Making A Mattress

[Paul Elliott]

I made a topper for an existing mattress using a layer of memory foam under a layer of latex foam. This was an experiment of sorts -- neither the memory or the latex foam pad was adequate by itself, so I layered them and it feels pretty good. I cut the pads with a sharp kitchen knife. The cut was a bit ragged (an electric carving knife would probably have worked better), but it was good enough since am stuffing it inside a duvet cover anyway.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Actually, we've dealt with the moisture problem differently. At first we used sea grass doormats for the air spacer, but Jim didn't like the smell. So, what we did next, was to get a 10 mm (3/8") closed cell foam double size camping mat. Now that is the bottom layer, and no more trouble with mildew. It has been satisfactory for us.

With our complaining about the foam quality, it may be a supply issue here in Oz, limited availability of products due to lower population density. Oz passed a law about 20 years back, that had to do with making the foam fireproof, and the longevity of the foam diminished considerably. C'est la vie.

Ann

We used the closed cell camp pads in our old boat. The high density kept us from bottoming out. I never realized it was helping with moisture too. Cool!

[UNCIVILIZED]

Ann T. Cate kind of mentioned this. Which is that putting a backpacker's foam mattress underneath of bunk cushions can be helpful. Though my take on it isn't ventilation oriented, but more towards that of preventing a sleeper from bottoming out due to soft foam. And having a miserable night discerning every elevated line of wood grain in the bunktop, through their mattress.

It's a cheap, if temporary fix. But one that works well. And it lets you have softer cushions in places where folks rarely sleep. The catch being that camp mattress foams are 100% non-breathable. So all of the moisture in the bunk needs to have another way out other than through the mattress.

[GILow]

As a person who loves IKEA stuff, I was thrilled to discover that not only were their mattress prices half of what I would have paid for just the foam, but they also sell the timber slats to go under the mattress. These slats are presprung and adjustable so you can get all the contours you need in the right places with very little effort. Their arch also creates a good air gap under the mattress. I combined this with a generous application of a hole-saw in the settee base boards to get very good ventilation for a very good price and not a heck of a lot of labour.


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[JPA Cate]

[QUOTE]Ann T. Cate kind of mentioned this. Which is that putting a backpacker's foam mattress underneath of bunk cushions can be helpful. Though my take on it isn't ventilation oriented[

Quite right, not ventilative, but don't get mildew on the underside of the cover, either. And it was very inexpensive. Our guest cabin is set up the same way. 4" firm foam in the middle, thin backpacker pad on the bottom, and a breathing cover over all. The master cabin double also has a topper on it.

Let's hear it for regular size sheets fitting one's boat berths. I really got tired of making fitted bottom sheets for triangular v- berths. Flat-felled seams to go around corners are a pita, imho.

And, yes, Uncivilized, we do use a lot of slang these days, and it is different from in years passed, but we used a lot of slang all along: language evolves.....

[SM6WET]

Originally Posted by scarlet

When I was at the Annapolis boat show, I talked to a couple of vendors who sold really good marine mattresses (which could be customized). To say the prices were completely ridiculous is an understatement.

As I looked at the cross section of the mattresses, Most of them seemed like they were just foam, of different density and softness, layered on top of each other. Then, of course, they were covered. Foam is relatively cheap.. So, couldn't you just buy the foam, and cover it?

Anyone do this?

For some reason, foam is really expensive in USA and in north america over all. I dont understand why.
In the company I work we recently established a factory using a lot of phone in one of the southern states. We first had a supplier of foam in Mexico because the US foam was too expensive (this is just regular polyester). Believe it or not but it is actually cheaper for us to buy the polyester foam pre-cut to the right mattress size and ship it in containers from Sweden across the atlantic then to buy from a local supplier about 1h drive away.

[senormechanico]

I hate it when politics gets in the way of free markets.

