Sailboat Restoration with S/V Empress – Upgrading our V-Berth Mattress!
This article is all about our mission to get a good night’s sleep aboard on our liveaboard cruising sailboat, SV Empress, by replacing the thin old cushions with a king size, 10-inch thick luxury memory foam mattress from LULL.
At the end of this article, you can watch the video showing exactly how we did it!
Table of Contents
How to Upgrade the V-Berth Mattress to Memory Foam on a Sailboat:
1. Throw away the old v-berth cushions, it’s time for a new start!
2. Check access needed under and around the mattress
3. Measure the space – in detail!
4. Make a detailed drawing that someone other than you can understand!
5. Check boat access to get your mattress into the boat.
6. Go choose your new mattress.
7. Release the mattress and unfold it to full size.
8. Transfer your measurements and prepare to cut the mattress to size.
9. Cut the mattress!
10. Recover the mattress and pin/staple it tight. Wrestle with the mattress to fold it in half. Tie it tight.
11. Finally, squeeze the mattress back into the boat (using the plan you made!) and get it into the v-berth.
12. Add bedding and enjoy a great night’s sleep on your boat… as long as you took care of that anchor!
Here’s a little back story about our decision to upgrade the mattress on our sailboat:
If we only live on land then a proper bed frames and mattress is a must have (you can find suggestions and reviews over kach.howe@gtravelgurus.com
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Written by Kach Umandap
Founder of GTravel Gurus. Since 2013, Kach has visited all the 7 continents (including Antarctica) and 151 countries using her Philippines Passport. In 2016, she bought a sailboat and went on sailing adventures with her two cats - Captain Ahab & Little Zissou in the Caribbean for 2 years. She now lives in Herceg Novi, Montenegro where she's enjoying her expat life and living on a gorgeous Stonehouse. She writes about her experiences traveling as a Filipina traveler with a PHL Passport. Also tips on backpacking trips, luxury hotel experiences, product reviews, sailing & adventure travel.