It's been a while since I added any content and there is a backlog, so I thought I would provide an update on the quest for beds and comfort.
I like my sleep and since I spend much of my life doing it, I cannot excuse an uncomfortable bed and neither can my back and hips both of which express their views with vigour when otherwise ignored.
The bunk cushions on Seascape have been used to varying amounts and they all share the same issues, firstly they are made of closed cell foam which is only 4 inches thick and secondly they are arranged in a mosaic as they need to be removed for access to lockers underneath them. As a result of the mosaic they have *fiddles to keep them in place and stop them sliding all over the cabin.
*Fiddles are wooden edges to tables etc that stop your kit sliding off a table when it isn't level, they are attractive , functional and a right royal and real pain in the arse when you sit or lie on them.
So the quest was on for a comfortable (k)nights sleep. Trips around the boat shows proved that there boat bedding companies providing mattresses, of course marine pricing was the equivalent of purchasing the ground floor of a shopping mall - prices ranging from £300 plus to well over £1000 per cabin.
We have 4 cabins worth and so we hesitated and pontificated for some time.
In the meantime I looked for cost effective options that would give us a good night of sleep without having to lie awake because of the price! After much web browsing and looking at camping and caravan sites. I came across a German product called Froli Mobil, it provided an additional layer under the bedding rather than an expensive replacement and could be bought in modules that could be added as needed once we passed the testing phase.
The U.K. seems to be a bit sparse on suppliers and so I emailed a German camping shop and they provided a product using Froli which they call Berger Sentina Mobil. A bed of 180cm x 90cm costs in the region of 120 euros as a boat does not have regular shaped rectangular beds there is the possibility to use a one bed pack top make up a boat double with a bit of juggling. As it was I used three packs to do two double cabins with a few modules left over as spares.
A picture paints a thousand words so let's look at it
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| Froli laid out in the aft cabin |
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| Mattress back on top |
As you can see Froli is based on a matrix of plastic components which can be connected together on a base that clicks together in squares. The colours show the stronger more resilient petals (yellow), the regular petals grey and the little red elastic bands can be used to create even more resilience in the petals for areas such as hips, arse, shoulders where a little more support will be appreciated .
The original cushions are laid back on top of the Froli matrix, you can see the fiddles and why lying on them is not a rewarding experience, the good news is that the Froli matrix lifts up the cushions like a mattress and let ventilation in underneath which boat owners and campers will know helps greatly in holding back condensation.
Fiddling requires the gaps between the cushions to be filled with a little something and currently I am exploring solutions including using foam pipe insulation to cover the fiddles and provide some padding.
I am also trying to source the half sized petals by communicating to the Germans as the importers in the UK seem not to know anything about them.
Results so far have been excellent, at a cost of less than half of redoing one cabin the two double cabin beds have been totally rejuvenated providing a luxury way beyond expectations, no creaking, less condensation and warmer. Still left to do is to ventilate the plastic cushion cover bases which are not breathable and therefore do not assist ventilation from the foam cushion.
So far we have had very comfortable nights of sleep and great satisfaction we have also recycled the bunk cushions and saved money too. I would rate Froli as a decent 9/10 so far.
Zzzzzzzz
