What's in your mattress?

[Phil Herring]

Sailboat bedding can range from the cheapest of cheap open cell foam to high-end memory foam, Latex, and all the inner-springs in between.

What are you sleeping on and what do you recommend to owners trying wrangle a better snooze?

 

[pateco]

Currently open cell poly foam, but If I upgrade it will be Latex foam for the bedding.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

6 inch open cell, medium weight foam

 

[SG]

We have some memory foam mattresses "on land". Plus some memory foam pillows.
The short story, for me:

• The memory foam's "settle down" notion of them makes moving around in the bed a pain. You have a "hole" that you tend to roll back into if you shift, or (as on a sailboat) are shifted around. Until you hold yourself in position, you tend to roll back into the hole. If you're an astronaut or fighter pilot that is concerned with 7G forces, you really need the conforming "hole" for your body. Otherwise...
• I don't think they really would be good in a moist or wet environment.
• If you want to stand or sit on memory foam, or perform any conventional "athletic" bedtime activities on them -- the memory foam is not as stable a base. (If you need help with this concept, please email me offline. ;^))) )
• They are relatively VERY expensive!
• I'd get a conventional closed cell foam mattress (or event one with springs and foam, if you must).

I know people on "land" that seem to love these mattresses. The above is my take on them. Others apparently "love" them -- or can't bear to admit that they spent a whole bunch for something they weren't really happy with :^))).

 

[31seahorse]

Whenever possible Eileen says, "Lock the boat. Drive home. Sleep in a real bed."

 

[FastOlson]

We bought our '88 boat in '94. The factory density foam was 1) flat, and 2) full of mold. (It had been used hard in a sailing club)
Laundered the covers 3 times and saved them, albeit with new zipper pulls.
An experienced (many decades...) upholsterer restuffed the covers with new 24# foam, wrapped with dacron batting.
He estimated that the original density foam, as it was for nearly all production boats, was 16 or 18#.

We spend 2 weeks to over a month overnighting every year, since then.
They still sit and sleep without bottoming (pun alert) out.
The higher density foam costs a bit more but it's worth it, overwhelmingly.

Worth mentioning is that all of the sleeping surfaces in our model boat fit a 6' 2" person with room to spare.

 

[Sumner]

3" Lux High Quality firm foam .................

http://www.foamdistributing.com/LHQ/lux-high-quality-foam.html

.... good prices, great foam selection and free shipping.

Topped with ....

.... good quality 2" memory foam also from the same place ....

http://www.foamdistributing.com/V_5/5lb-memory-foam-topper.html

We sleep on the boat for months at a time and this combo has been great. We both actually sleep better on the boats than at home. Have the same on the Mac without the topper. Use the same topper at home on a good memory foam mattress.

More here....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/canvas-index.html

Sumner
=========================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[capta]

On this boat we have some kind of actual queen size mattress custom built for the boat according to the PO, @ around $900.00. It has a cut on the underside, so that it can be easily folded in half to get at the locker underneath, but there is no loss of support @ this seam.
My last boat had 3, 6" foam sections to fit the forepeak, and it was very, very comfortable, though the seam in the middle had a bit less support. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to foam on this boat, but I would stick with a standard mattress size if at all possible, to simplify buying sheets, etc.

 

[Gunni]

A custom inner-spring folding boat mattress bequeathed to me by the previous owner. He likely paid a king’s ransom for the thing. It is more comfortable than the massive pillow-top mattress that we have at home!

 

[Will Gilmore]

The memory foam's "settle down" notion of them makes moving around in the bed a pain. You have a "hole" that you tend to roll back into if you shift,

After doing some research for a topper for our bed at home. I've heard the same criticism before. The answer is to not get more than 2" memory foam to top your mattress. One of the things I don't like about our memory foam toppers is that on very cold Winter days with enough wind to effect my bedroom temperature, the memory foam gets pretty hard and it takes time to warm up and soften under me.

As a kid, I spent years sleeping on standard 3" HD foam covered by vinyl. It got kind of slick with sweat on Florida Summer nights. I didn't really think about it at the time, but not again.

My plan for Dragonfly is to make a mattress out of 3/4" closed cell foam top and bottom and put a thin air mattress in the middle, inflated to comfort. Then, maybe, a little memory foam on top. Without the memory foam, it would be 4" thick.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[SG]

My plan for Dragonfly is to make a mattress out of 3/4" closed cell foam top and bottom and put a thin air mattress in the middle, inflated to comfort. Then, maybe, a little memory foam on top. Without the memory foam, it would be 4" thick.

Watch the condensation, Will. Also, I'm not sure where you mattress is (like a V-Berth with a hatch above); but, be careful if you have to stand on the mattress. I'm not sure what the air mattress really does for you, the pressure variation from cool to hot is one issue, and why add that complexity? Just to save space if you want to deflate it (intentionally ;^)))) ).

 

[Doug4bass]

Springs ........and a Tufted Topper......on top. Zzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Will Gilmore]

Watch the condensation, Will. Also, I'm not sure where you mattress is (like a V-Berth with a hatch above); but, be careful if you have to stand on the mattress.

Mariner 19 V berth. There's no standing on it, only crawling. I want to glue the closed cell foam together like a box around the air bladder.
Same idea for the cockpit cushions sans air bladder.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Ken Cross]

We have what I suspect is the original factory foam. We added a 1.5-inch queen size memory foam topper from a department store. It works great until you pull the bedding all off. It's really difficult to crawl around on to replace the bedding. This is in our aft berth with not much headroom.
Ken

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

I would recommend to those who say “closed cell” — reconsider or do more research. Open cell foam is more comfortable.

PS- I’d use closed cell outside, but not inside (unless it was for someone with a bed wetting problem).

 

[SG]

I would recommend to those who say “closed cell” — reconsider or do more research. Open cell foam is more comfortable.

PS- I’d use closed cell outside, but not inside (unless it was for someone with a bed wetting problem).

You really need to find some you call recline upon. I think it's tricky to pick out a foam without really trying it.

 

[Jacktar]

I prefer blondes in the 120 wt range and 30 year range over foam.

 

[NotCook]

It is more comfortable than the massive pillow-top mattress that we have at home!

We added a “3” memory foam topper to the existing queen size hard foam “mattress” that was on our boat when we bought it. It is wonderful! We like it so much, we bought another one for the house, then another for the forecastle. We really get a good nights sleep in the memory foam. Worth every penny!

 

[Gunni]

Everytime I have slept on memory foam I have awakened from dreams of drowning. I think I’m too heavy for the stuff, it swallows me and I am taken to a out-of-air nightmare kicking to the surface. Stuffed a very pricy memory foam topper into the dumpster when I bought our boat. Not sure why they cost so much.

 

[jssailem]

I thought Yachtsman did not tell what was in or on their mattress.
Some sort of Bushido code.