Sail camping

[Gobsmacked]

We have an Ericson 29 cruising boat on Lake Ontario, but we also bought a Buccaneer 18 to trailer back to Fort Myers, Fl., where we spend about seven months each year. It should be perfect for the shallow bays on Florida's west coast and Florida Bay off Flamingo.
Has anyone made a folding berth to use this boat as a camper for two or three day trips? I'd mostly be single-handing on those jaunts, so a single berth would be plenty.
The boat came with a neat boom tent with 5-foot-6 headroom. It's a later model Buccaneer with a cockpit that is open all the way to the transom, rather than the earlier models that had a two-foot rear deck.
My inclination is to use 1/2 inch ply to make a hinged berth that would run from the bulkhead at the forward end of the cockpit back about 6-feet-6 on one side of the boat, but I could also see making a berth with the foot end against the transom.
Thanks for any ideas, especially from people who have done this with similar-sized boats..

 

[Daydreamer]

I once saw a setup where stow-able panels were placed across the cockpit benches to make one large berth for fair weather sleeping. Might be in the "Low Buck Projects" thread on sailnet.
Camping mats or an air mattress should be quite comfy while anchored out.
Show us what you come up with!

 

[Kings Gambit]

We have an Ericson 29 cruising boat on Lake Ontario, but we also bought a Buccaneer 18 to trailer back to Fort Myers, Fl., where we spend about seven months each year. It should be perfect for the shallow bays on Florida's west coast and Florida Bay off Flamingo. Thanks for any ideas, especially from people who have done this with similar-sized boats..

I can only tell you that neither a 20-ft Grady White w/cuddy cabin (Overnighter) nor even a Paceship 23 was comfortable enough for my wife and me to spend more than one night (TOTAL) anchored out around Tampa Bay. So, if you're over 18-yr old, I'd reconsider that idea; I'd doubt that it would be "perfect."

 

[ggrizzard]

Gobsmacked , I used to berth in Gulfport, west of the bay.
Outside sleeping=bites from mosquitos built by Boeing and no-see-ums sent from Hell!
Its worse on the bay.

 

[rgranger]

Come on guys... Gobsmacked asked a very reasonable question in the

TRAILER SAILOR forum and got poo pooed by a guy sailing a 40.5, a 38 and a 30.

Those are NOT trailer sailboats. We trailer sailors take our small boats to new places, sail the hell out of them, yes we sleep on our boats. I've taken a Mac 22 all up and down the Virginia and North Carolina coast and I've slept in the cockpit during thunderstorms more than once.

Now back to Gobsmacke's question. You can build a grate that fits in the floor of your cockpit.... and using dog ears, you can then bring the grate up and fit it across the foot well to make a nice sized flat area in the cockpit for sleeping. I've also used a boom tent over the cockpit... I have a picture if you want one.

A citronella candle helps a lot with the bugs but those little clip-on things that OFF sells work very well also..

Fair winds,

r

 

[Chenega]

I've done a lot of sailing over the years various size boats big and small - but the most exciting sailing and exploring was in small boats exploring the coast of BC, Alaska, Baja, Maine and New England. So much is missed in big boats... You need to try it!

 

[shemandr]

We've done something similar

on two boats. A Mark 25 and Ranger 29. We cut plywood to fit across the cabin from settee to settee. A strip of Mahogany screwed into the liner on each side held the board up. We cut foam to fit and viola, we had a queen sized berth sleeping across the cabin well. If we did it again, we might put a piano hinge in the middle of the plywood to allow it to fold for easier stowage.
It's maybe a bit more difficult in the cockpit but shouldn't be too hard. Stowage of the foam might be a problem. Unlike the plywood, it takes up some room.

 

[watercolors II]

Photos

Please post some birds eye views of your boat with a couple measurements, I have made many mods to my boat for comfort and have built many custom vans back in the 70’s for camping and partying.

 

[Terry in Naples]

I sail this area and would reinforce the warning about mosquitoes in Florida Bay around Flamingo. When we anchor in shark river (kind of a halfway point between Naples and Marathon) we arrive before dark. We then shut ourselves below and block off all access to mosquitoes. Even stuff paper towels in the hatch boards and any small hole or crack. We use candles, spray and voodoo if we think of it. They are fierce at times and always can find their way in. I,shudder to think of sleeping under a tarp with my head out. Up the coast along marco, naples, ft myers, sanibel and into charlotte harbor it has not been a big problem. But down in the Glades they will literally eat you alive at times. ( especially hot sticky summer nights) oh yea, wife says don,'t forget "no seeums'

 

[rgranger]

Please post some birds eye views of your boat with a couple measurements, I have made many mods to my boat for comfort and have built many custom vans back in the 70’s for camping and partying.

Okay

keep an eye out for them. I took some and my phone is telling me that "file exceeds message size"... so I may need to go take them again. Not sure why my phone is telling me that.

 

[thinwater]

I once sailed around Assagteague Island on a beach cat (3 days). I used a tent and just hauled the boat out of the water. Honestly, after a day on the water I wanted to be on shore. Yes, there were monstrous mosquitoes certain places, but the tent was tight, DEET works, and sometimes I just moved on.

Really, overnighting was more pleasant when I moved up to a trailer boat (Stiletto 27) that I could sleep on, if just to avoid the bugs at night. I still stopped at a lot of beaches. The beach cat (dingy) was a blast for day sailing, but not overnight.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

I try to go into the 10k islands every year (dec-march only). around dusk and dawn are the worst when the wind dies. but after that time, its delighful.

I have 2 of these type of nets.
http://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-9770-Travellers-Mosquito-Net/dp/B000ECO9GK

it goes over the bimini, and one for over the poptop.

doesn't stop sand fleas, but helps a lot! (you can spray it w/ deet)

1+ on the boards to span the cocpit. pics of you boat will help with suggestions.

chartplotter and good charts are a must, and watch the tides...

 

[rgranger]

I'm still having trouble getting those pictures off of my phone. I'll have to retake them all I'm afraid.

But in the meantime.... here is a picture of my boom tent. It is a two-part tent that I got from a military surplus store. The apex of the tent is snapped together over the boom. This pic was taken at Ocracoke Island.

I know there have been a lot of posts about mosquito netting designs. Mine have always failed at some point and the cabin fills with the little buggars... so I just use the netting like a big blanket and wrap myself in the netting and use it like a blanket. If it is hot out... I don't even use a sleeping bag, just the netting. I wear a baseball cap and the bill of the hat keeps the netting off of my face.

P.S., that was my previous boat (A Mac 22).

 

[rgranger]

Got it...

Here are the pictures of the cockpit grating. I zoomed in on the dog ears. You turn these in when you want the grating to sit on the cockpit sole and you turn the ears out when you want the grating to span the foot well of the cockpit.

This one came out of a Rhodes 22 that I'm fixing up. I plan to use this as a template and build my new one out of Trex.

 

[Sumner]

We wanted a cockpit bed for the Mac and ....

.... went with individual sections with cup holders on the two end ones.

...they store in a much smaller place and with numbers on them go into place in less than a minute.

... the dryfast cushions we cut and Ruth covered fill the cockpit. More on the bed platform and cushions here...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-index.html

...also have a bug cover that goes up quick. More on it here...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-index.html

Sumner

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[rgranger]

... as usual... Sumner kicks a$$ .....

:theman:

 

[shemandr]

Nice Work

Maybe you could set up the mainsheet to move it outboard to the stanchion to get it out of the way. You could put it on a snap shackle.
It's also nice that in a modification like this, there is stowage under the boards which can be useful on those under 30' boats.