume of open storage and a few shelves.

Because the Ariel is so small my Nav station is just a small shelf in the main cabin

capta · Feb 21, 2014

About all anyone could do in a forward cabin is sleep, in anything but the mildest conditions, offshore. I doubt seriously that you could actually sit up there and do navigation without strapping yourself in pretty securely. The whole reason most nav stations are near the companionway is to facilitate communication between the navigator and the helmsman, so putting it forward would not be particularly useful.
An office or as mentioned storage, for a full time liveaboard, might not be out of the question, but again, it wouldn't be much use underway.
I wholeheartedly agree that removing the V-berth would seriously devalue the boat.

just lucky · Feb 21, 2014

Capta, on a 30 ft or smaller sail boat you need to be a contortionist, cave dweller, and have much forgiveness from the first mate if you think your sleeping in the v birth.....together.