[wsmurdoch]

I have gotten the angles on the edges of the vee berth foam right this way:

1. Tape together heavy kraft paper to make a pattern the size of the bottom of the vee berth. Trim the paper to match the bottom of the vee berth. Leave the pattern in place on the vee berth.
2. Stack up a couple of books the height of the intended foam with a 1 foot ruler on top of the books.
3. Move the books and ruler around the hull edges of the vee berth with the ruler perpendicular to the edges making a series of marks on the pattern one foot in from the hull at the top of the stack of books.
4. Trace the paper pattern on the bottom of the foam to outline the needed size on the bottom of the foam. Transfer the inside marks plus the one foot on the top of the foam, then connect the marks to outline the needed top dimensions.
5. Holding an electric carving knife vertically, cut the foam to the larger top dimension.
6. Turn the foam over and cut the foam along the smaller bottom dimension with the electric knife following edge of the already cut larger dimension and the drawn smaller dimension. This is easiest done with the foam edge hanging just over the edge of a table.

[scarlet]

None of the mattresses I saw at the boat show required slats underneath, and even in the boats that were there.. the mattresses were just on top of the flat berth. Is it possible that the "pre-made" mattresses don't require ventilation?

Also, couldn't you just get the same type of foam that they use in the commercially made mattresses? The cross sections I saw used 3 different types of foam.

And lastly... I experienced the difference between regular foam, and the cooling gel foam... HUGE difference in temperature. I'm going with the gel since we will be in the caribbean.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by scarlet

None of the mattresses I saw at the boat show required slats underneath, and even in the boats that were there.. the mattresses were just on top of the flat berth. Is it possible that the "pre-made" mattresses don't require ventilation?

I don't know about the concept of "required" in this context. Depends on where you sail.

We sail in temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius during the day, down to 20's at night. In those cases, a bit of ventilation under the mattress is a pretty good thing IMHO. The previous owner sailed up in the trade winds and never felt the need to add ventilation around the mattresses in 20 years aboard.

[SM6WET]

Be careful about the density choose if choosing gel. It is adaptable to temperature. A foam which feels very regular in room temperature will be very soft when it is warm. Then choose a harder one. But a hard one would be very hard when it is cool

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[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by scarlet

None of the mattresses I saw at the boat show required slats underneath, and even in the boats that were there.. the mattresses were just on top of the flat berth. Is it possible that the "pre-made" mattresses don't require ventilation?

Also, couldn't you just get the same type of foam that they use in the commercially made mattresses? The cross sections I saw used 3 different types of foam.

And lastly... I experienced the difference between regular foam, and the cooling gel foam... HUGE difference in temperature. I'm going with the gel since we will be in the caribbean.

scarlet, on ventilation, think about when you're on a date & you spend an hour or two making out in the car on a cool or cold day. And all of that moisture which makes things steamy (and more) has to be moved out of a bunk on a given night. Even when you & your partner are just taking a nap. Let alone if other heat generation happens in your bunk on a cold night
The link that I gave to wrwakefield/SV Denali Rose's blog is more than worth the time to read on this.

And, no, you don't need slats. However there's a reason so many boats have them, holes drilled in the bunktops, & or the Froli System, etc. Humans put out a lot of moisture, & it's better to plan for it in advance vs. once it's already a problem. It can ruin both mattresses & bedding pretty quickly. Besides, a dozen strips of cedar are cheap. As in less than the cost of dinner for 2 at McDonalds, so...

On foam, you probably can buy the stuff you're referring to. And if so, most of us would love the POC info/links to same. But it's also fairly easy to make your own "foam sandwich", comprised of foams of different densities. Either with or without gluing them together.

[sailorcherry]

I have had a good deal of experience with this! It's a major priority for me onboard.

The foam, different types and layers, never worked for my back.
Spring mattress with topper worked okay. Which is a tough project but can be cut to fit. Although, it got moldy fairly quickly (rust) so that lasted two years.

Now I have the best bed yet with the least amount of hassle and also looks the best. I researched quite it a lot and decided futon mattresses have come a long way. It is a coil futon mattress with topper. The other issue it mitigated was its ability to get below (despite a giant fwd hatch and companionway). It is shipped rolled up (partially deflated) so it can get down below! That's a big reason why mattresses are custom right?

I'm king at the bulkhead but taper to a double. So a double mattress and queen topper (use foam to fill the difference). Best mattress I have been on in years.

https://www.wayfair.com/Simmons-Futo...d=269232154772

[salty_dog_68]

My wife is a "hot sleeper" so the cool gel mattress is something I am very interested in. Does anyone know...would I be able to cut this mattress down to size??

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Modern-Sl...tress/41975150