Boat Mattress Problems
Over the last year with the boat being in the yard, with it being closed up for so long, with the leaks and humidity of not running the air conditioner, It just wasn’t getting good air circulation. The boat mattress was starting to smell a little bit musty. It was time to replace it and we considered all of our options. What we decided on ended up being a little unconventional for a boat and in the attached video we will show you our epic battle with the boat mattress.
Like most boats, the shape of the bunk is odd and would require a custom mattress if you wanted to have it look like it did from the factory. We decided when we bought the boat to replace the custom spring mattress with a foam mattress of a standard size. To do so, we had to cut the old mattress to create the angled pieces that go around the standard double mattress. The depth is a challenge in this bunk. It must be no taller than eight inches to still allow the cabinet doors around the bunk to open. Normally this is fine as the boats come with really thin 3-4″ thick cushions when you buy them but they are NOT comfortable for sleeping on regularly.
Boat Mattress Options
Now that it was time to look at mattress’s again, we had choices. They were
- Buy closed cell foam and sew a cover over it
- Buy a foam mattress and cut it to shape
- Buy a standard mattress and reconfigure to use it in that shape
- Buy a custom mattress that is made to the specifications you want.
Foam Boat Mattress
If you go to your local boat upholstery shop, they will cell you different cushion foam for your boat. This is what your settee cushions, cockpit cushions or seating is made of on most boats. It is often covered with a fabric that is suitable for where it will be. These can be Sunbrella or other outdoor UV resistant material. It can also be a fake leather looking material. Sailrite is one of those companies that sell a lot of material for sewing projects on boats and is a great resource for “how to” information on sewing. The challenge for us was that we didn’t want to have a boat mattress that was this thin (typically 3-4 inches thick).
Because we sleep on our boat all the time, the mattresses quickly flatten in the pressure points where your hips and shoulders touch the bed. Once these thin mattresses flatten and your body begins to make contact with the bed base, it is very uncomfortable.
Cutting a Foam Boat Mattress
The other option that we like is to buy a standard foam or latex mattress and cut it to the shape you need. Most of the time when you buy one of these latex mattresses or a foam mattress you can remove the outer cover. These are often zipped on, but even if sewn, you can cut along the edge to remove the outer cover. Some of these mattresses also come with multiple density layers of foam with the top layer being memory foam. This makes them very comfortable, but the height of the mattress will need to be considered.
The best way to cut these mattresses is with an electric kitchen knife for carving turkey, ham or filleting fish. They make the job easy and very neat leaving very few little foam mattress crumbs about.
Once it is cut to the shape needed, you can usually put the cover back over the mattress and just tuck the extra material of the sleeve under the mattress. Some ambitious folks will also sew the outer cover a bit tighter so that it fits taught over the mattress as well.
One word of caution when cutting a mattress with multiple layers. Often the layers are glued together along the edges and not over the entire surface so be prepared to glue the layers together for about the 4-6 inches along your newly cut section to extend the life of the mattress and keep it comfortable.
Using a Standard Bed as a Boat Mattress
If your bunk is a standard size or bigger than a standard size you also have the option of using a regular mattress. This reduces cost and makes it easier to install on the boat.
In most cases including ours, the bunks are not the standard shape of a regular mattress. When that is the case, you have some options. On our old boat, we just put small bins for storing clothes, sheet, and blankets along the angled exposed edge next to the mattress. When the bed was made the bedspread went right over those and made it look nice. Another option is to cut your old mattress to fill the gaps between the new mattress and the bunk shape. This way your pillows don’t push into that gap when you sleep. This is what we have done with our boat and it is a less expensive option.
We found a coil spring mattress that comes vacuum packed to be thin, then rolled up and packed into a small box no bigger than 10″ X 10″ by the width of the mattress. I would NOT recommend the coil springs because I think over time they will rust, however, the other non-spring mattresses are all great options. In the attached video, we show you the challenges we had with this darn thing.
Custom Boat Mattress
The other option is to have a custom mattress made. I have found places online that sell you the parts and you can make your own mattress but the options seemed a little bit limited so I didn’t consider this for us, however, it may be a great fit for others. The other option that I think many people are not aware of is the ability to find a local mattress maker and have one custom made.
When Deb and I lived in Kemah Texas, there was a place near us that did just this and there are many others if you do a bit of research. What was cool about this place called Alesi in San Leon Texas was the way you chose your material and mattress. If you were local you could go to their location and they had all the different layers of material and foam density on hand, as well as all the topper materials.
You would let them know what thickness you wanted and they would stack the different layers for you and you would lay on it to see if it was what you wanted. You could suggest softer or harder or more memory foam at the top layer and they would swap it out and let you try it. Once your selections were made, dimensions shared and where you wanted any splits to allow you to lift them up or get them on or off the boat, they were ready to make it for you. The would then custom make the mattress and you could either pick it up or they can deliver it. They even guarantee their work.
Good Boat Mattress = Happy Life Aboard
In the end, I hope this helps show the choices and methods you have for selecting a replacement mattress for your boat. I can assure you that a comfortable night of sleep is important for safe passage making. It also makes life better while on board at anchor or in a marina as well.