Neither of these two bunk configurations appealed to me, so an alternate configuration was sort.
I decided that a double bunk running fore/aft was more suitable, however in order to have room to sit up in bead, the head of the bed would have to be forward, and the foot aft. This is less than desirable setup when sailing (head must always be aft), but upon thinking about it, the aft cabin would not be used during over night passage making anyway. The port saloon berth was the most suitable sea berth.
To make the double berth, much of the fiddle which had been put in place would need to be removed (and re-used later), and a platform built over what was previously standing area below the aft cabin hatch. Under the platform would be turned into the new storage area.
First step was to determine the actual bunk size. The bunk was not going to be a rectangle shape due to the curvature of the hull. The foot of one side would need to be cut away following the side of the hull. The head of the bunk is the standard width for a double bed, 1400mm, but was slightly shorter than a normal double bed at only 1770mm (normally 1830mm)
Making the Mattress
As the berth would hopefully be used for many nights, I wanted a firm mattress. It was off to Clarke Rubber who had a double mattress of medium density foam, which I tested on the shop floor, it felt perfect. Though the medium density foam is more expensive than the regular low density, the extra comfort will be worth the dollars.
Once back home, the job of cutting the mattress to size began. Having learnt the trick of cutting foam many years ago, this wasn't too much of a challenge. First step as the place the paper pattern on top of the foam, and tracing out the shape with a marking pen.
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| Marked out ready for cutting |
Next part is the "trick" cut along the pen line using an electric carving knife. The electric knife cuts the foam effortlessly, and gives a smooth straight finish.
The mattress came with a lightweight material cover, and while it is not high quality material, it will suffice as the initial cover. Using the paper pattern again, the shape was traced out, and material cut. A quick run along the cut edge with the sewing machine completed the cover.
Moving the Battery Switch
The platform which forms the top of the new storage enclosure needed to be built, however first, the original battery switch and power distribution point had to be moved. Part of the new compartment would be allocated for this purpose, with the new Battery switch mounted on the side of the compartment.
Moving the electrical panel to the side of the new storage switch involved the removing of the old setup, building the new storage compartment, then rebuilding the electrical panel. The original battery switch, while certainly capable of carrying large amount of current, required a spanner to operate, and couldn’t be done quickly. A more conventional setup was preferred using a rotary switch for two battery banks. As the new location of the electrical switch and junction was adjacent to the existing, the cabling just needed to be redirected slightly after removing the old electrical box.
Making the Bunk Base
The bulk of the bunk base is formed with the original "U" shaped structure.
The exiting timber fiddles required removal, and they were not going to come off easy. The fiddles had been glued and screwed into place, with the screws then covered over with bungs.
To remove with minimum effort and time, an electric coping saw was used. The piece of the fiddle which protruded above the height of the bunk base, I planned to re-use, so wanted them removed undamaged.
In order to support the top of the new storage compartment, some timber frames were fixed onto the exiting bunk base with screws and Epoxy, 12mm below the height of the bunk based so that the plywood lid would be flush.
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