Add a bed / flex use space on boat.

[Charles Albert]

New to boating.
Looking for ideas/solutions for customizing the forward interior of a narrowboat for work/social space during day. Sleeping space at night. 

[Ken X]

You can get quite small bed/settees. Or are you looking for a built-in solution?

[LadyG]

If its a single bed you could go for the lifting type as used on the orient express. Not ideal if you are a liveaboard of course as it all gets tedious having to faff about with bedding twice a day.

I don't know how long the boat is, but generally best to have a living area and sleeping separate. The living and working desk area want to be warmer than the sleeping area.

It must be a fairly short boat if the bed and the saloon are both in the bow.

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by LadyG

[Tony Brooks]

3 hours ago, Charles Albert said:

New to boating.
Looking for ideas/solutions for customizing the forward interior of a narrowboat for work/social space during day. Sleeping space at night. 

 

Is someone trying to re-invent the dinette?

[Rob-M]

15 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Is someone trying to re-invent the dinette?

Sounds like it.

[cuthound]

Sofa bed or dinette.

 

Sofa beds are cheaper than installing a custom built dinette unless the OP has excellent woodworking and upholstery skills.

 

https://www.sofabedbarn.co.uk/

[agg221]

I think a lot depends on how much time you will be spending on it. In my experience, any multi-functional space involves a compromise, at best just on convenience but usually also in funtion. How many futons have you sat/slept on that have actually been comfortable for either, for example?

 

Sometimes, needs must. The bow end of ours is needed as seats in the daytime with a table between them for eating at and beds at night. It's not the most convenient and the seats are definitely not the most comfortable, but ours is a short boat used for leisure purposes and we need four berths so that's how it works. Living aboard for one or two, we would take out the front seats and have two comfortable seats instead.

 

Alec

Edited November 27, 2023 by agg221

[PaulJ]

Was on a boat a couple of times which had /has a fold down bed in the forward cabin. It folds up into the cabin side in one piece like a very shallow full height wardrobe- had straps fitted so your duvet etc stayed in place. Just popped it down at night and your bed was made.

Daytime you had a big empty space to use for whatever you wanted.

Not sure what use that was actually intended for  mind you but it was beautifully done, different and a big empty space on a relatively short boat.

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Inflatable mattress? With electric pump.

[Peugeot 106]

1 hour ago, agg221 said:

I think a lot depends on how much time you will be spending on it. In my experience, any multi-functional space involves a compromise, at best just on convenience but usually also in funtion. How many futons have you sat/slept on that have actually been comfortable for either, for example?

 

Sometimes, needs must. The bow end of ours is needed as seats in the daytime with a table between them for eating at and beds at night. It's not the most convenient and the seats are definitely not the most comfortable, but ours is a short boat used for leisure purposes and we need four berths so that's how it works. Living aboard for one or two, we would take out the front seats and have two comfortable seats instead.

 

Alec

We have a short boat and have table and seats during the day and make the bed at night. It takes all of 3 minutes to convert but you do need a procedure or system. We bought a Dunlopillo memory foam mattress off eBay and had the seats/mattress’ made from that. It’s one of the most comfy beds i’ve ever slept on

 

people seem to make a big deal about “making” the bed but if you spend a bit of time working out the best way of going about it it really isn’t much of a hassle and we are both well into our 70s

 

 

Sleep well