(Previous thread http://www.tophatyachts.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1562)
I bought a full sheet of 100mm thick 29-200 foam, 2100mm x 1895mm from Clarke Rubber for $385. This grade of foam [29-200] is heavy duty and somewhat firm. I was initially worried that I was spending a bucket of money and it may not work out. I was not sure if I could cut it neatly enough, I wondered if it was thick enough, I was concerned that it would turn out uncomfortable and hard to handle with using the portapotti underneath.
To cut the foam, I bought a cheap electric carving knife from Target. That meant I could work out exactly how I wanted the sheet to be cut and didn't have to pay extra for someone else to cut it. Worked well. It saved me some dollars and I can now easily carve those roasts I cook up that are as tough as old boots.
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Pondered on what shapes to cut. The shape I did means when I use the portapotti under the v-berth, I simply fold back my sheets/blanket onto the most bow-forward cushion then toss forward the two cushions to uncover the potti. This means I can easily re-make the bed by unfolding the sheets back onto the cushions when back in place. I found that way easier than the old layout with two long cushions that went all the way down.
I had worried that I would be sleeping across a join in two of the cushions and be uncomfortable but that has not happened.
The cushions are best covered so I sewed some up out of unbleached calico I bought on special from Spotlight. Also, I had a go at making fitted covers from an old sheet and lined them with an old mattress protector. Didn't have enough material for fitted covers for the third cushion in the set. The covers were an experiment as I am learning to sew and want to make my mistakes on cheap material. That has given me confidence to make more and using them has shown me they are needed.
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I have spent the equivalent of two weeks sleeping on the new cushions and even though much thinner than the original cushions, I have slept better and more comfortably. Being thinner, they are also easier to move around. The covers I made are working and useful, such as when saltwater spray blew in through my open hatch wetting the cover but not the cushion. Overall, this has been an experiment which is working out really well.
troppo