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Sofa bed


Ajs1001

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Hi, Can anyone help us please? We want to buy a freestanding sofabed for our narrowboat. We are looking for something that will mainly be used as a sofa by the 2 of us, and for occasional use by guests. For that reason we want it to be a really comfortable sofa.  Does anyone know of manufacturers of any sofabeds that fit this description. Each time I try and search the internet for one they seem to big to fit the width of the boat when the bed is pulled out. Many thanks.

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Have a look at: https://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk/texas-sofa-bed/.  Bought one year's ago and it still looks exactly the same.  Delivered to the door (which it went through in its box with no problems).  Can't really attest to comfort cos I can never get the crew off the damn thing!!  Fits neatly under the gunnel when a sofa and 4' wide when it's a bed.  Four legs so plenty of storage space underneath.  Photos of it on board available if helpful.

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20 minutes ago, Ajs1001 said:

Hi, Can anyone help us please? We want to buy a freestanding sofabed for our narrowboat. We are looking for something that will mainly be used as a sofa by the 2 of us, and for occasional use by guests. For that reason we want it to be a really comfortable sofa.  Does anyone know of manufacturers of any sofabeds that fit this description. Each time I try and search the internet for one they seem to big to fit the width of the boat when the bed is pulled out. Many thanks.

Most are bound to be too big for a narrowboat widthways because a standard double bed is 190cm and a boat more like 180cm. You could either look for something small enough to be turned round and pulled out lengthways as a bed, or a 'clic clac' style sofabed where the width of the sofa is the length of the bed and the back just drops down when you make up the bed. We had something a bit like that, a Beddinge from Ikea, and it was comfier as a sofa than any other sofabed I've sat on - maybe because of the lack of a pull-out mechanism? You could look here for some ideas:

https://www.sofabedbarn.co.uk/18-narrowboat-seating

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Many thanks - that was quick!

When I looked at the Nabru website it shows the dimensions as in the diagram below:-

The 180cm depth of the bed is fine but the whole back to front depth of 235cms is wider than my cabin. Other people have recommended Nabru, and the company market the beds as suitable for narrowboats so I am a bit worried that I am missing something?

More about Nabru Boat Sofa Beds'

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I'd guess that most 'house type' sofa beds become beds so that you sleep in the same orientation as you sit (if you see what i mean).  Sit side by side then slip down so that your heads are where your bums were.  With the Texas you have to sit then spin through 90 degrees and sleep side by side along the length of the boat.

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It is all in a name!  As well as sofa beds, search under :

Studio couch - folding beds - camp beds - guest beds - sun-loungers - etc ---- lots to choose from.

I would avoid arm-rests. They get in the way - take up room  - and complicate folding and stowing - and add cost

..... and none have facilities for stowing blankets and pillows..... 

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17 hours ago, WotEver said:

You’d make it up facing along the boat instead of across it. 

I looked into that ... there was no way that I could turn the sofa crossways as the diagonal length is greater than the width of the boat

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14 minutes ago, KevMc said:

I looked into that ... there was no way that I could turn the sofa crossways as the diagonal length is greater than the width of the boat

Ahah! Then that wouldn’t work for you :)

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Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply (and so quickly!) - I really appreciate it.

There are some great suggestions, so I am sure that we will now be able to buy one.

As we get more experienced I look forward to being able to help others rather than just ask for help!

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Bought ours from www.elitefurnishings.co.uk . Not cheap but they are made for narrowboats, look good and we are very pleased with the comfort. Single guests sleep on it comfortably without having to turn it into a double.

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22 hours ago, Opener said:

Have a look at: https://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk/texas-sofa-bed/.  Bought one year's ago and it still looks exactly the same.  Delivered to the door (which it went through in its box with no problems).  Can't really attest to comfort cos I can never get the crew off the damn thing!!  Fits neatly under the gunnel when a sofa and 4' wide when it's a bed.  Four legs so plenty of storage space underneath.  Photos of it on board available if helpful.

I too have this. It's good in many ways; It's very strong and makes up into a small double bed in 10 seconds without blocking the entire width of the boat. The faux leather is also easy to clean, which is great if you have pets. 

The only downside for me is that it is not as comfy as it looks. I read some people put a mattress topper on them to help with that but otherwise it's a great sofa bed. 

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5 hours ago, Horace42 said:

It is all in a name!  As well as sofa beds, search under :

Studio couch - folding beds - camp beds - guest beds - sun-loungers - etc ---- lots to choose from.

I would avoid arm-rests. They get in the way - take up room  - and complicate folding and stowing - and add cost

..... and none have facilities for stowing blankets and pillows..... 

Mine has a drawer underneath. Plenty of space for a duvet and a sheet... probably space for a pillow or two as well. It opens up in situ, with the 4ft 6in width across the boat, and the 6ft 3in length along the length of the boat. Easy peasy.......

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We used to have a Benson's Texas on our boat as a temporary measure.  My side was really comfy but Mrs Biscuits' side wasnt.

For clarity the seat part of the sofabed is great for sleeping on, but the backrest (when folded down!) isn't as good.

As a sofa they are fantastic, as a single bed they are great but as a small double they are only good for occasional use.

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2 hours ago, 1agos said:

Bought ours from www.elitefurnishings.co.uk . Not cheap but they are made for narrowboats, look good and we are very pleased with the comfort. Single guests sleep on it comfortably without having to turn it into a double.

We've just ordered  a pair of recliners from elite. They seem a very good company with good stuff....but not yet received our chairs.....a few weeks to go. Their kit looks good but not cheap.

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On 26/02/2018 at 15:52, KevMc said:

I looked into that ... there was no way that I could turn the sofa crossways as the diagonal length is greater than the width of the boat

We came up with a novel (if expensive) solution to this problem - rather than go for a very narrow 120cm sofabed that could be turned in the available space, we asked Sofabedbarn to make us two 70cm chairbeds with a single sofa-sized cover to fit over both when pushed together. Still waiting for delivery but we're hoping a decent 140cm sofa that will convert into two single beds will be a practical solution for a saloon that's just too small, unfortunately, for a clic-clac (which would inevitably get in the way of the front steps).

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I'm not sure what's available in their current range but as someone mentioned above, the Ikea one we had was hard to beat on comfort as both bed and sofa. Easy to get into the boat-as most things Ikea, quite an upright back to save on space with ample storage for bedding underneath. 

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