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...