Still trying to figure out the best sleeping solution for myself 6'1 (190lbs) my wife 5'4 (110lbs) and my 4 year old son. Has anyone made the super dinette bed on a new design? I know that was common on the pre 85 boats. We tried the v berth and moved the portable toilet into the walkway but getting in and out and also with the reduced headroom of adding memory foam on top of the v berth cushions made it rough. The dinette works for the wife and son and I've tried the starboard berth but it would be nice if I could build a removable setup to combine the two and sleep port to starboard allowing the v berth to be storage and access to toilet. Best solution so far is sleeping alone on the boat
morbidgollower:
Pre "New Design" boats generally had a "Sliding Galley". On my first Catalina 22, that galley was never, ever, slid back under the starboard cockpit seat. It was a fixed part of the boat and I routinely cooked complex meals both while single handed in heavy weather and, for guests while under way. It helped that I had pedestal steering with a brake as back then, "tiller" sailors to my knowledge, did not have the great options of tiller control that we have today. The "New Design" and "Mark II" both miss the mark of having the galley (especially the stove, not the sink) easily accessible from the cockpit. But, that shortcoming gives us the benefit of having an extra berth that early Catalina 22 owners were reluctant to use. I think you have a lot of flexibility to pick and choose exactly who, will sleep where. I don't think it's a good idea to move the porta potti to the middle of the cabin. That's simply part of the life on a sailboat. If someone needs to answer the call of nature, the person or persons, in the V need to accommodate. Sailing, especially on a trailer-able boat, has always been and should continue to be, an adventure. I carry some fantastic memories of sailing from my teenage years and on. But, the best memories I have are sailing with my young family, working out the details of who, sleeps where and then, waking (or, being woken up) in the middle of the night to make a new plan. Thank you morbidgollower, for bringing back so many great memories....
George